We head to Williamsburg, VA for our “G” Coaster of the week. Griffon opened at Busch Gardens Williamsburg on May 18, 2007, replacing the park’s iconic Le Mans Raceway, in the New France section of the park.
A Bolliger and Mabillard creation, Griffon stands 205’high, just five feet shy of Apollo’s Chariot’s first drop. It was the first dive coaster with floorless trains, and the only coaster of its kind to feature multiple inversions.
Griffon features two 90º vertical drops, two immelman loops, as well as a “splash down” near the ride’s finale. Riders sit 10 across in three “stadium-style” rows. The middle four riders in each row are over the track, while the three riders on the left and right side of each row are suspended in mid-air. The max speed on Griffon is 71 mph.
Griffon differs slightly from its sister coaster, Sheikra, which opened in 2005 at Busch Gardens Tampa. Sheikra’s trains only seat 8-across, and they were originally floored trains, before switching over to floorless trains shortly after Griffon’s grand opening. Griffon also stands 5’ taller than Sheikra. The two coasters are similar enough that they tied for 19th best steel roller coaster in the world in 2010.
Were you able to guess Griffon? Come back next week, and try to guess the “H” Coaster.
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