No More Backwards Racer At Kings Island

[Roy Tucker]

Bummer. I always thought the backwards Racer was kinda cool and the line was always short. Also good for a case of whiplash. Park management's reason seems lame.

http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=8118165

No More Backwards Racer At Kings Island

Posted: April 4, 2008 09:36 AM EDT

(MASON, OH) -- Something old is new again at Kings Island, as the backward traveling trains on the Racer roller coaster will run forward again when the park opens for the 2008 season on Sunday, April 20 at 10:00 a.m.

The decision to run both sides of the Racer forward again after 26 years with one side facing backward was made in an effort to be consistent with other Cedar Fair parks. The Red Racer trains will be on the former backward side, with the Blue Racer trains on the other side.

The Racer has been a mainstay at Kings Island, and with good reason. A lot of facts and figures have been bandied about concerning the coaster - top height is 88 feet, the course is three-fifths of a mile long, speed is 53.3 miles an hour and the angle of the first drop is 50 degrees.

More than 91,000,000 guests have taken a ride on the Racer since it opened in 1972 with the park.

[Falls City Beer]

Bummer. I always thought the backwards Racer was kinda cool and the line was always short. Also good for a case of whiplash. Park management's reason seems lame.

http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=8118165

Must conform! *robot voice*

Must follow corporate!

[dabvu2498]

91,000,000 wow.

[rotnoid]

Why ride then? I'm not impressed with the Racer going forward. They should have just made them both go in reverse. That's the only reason I ever waited to ride.

[Unassisted]

The public reason sounds like a smokescreen. More likely there is some unstated hazard that made the risk analysis people drop the hammer.

[Falls City Beer]

The public reason sounds like a smokescreen. More likely there is some unstated hazard that made the risk analysis people drop the hammer.

For 35 years it ran without a major lawsuit or injury to speak of. I don't doubt that insurance was the reason, but frankly, in the risk/reward matrix, I doubt corporate comes out ahead here at all.

[Cyclone792]

91,000,000 wow.

I haven't been to Kings Island since high school, but I went quite a few times while in high school. Several times I was there, the Racer was pretty much the only rollercoaster without any line to speak of. I was there with some friends, and we just kept riding the Racer over and over. Walk right in, hop right on, ride the coaster, hop off the coaster, then walk right back in, etc.

For about 90 minutes we were pretty much on every other session.

[Yachtzee]

Must conform! *robot voice*

Must follow corporate!

If they really want to make Kings Island conform, they'll change the name of it to the "Gemini."

[Roy Tucker]

Being the only idiot parent in the neighborhood still willing to ride rides, I usually end up taking my youngest daughter and 3-4 neighbor kids to King's Island several times a year and ride the rides with them.

What Cyclone said about the Racer is pretty much true, you can ride it over and over without much of a wait at all. I think one time we rode it 21 times straight just... because. I felt it for days.

The backwards one is pretty rough and if you don't brace yourself appropriately, you can get whipped around pretty good. We usually do the "race" thing and split off for the frontwards and backwards one and race.

But then again, I'm an old guy and all the rides seem rough to me now.

[15fan]

As a teen, the backwards Racer was always one of the highlights, IMO, of a trip to Kings Island.

As a not-so-teen-anymore, I'm not sure how I'd fare.

Drag that they won't be running it backwards any more.

My guess is that the decreased ridership then allows them to justify ripping it down and building something new.

[Patrick Bateman]

I haven't been to Kings Island since high school, but I went quite a few times while in high school. Several times I was there, the Racer was pretty much the only rollercoaster without any line to speak of. I was there with some friends, and we just kept riding the Racer over and over. Walk right in, hop right on, ride the coaster, hop off the coaster, then walk right back in, etc.

For about 90 minutes we were pretty much on every other session.

I once did that on the Indian Jones ride in DisneyLand. Usually the lines are insanely huge... like an hour easily before the fast pass arrived.

But we once stayed fairly late at night and it seemed that almost everyone left the park. That left the Indiana Jones ride with zero line. We went on at least 8 times in succession.

[Blimpie]

I guess I am getting old. I remember riding it when both red and blue faced forwards the first time....

[RedFanAlways1966]

I guess I am getting old. I remember riding it when both red and blue faced forwards the first time....

Me too. I am also old enough to remember the 1st airing of the Brady Bunch riding it. Maybe not Greg... he was too busy hitting on the girl running the football toss (no, no... I see him below!).

In those days the Racer and the much-much smaller Scooby Doo (in what was then called Hanna Barbara Land) were the only roller coasters in the park.

[MasonBuzz3]

as a teen growing up in Mason, I had quite a few memorable time on the Racer, especially the backwards variety. I am sorry for today's Mason area youth, the girls used to love that ride

[cincyinco]

A colorado native here, made sure to visit Ohio's great parks several times.. backwards racer is always one that sticks in my mind. The Beast of course too.. and The Vortex? Is that it? can't remember.

Shame to hear its gone..