We’ve selected 19 of our favorite roller coasters that are celebrating their 20th anniversaries this year, and will profile them every other Thursday for the next several weeks. After taking the “Highway to the Danger Zone” with Afterburn at Carowinds last time, this week, we’ll be taking a “Journey to the Sun,” on the wings of Apollo’s Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Courtesy: Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Though a somewhat common type of roller coaster in 2019, Apollo’s Chariot was actually the first “hypercoaster” designed by Bolliger & Mabillard.
“We had a concept for a straight fast coaster that followed the terrain of ups and downs,” said Larry Giles, Senior Director of Design and Engineering for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. “We didn’t want any curves as they put positive Gs in the seat of the rider, and we wanted the most airtime of any coaster ever. We talked to several companies to work with on this but really wanted B&M to do this as they managed design train speeds better than anyone at that time. B&M agreed and started providing some of their own ideas, like the top 50 feet of flat track needed to hit the drop right in the ravine. As we had hoped, B&M took our ‘simple’ concept to another level!”
Photo: Attraction Chasers
“The theme for the ride comes straight out of Greek mythology,” wrote Robin Deacle for the Newport News, VA-based paper The Daily Press when the coaster was announced in September 1998. “Every morning, Apollo gets in his chariot and drives the sun across the sky. One morning, Apollo’s son, a human named Phaethon, asks to steer the chariot and the steeds on the journey. The sun god has his doubts but lets his son take the reins.
Phaethon’s journey starts fine, but the horses soon take control. The sun ventures too close to earth, and then too close to the heavens, scorching both realms.”
”This was proof that no mere mortal could handle the power of Apollo’s Chariot,” Giles told Deacle.
Courtesy: Busch Gardens Williamsburg
For the “mere mortals” who try to handle the power of Apollo’s Chariot, (the roller coaster version, of course), you will board 9-row, 36-passenger “chariots,” with elevated seats and “clamshell” style restraints that create a “free flight” sensation. After leaving the station, riders ascend 170′ skyward. You might be thinking to yourself; doesn’t a Hypercoaster have to be 200′ tall to be given that designation? That’s where the terrain comes in.
Apollo’s Chariot’s first drop is actually 210′ high at a 65-degree angle, racing into the ravine below at speeds of 73mph. The trains will make their way up and down 8 more hills across nearly 4,900 feet of track — including 825′ worth of drops alone!
There are two places to sit if you’re looking for the best thrills on Apollo’s Chariot. If you want to experience the speed of the coaster, head to the front row. It will be well worth the wait. However, if you’re looking for a wild coaster experience, head to the back row, and ride the entire ride without holding on. Trust me on this one. It’s amazing, even more so at night.
Courtesy: Busch Gardens Williamsburg
At the bottom of the second biggest drop is our favorite element of the coaster, a quick tunnel that plays with riders minds. If you’re a “hands up” rider, as you approach the tunnel from the peak of the second drop, you feel like you need to pull your arms down. It’s a great bit of ride psychology, and always fun to see riders putting their hands down for a brief second before raising them again.
For Giles, there are two different elements that stand out to him on the coaster.
“My favorite part is the top of the lift just before the drop,” he said. “I also like the zero G drop left as we head to the turn around.”
Courtesy: Busch Gardens Williamsburg
When it opened in 1999, Apollo’s Chariot became the major attraction of Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Festa Italia section of the park. Though it has since been joined by another roller coaster, Tempesto, According to Giles, it was great to have an “anchor” in the area that gets guests excited for their day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
“While Roman Rapids was there 10 years before it, Apollo’s Chariot really made Festa Italia a major stop for guests to experience the park,” he said. “Also, with the views as you enter the park, it got our guests excited for their day seeing the ride run right next to their tram ride to the front gate.”
Apollo’s Chariot was an immediate hit when it opened.
“Guests were amazed,” Giles told us. “They had not really experienced a ride like that before. It was easy to ride, smooth with fun airtime. Young and old enjoyed it!”
Photo: Attraction Chasers
Apollo’s Chariot remains a park favorite after 20 years of operation and has finished outside the Top 10 of the Golden Ticket Awards’ “Top 50 Steel Coasters” list just twice in its 20-year lifespan; the first year it opened in 1999 (#20), and #11 in 2017. In 2018, it held strong at #6. In all, it has given more than 28,000,000 rides since 1999.
For Giles, it’s a fantastic feeling to have such a popular ride at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, despite its “senior status” among other roller coasters on the list.
“It’s still my favorite ride!” he told us. “It’s definitely hard to believe after 20 years it still is up there with all the rides that are out there. After we rode it for the first time, Claude Mabillard looked at me and said, ‘I never would have thought such a simple design would be such a fun ride.’ I think that still holds for today.”
https://twitter.com/Kevin_BGW/status/1096167598801281026
It was announced on twitter by Busch Gardens Park President Kevin Lembke that Apollo’s Chariot was in the process of getting repainted this past off-season, to restore the coaster’s paint to its original purple glory.
Courtesy: Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Facebook
This coming weekend, Busch Gardens Williamsburg will also be celebrating the 20 years of Apollo’s Chariot by throwing the roller coaster a birthday party! There will be special culinary offerings, including Apollo’s Chariot Birthday Cake (available in all restaurants), Purple Kettle Corn and Giant Apollo’s Donuts in England, and a Pineapple and Berry Waffle Cone Sundae (available at Roman Freeze, London Dairy & Germany Ice Cream). Busch Gardens “members” will also have exclusive ride time on Apollo’s Chariot and the adjacent Tempesto from 9:00am-10:00am on Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31. For more information check out the park’s Facebook Event!
For more information about Apollo’s Chariot, be sure to visit the Busch Gardens Website, and follow the park on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
We’ll see you in two weeks as we continue to “Party like it’s 1999” with our next “19 for 99” coaster: Bizarro at Six Flags Great Adventure!
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