Gold Striker - California's Great America

[gouldy]

Hadn't heard or seen anything about this today, but it looks quite cool!

FACTS AND FIGURES of Gold Striker @ California's Great America

Track length: 3,197 ft
First drop: 103.3 ft (track height at top of hill minus track height at bottom of first drop)
Top speed: 53.7 mph
Ride time: 2 minutes, 30 seconds (measured from station start to station stop)
Features: Double-down spiraling first drop
Sky Tower wrap-around
80?????? banking (found at the ??????Midway?????? curve)
Station fly-by
108.2 ft structure height (very top of structure relative to ground level)
103.3 ft total elevation change

Trains: 2 Millennium Flyer trains, 24 riders per train
Capacity: Approximately 850 pph





Construction is pretty well on.

looks nice, I would rather see a big fun or back track get built though, would be interesting to see how they operate in real life

Finally something I can actually talk about. The speed that Gold Striker is being built is amazing. We're really lucking out with the weather right now, as it's been really clear and very little rain. Gold Striker can easily be ready for opening day with the park.

Hello everyone! You may remember me from way back when, and also from TPR. I, like Rolercstrluver am local to CGA (Give or take a 20-minute distance for me) and I've actually been following the construction from the start. Back before the coaster was announced (more like when it started going vertical, I decided to start making a blog and have kept up on it every other week.

http://au13watch.blogspot.com/

It's fun looking at the photos and seeing how it all started and how it's grown throughout the summer!

About Gold Striker, I'm very excited about this, among the inverting hybrid woodies that seem to overshadow this 'unheard-of' coaster
It will be the first major attraction for CGA since Stealth, and I really hope this is a new beginning for CGA's future!

actually looks cool, too bad i don't live close to CGA

[AyTrane]

Yes, if the weather holds out, the ride might be done by the holidays (that's the goal anyway). It's a perfect addition to the park.

^ It's still funny to see posts on the parks FB about people who think this is Grizzly.

It was even funnier before even the project name "Au13" was announced, that people insisted that this was going to be the 49ers stadium...even when vertical construction began and you could clearly see the second turnaround form. Oh, the GP...gotta love them!

If you want to see more pictures, there are some great one's here on Great America's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 154&type=1

As well as here on the GCI page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 094&type=1

California has too many GCI coasters.All Cali woodies do not have much airtime.Time for Cali to have a GG or an Intamin woodie loaded with ejector and floater air.And what is the lastest on the KBF giga?

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Here are the most recent picture's taken by GCI on site.

I am so bored of GCI wooden coasters. They are all the same ONE roller coaster, changed to fit different plots.

They are awesome to ride and good additions for any parks but I can't even sit through the animation POV! And I looooove upcoming roller coaster animation POVs!!!!

^ this is why I'm saying a backtrack or big fun should be built somewhere, it would be so cool to see the difference between those and the custom rides which as you pointed out are similar anyway

I dunno about everyone else but I'm looking forward to riding this! Sure it's a 3rd GCI in CA but I think it will be a nice addition to Great America, which was in desperate need of a major attraction.

And if anyone is interested, I updated my blog this past weekend as I was out at the park. (Yes, it was somewhat open for the "Global Winter Wonderland" event that a 3rd party is doing and renting the park's space.
http://au13watch.blogspot.com/2012/11/g ... style.html

Thats looking great! I've only ever been on Apocalypse. And that ride is awesome! Gold striker should be fun. Although, I would love to see a Big Fun built somewhere as well.

Here's a quick update on Gold Striker, for anyone that's interested!
http://au13watch.blogspot.com/2012/12/g ... -grow.html





More photos on blog!

That transition looks awful.

Here's the latest progress on Gold Striker, was out at the park this past weekend to catch up on construction and enjoy some CGA flat rides (and temp carnival death rides).






Full update here: http://au13watch.blogspot.com/2012/12/f ... pdate.html

Long time no post on here

I got the joy to check out Gold Striker today and got to do a hardhat construction tour. It's coming along nice!

Plenty of photos here: http://au13watch.blogspot.com/2013/03/c ... ction.html

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aTh6mBdfWJ8/U ... ur_195.jpg



http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TFu4bvecYAE/U ... ur_228.jpg

Originally posted by GerstlCrazy

I am so bored of GCI wooden coasters. They are all the same ONE roller coaster, changed to fit different plots.

I've remembered this quote for quite some time now. I had the opportunity to take in some rides on Gold Striker early, as in it's not even open to the public yet. 26 rides later and wanting more, I can assure you that it's not 'just another GCI.'

Full review here:
http://au13watch.blogspot.com/2013/05/g ... -hype.html

And a little off ride compilation I threw together while in line:

What other GCIs have you been on? I'm not saying they're bad, I actually don't think I could ever get sick of Renegade- especially as it gets rougher and rougher each year.

The reason I say that is because their layouts aren't memorable. Maybe the first drop and the first two elements after that; like on this, it kind of has a flat turn at the bottom of the drop. But the rest of it is their bank rotating popping hills and generic GCI turnarounds and swerves. It's not bad. It's just old.

I've only actually ridden the 3 GCI's in CA (Apoc, Roar, and Gold Striker). I just recently rode Apocalypse so that ride is pretty fresh in my head...about 2 weeks later I get to ride CGA's coaster. Gold Striker pretty much took a massive dump over Apocalypse Let's just say that honestly I was only expecting a couple pops of air (First one being the speed hill/flyby, very gentle coming out of first turnaround, and another short moment of floater/diet air time coming up to the 3rd turnaround.

The reality was that coming in and out of the turns launched me upward into the lapbar, some of the double downs actually ejected me upward for a good couple seconds. Sitting in the back seat, my friends and I were counting all the moments of air, getting up to 14 moments. This coaster's already had a huge impact on me (it knocked Giant Dipper down at the 'walk to my No.2 woodie as this took over), and Gold Striker is going to be a huge hit for the park...even for the GP who think it's "just another Grizzly."

[jayman]

Originally posted by GerstlCrazy

What other GCIs have you been on? I'm not saying they're bad, I actually don't think I could ever get sick of Renegade- especially as it gets rougher and rougher each year.

The reason I say that is because their layouts aren't memorable. Maybe the first drop and the first two elements after that; like on this, it kind of has a flat turn at the bottom of the drop. But the rest of it is their bank rotating popping hills and generic GCI turnarounds and swerves. It's not bad. It's just old.

i noticed something .. all the stuff they do that makes their rides look so awesome are what seems to kill them .. those turns LOOK awesome, but they feel like meh... when there could be some air? they kinda force some of it sideways .. my thought on apocolypse was " sure as hell aint no ghost rider ! "

[Coasterkidmwm]

I still maintain that Lightning Racer is the second worst wooden ride I've ever ridden. Only Mean Streak manages to accomplish less.

All the reviews for Terminator were the same as the current reviews for this one, just like all of the new GCI reviews are inflated since their first ride, and now everyone says Terminator is boring.

http://thrillride.com/lracer/lracer.html

That is the most bloated review I've ever seen that wasn't for an iPhone^. That ride somehow does even less than American Eagle, which in itself is an accomplishment only Dinn and RCCA have managed. Then again, those at least have character in their badness.

POV makes it look like a bland ride aside from one pop of air it might have, the drop is a total waste, etc.

Give it two years and you'll all think this ride is average.

I enjoy lightning racer, its much better than wildcat and comet usully has a ridiculous line that the rest of the family wont stand through. I do agree on the wasted drop though. the tunnel just seems badly placed. I understand the concept of it(rushing into a gold mine) but I feel like the drop was designed specifically for the interesting views around the tower which is completly eliinated.