Rage (roller coaster)

Rage
Adventure Island
Coordinates 51°31′57″N 0°43′00″E / 51.53250°N 0.71667°E / 51.53250; 0.71667Coordinates: 51°31′57″N 0°43′00″E / 51.53250°N 0.71667°E / 51.53250; 0.71667
Status Operating
Opening date 10 February 2007
General statistics
Type Steel – Euro-Fighter
Manufacturer Gerstlauer
Designer Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH
Model Euro-Fighter Model 320+
Height 72 ft (22 m)
Length 1,184 ft (361 m)
Speed 43.5 mph (70.0 km/h)
Inversions 3
Max vertical angle 97°
G-force 4.5
Rage at RCDB
Pictures of Rage at RCDB

Rage is a steel roller coaster situated at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom. Rage is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter model roller coaster (the 6th overall to be built)[1] At 97 degrees, it is steeper-than-vertical and tied for the third steepest roller coaster in the United Kingdom.[2]

History and description

Designed by Werner Stengel, the coaster opened on 10 February 2007.[3] When it was built, the coaster became the tallest structure in the park and one of the tallest structures in the nearby area. Riders on the coaster are offered expansive views of the nearby North Sea from the Southend-on-Sea beach.[4] The coaster has a total of three inversions: a vertical loop, an Immelmann and a zero-g roll.[3] The coaster also has a helix near the end of the ride.[4] As with other Euro-Fighter model coasters, the coaster has trains that consist of individual cars. Riders in these cars are in two rows of four, for a total of 8 riders.[3] The base of the coaster is 197 feet (60 m) by 125 feet (38 m).[1] The coaster layout for Rage is particularly close to two other Euro-Fighter (model 320+) roller coasters: Falcon at Duinrell amusement park and Untamed at Canobie Lake Park.[5]

Ride Experience

The ride starts with a 90 degree turn out of the station. Next the train comes to a stop for several seconds in some breaks prior to the lift hill. The train then climbs the 72 foot lift hill and drops down at an angle of 97 degrees. The train then goes through a vertical loop, a cutback (turning the train 180 degrees). After the cutback the train goes into an over banked 180 turn and a 360 degree heart-line roll. After the heart-line roll the train makes a 180 degree decline and into an inclining 360 degree helix. Finally the train goes into a declined break run, makes another 90 degree turn and into the station.

Reviews

In 2009, Andy Akinwolere, a presenter for the Children's BBC show Blue Peter, rated Rage as the "most thrilling roller coaster" in the United Kingdom. Akinwolere, who wore a heart monitor to record his physiological reactions, reported that the coaster was "less scary than other rides, but...[offered] really intense excitement all the way through."[6]

Appearances in TV Shows

Rage is seen in the show The Amazing World Of Gumball, but known as the Stomach Destroyer.

Incidents

Rage attracted media attention when crows began nesting near the very top of the 72 feet (22 m) tall roller coaster. Despite the fact that the nest was mere inches from the track itself, engineers at the park examined the nest and its location and determined that the nest's location did not pose a threat to coaster riders or the birds. The crows were also observed to be seemingly undisturbed by the coaster's operation.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Euro-Fighter Rage". Gerstlauer. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Marden, Duane. "List of roller coasters in the UK by angle". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Marden, Duane. "Rage  (Adventure Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 Sehlinger, Bob (2011). The Unofficial Guide to Britain's Best Days Out, Theme Parks and Attractions. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Son. pp. 222–223. ISBN 1119971136. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  5. ↑ Rutherford, Scott (January 2011). "Canobie Lake adding Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter coaster" (PDF). Amusement Today (IAAPA) 14 (10): 9. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Archard, Michelle (25 March 2009). "Blue Peter rates Adventure Island Rage ride as No 1". Echo (Newsquest (Essex) Ltd). Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "The Twig Dipper: Crows make their nest at the top of a 75ft rollercoaster". Mail Online (Associated Newspapers Ltd). 16 April 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2014.

External links

Media related to Rage (roller coaster) at Wikimedia Commons

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