CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Aug. 26, 2009) — The skyline of Carowinds will drastically change for what will be a historic and record-breaking 2010 season, as the amusement park announces plans to debut the Intimidator™, the Southeast’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster, in the Spring of 2010. Topping the list as the largest single capital investment in Carowinds 37-year history, the Intimidator™ is named in honor of NASCAR®’s most beloved driver, Dale Earnhardt, “The Intimidator.”
This massive attraction will stand 232-feet (23-stories) tall at its highest peak and send guests plunging down a 211-foot first drop at a 74-degree angle, reaching speeds in excess of 75 miles per hour. The second (178-feet) and third (151-feet) hills are also taller than any roller coaster at Carowinds. With 5,316 feet of track the Intimidator™ will feature high speed twists and turns including seven steep drops – one for each of his NASCAR® championships — and an intense finish through a diving spiral. The ride experience will last more than three minutes, and replicate the speed and intensity of a fast-paced NASCAR® race.
“The Intimidator™ will dominate the skyline and strongly position Carowinds as the thrill capital of the Southeast — the statistics speak for themselves,” said Bart Kinzel, Carowinds’ vice president and general manager. “This unprecedented addition represents the sizable commitment of Cedar Fair Entertainment Company toward building and expanding the product offering at Carowinds and solidifying us as the premier regional amusement park.”
The trains on the Intimidator™ will feature unique, open-air stadium-style seating with a simple T-bar style restraint that extends from the floor between the rider’s feet with the bar resting across the rider’s lap. These ‘side-less’ trains take away a feeling of protection for the riders and allows them to experience an unobstructed view of all the thrills and excitement of this record-breaking roller coaster. The trains will also be fashioned to mirror Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 RCR No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
“We’re excited to see this new roller coaster celebrate the speed, excitement and 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 engaging and interactive way for them to connect with the spirit and passion of the Intimidator™.”
The 10-acre attraction will be located on the midway across from the entrance of Nighthawk and will race over the skyline of the Park from the north main entrance to the south entrance paralleling the guest parking lot. Featuring a bold red track and grey support structure, the Intimidator’s™ 232-foot lift will overshadow the Park’s skyline, dwarfing its neighboring roller coaster, Afterburn at 144-feet.
“The name Intimidator™ is significant of the most exciting, aggressive, and skilled driver to ever race on a NASCAR® track, Dale Earnhardt,” Kinzel said. “There is no better way to communicate the enormity of this ride than to give it a face that its riders can truly connect with. The Intimidator™ will include a heavily-themed midway, complete with a Victory Lane and a video tribute to Dale Earnhardt’s racing accomplishments.”
Guests will have the opportunity to see this historic ride being built from the ground up as they attend on operating days throughout the Fall. Those who cannot wait until 2010 may take a virtual ride on the Intimidator™, access exclusive updates, features, virtual renderings, ride statistics, and more at intimidator.carowinds.com.
Construction has already begun on this world-class roller coaster and will continue throughout the winter months. The Intimidator™ is expected to open to the public in the Spring of 2010.
The Intimidator™ is designed and manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard of Monthey, Switzerland, a recognized industry leader in roller coaster development and the same firm that brought Afterburn to Carowinds in 1999 and Vortex in 1992.
Carowinds 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 Carowinds, Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, six water parks, one indoor water park resort, and five hotels. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, CA under a management contract. -------------------------------------------------------------------- "Intimidator™, will be the tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster in the Southeast. This massive attraction with stand 232-feet tall at its highest peak; send riders plunging down a 211-foot first drop at a 74-degree angle and then race along 5,316-feet of track at speeds in excess of 75 MPH!"
--Trains--
"The trains on Intimidator™ will feature unique, open-air stadium-style seating with a simple T-bar style restraint that extends from the floor between the rider’s feet with the bar resting across the rider’s lap. These 'side-less' trains take away a feeling of protection for the riders and allows them to experience an unobstructed view of all the thrills of this record-breaking roller coaster! The trains will also be fashioned to mirror Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 RCR No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo."
