Our Coaster101.com “A-Z Coaster of the Week” is Dragon Challenge at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure. Dragon Challenge, originally known as Dueling Dragons, opened with the rest of Islands of Adventure on May 28, 1999, and will celebrate its 15th birthday this May.
Dragon Challenge is a duo of Bolliger and Mabillard Inverted Coasters. When they opened, they were the only fully inverted dueling coasters in the world. Both coasters ascend side-by-side lift hills to a height of 125’ before embarking on separate journeys featuring 5 inversions.
Dueling Dragons was renamed Dragon Challenge in 2010 as part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion at Islands of Adventure. The Fire and Ice dragons that the rides had been originally themed to were now rebranded as the “Chinese Fireball” and “Hungarian Horntail” (from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) respectively.
From 1999-2011, the coasters actually did “duel.” They were dispatched from the stations at similar times, and then were matched up on their separate lift hills. There were 3 “near-miss” points on the track: a slight hill on the red track over a barrel roll on the blue track, interlocking corkscrews, and two loops that were just feet apart. Unfortunately, due to several injuries, the coasters are no longer dispatched at the same time.
Photo: www.destinationorlando.com
Get ready for our “E” Coaster next week. Is it a true “E-Ticket?” Tune in next week to find out.
That coaster is really fun. I’ve been on both sides multiple times