Kings Dominion to Introduce $25 Million Steel Giga-Coaster In 2010
Discuss this announcement in our forums!
-
- Intimidator 305’s lifthill will stand tall over every other ride in the park.
-
- 85 degrees of insanity!
-
- The park’s Arrow looper will be dwarfed by Intimidator 305.
Doswell, VA. (Aug. 20, 2009) – The most exciting ride in Kings Dominion’s 35-year history will debut in the spring of 2010, as the amusement park introduces a mammoth 5,100-foot long steel Giga-coaster. Intimidator 305 takes it name from one of stock car racing’s most beloved and tenacious drivers, Dale Earnhardt, “the Intimidator™” along with the height of the coaster’s lift hill, 305 feet.
Intimidator 305, only the second Giga-coaster ever built in North America, will be the tallest and fastest roller coaster of its type on the East Coast. The lift hill will stand a towering 305 feet at its highest peak; descend 300 feet at an 85 degree-angle and thunder along the track at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour during its three minute race to the finish. The trains, fashioned after Dale Earnhardt’s signature black car, will roar through six airtime humps plus three high-speed turns and the experience will have guests screaming for another lap around the track.
“Intimidator 305 will break records as the single largest capital investment in the history Kings Dominion,” said Pat Jones, Kings Dominion’s vice president and general manager. “The numbers speak for themselves, at a cost of $25 million, a lift hill and first drop close to the height of the park’s landmark Eiffel Tower; you’ll have to see it to believe it.” Intimidator 305 will be located in the park’s Congo section and becomes Kings Dominion’s 15th World-class roller coaster.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. will partner with Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, owners of Kings Dominion, to bring the massive coaster to life. “We’re excited to see this new roller coaster celebrate the speed and intensity of the legendary career of Dale Earnhardt,” said Jeff Steiner, executive vice president and general manager of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. “there are millions of fans that still honor their racing hero and this is a very real way for them to connect with the spirit and passion of the Intimidator™.”
Guests will have the opportunity to see the ride being built from the ground up during the remainder of the park’s 2009 season, as well as follow its progress by watching the online webcam, set up to overlook the entire work site. Those who cannot wait until 2010 may take a virtual ride on Intimidator 305, access exclusive updates, features, virtual renderings, ride statistics, and more at www.intimidator305.com.
Intamin AG of Wollerau, Switzerland, a recognized industry leader in roller coaster development, designed Intimidator 305. The ride is scheduled to open in the spring of 2010.
Kings Dominion is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Kings Dominion, Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, six waterparks, one indoor waterpark resort, and five hotels. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, Calif. under a management contract.
– Dale Earnhardt Inc./Kings Dominion, Press Release
Wow. Will it really only have two lift hill supports?
Why. Do. You. Have. OTSRs?
Haha I mean I can see why, those transitions like Maverick should be pretty great. It just sucks. Millennium Force is so thrilling because in addition to being so tall you feel free; you can look around and there’s nothing there. Now there’s a nice orange bar in your face. Joy.
Aside from that, it’s somewhere between Millennium Force and Maverick. It’s a megalite x3, really, and that’s pretty cool.
There’s just one thing that doesn’t make sense: how was that three minutes long? It most definitely wasn’t.
If you look at the ride statistics. The trains will have over the head lap bars without shoulder restraints…
I believe they’ll look more like Pilgrim Plunge’s which shouldn’t be much different than lap restraints. That’s what I’m hoping for!
Yeah, and if you look at the animation they’ll have the normal Intamin OTSRs.
Intamin doesn’t consider their OTSRs to be quite ‘over-the-shoulder.’ They aren’t, really. There’s a great deal of space between your shoulders and the restraint; they aren’t like B&M or Arrow or Vekoma. When they say ‘overhead,’ they mean OTSRs.
Great news! I will definitely get a copy soon and hope will enjoy this article as I have enjoyed all the articles you have written before!