Physical Dimensions: Track Length: 5,316' Highest Peak: 232' Height of First Drop: 211' Angle of First Drop: 74° Height of Other Hills: 178’, 151’, 105’, 90’, 62’, 52’, 48’ Total Drops: 8 (including initial drop)
Time, Speed, Capacity: Fastest Speed: 75-80 mph Ride Time: 3 minutes, 33 seconds Hourly Capacity:: 1,600 riders Number of Trains: Three Train Description: Each train has 8 cars with four seats per car (32-passenger) Structure & Design: Ride Structure: 3,391,200 lbs. Track: 1,567,000 lbs. Supports: 1,500,100 lbs. Braking System: Combination of magnetic and friction brakes Acres Covered: 10 acres Manufacturer: Bolliger and Mabillard
Investment: Investment: $23 million
Scheduled Debut: Date: Spring 2010 Ride Guidelines: Guests must be at least 54" tall
I would deffinately choose this over the Intamin Giga but, It doesnt look like its going to be very forceful... Who knows, these videos can be misleading. It probably a good addition to the park.
This ride would basicly whip KI's Intimidatior's ass. If only they could make it a giga, for more airtime. And get rid of those nasty v trains, for obvious reasons.
The Best Ball Of Optimism and Neglect You Will Find For Miles!
Ok. Still ugly trains, but I can say that this actually looks pretty fun to me. The turnaround looks decent, and to me looks a little more exciting than other's like Behemoth and DB (more banking transitions in and out). Also, I feel like that banking transition on the first hill could have started much earlier in order to get some adrenaline going. Still looks pretty beast though.
So, my friend came up to me the other day and asked if I wanted a frozen banana, and I said no, but I want a normal banana later, so... yea.
I like the way this ride looks. It should be fun. I just hope CF doesn't open up 3 more next year like Six Flags did with Batmans and Bizarros and Goliaths. I can deal with 2 that are different rides made by different companies...but after that it gets too repetitive and boring.
I think this ride should be fun...I'm heading to Carowinds next year so I'm glad I'll get the chance to ride it. I don't think the trains are that bad since it is kind of a tribute to Dale Earnhardt...so I'm fine with them. As for the pacing...it looks ok...but Diamondback's videos seemed to have better pacing. I guess we will have to wait and see.
I agree with Jakizle, although the speed on the other videos aren't off by much. Also the videos sometimes don't share the same shaping as the real ride (look at the last helix, I doubt B&M would do something like that to one of their designs.)
I am definitely looking forward to this way more than KD's. It has a better layout, but I hope that the pacing is much faster than that recreation. If not, then this will be suckish.
I think this ride will have great airtime...every B&M hyper I have been on (Goliath, Nitro, AC) has good solid air. I have been told Behemoth and Dback have good air too so why would this be any different? You can tell parts of it are designed to have airtime, like the entrance and exit to the awesome looking helix.
The only part of this ride I don't like is the turnaround.
It's not a valley if you're at the top of a hill, coasterdave...think about the terminology. A train can "valley" in the "valley" between hills. I said "normal hill" because a large hills with a small valley at the top inbetween 2 high points *might* be referred to as one and not two hills. So yes, a ride can not "valley" on a hill.
And no I don't want to hear any BS about the train ending up partially going up a hill when valleying, if that is your reasoning lol.
I should have worded it differently...at some points it looks so slow that it looks like it won't make it up the hill, and therefore valley. Keith has nothing to judge pacing by when he makes his videos...its pretty obvious the physics isn't right too.
A valley is a hole more or less...or a piece cut out of something...if something were to valley at the top of a hill...the correct term would be either mount or mountain :D
Carowinds New Roller Coaster For 2010: Intimidator
Posted - 08/26/2009 : 1:17:53 PM
