Lightning Racer

Lightning Racer
Hersheypark
Coordinates 40°17′34″N 76°39′11″W / 40.292884°N 76.653171°W / 40.292884; -76.653171Coordinates: 40°17′34″N 76°39′11″W / 40.292884°N 76.653171°W / 40.292884; -76.653171
Status Operating
Opening date May 13, 2000 (2000-05-13)
General Statistics
Type Wood – Racing – Dueling
Manufacturer Great Coasters International
Model Racing roller coaster
Lift/launch system Chain
  Lightning (Red) Thunder (Green)
Height 92 ft (28.0 m) 92 ft (28.0 m)
Drop 90 ft (27.4 m) 90 ft (27.4 m)
Length 3,393 ft (1,034.2 m) 3,393 ft (1,034.2 m)
Speed 51 mph (82.1 km/h) 51 mph (82.1 km/h)
Inversions 0 0
Duration 2:20 2:20
Max vertical angle 45° 45°
G-force 3.6 3.6
Height restriction 48 in (122 cm)
Lightning Racer at RCDB
Pictures of Lightning Racer at RCDB

Lighting Racer is a wooden dueling roller coaster located at Hersheypark. It is located in the Midway America section of the park. Built by Great Coasters International in 2000, it was the first wooden racing and dueling roller coaster.

The ride

The ride makes use of GCI's Millennium Flyer articulated trains for a smooth and comfortable ride. During the ride's first two years in operation, the park played recordings for the winning train, which sometimes included local celebrity voices. While fans of the ride may have a particular side (Thunder/Green, or Lightning/Red) they enjoy more, both sides travel through the same elements, although at different times. Speed is affected not only by weight on the train, but also by weather conditions (rain, temperature, etc.), maintenance, the lifts' speeds, and placement of riders on train. Both sides contain an on-ride camera, located in the tunnel midway through the ride.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Thunder and Lightning are renamed Mischief and Mayhem, respectively. The ride is also dubbed "Wicked Racer" for the occasion.

A view of the Thunder train from the Lightning train during a pass.

Additional information

Lightning Racer is in the Midway America section of the park. It is the most popular attraction in that section, often dispatching full trains on the average day. Despite this, wait times for the ride often do not exceed fifteen to twenty minutes when both trains are running on each track due to high capacity and ease of dispatch. If only one train is operating on each track wait times can reach up to one hour.

When Lightning Racer opened, it was the second GCI coaster to open at Hersheypark after Wildcat, making it the only park in the world to have two GCI coasters.

During its initial season and several seasons thereafter, the ride featured Creed's hit "Higher" as its theme song.

Awards

Lightning Racer is consistently voted a top 25 wooden roller coaster by Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year2001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016
Ranking 13[1]11[2]7[3]10[4]9[5]10[6]10[7]9[8]12[9]10[10]11[11]11[12]9[13]11[14] 10[15] 10[16]
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster[17]
Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Ranking
19
24
22
23
23
25
32
32
30
31
34
31
35

Note: Mitch Hawker's poll lists Lightning Racer as two separate coasters (for the Lightning and Thunder sides). Every year the poll has been run, Lightning has received a higher ranking. The results above are for Lightning.

References

  1. ↑ "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 10–11B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  13. ↑ "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  14. ↑ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  15. ↑ "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  16. ↑ "2016 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 20 (6.2): 46–46. September 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll 19 year results table". BestRollerCoasterPoll.com. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
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