Apollo's Chariot
Encyclopedia
Apollo's Chariot is the first Bolliger & Mabillard
hypercoaster
, located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, in James City County, Virginia
.
to incorporate the "T-shaped" clamshell harness design, which is a type of tight lap restraint rather than an over the shoulder harness, or the traditional "U-shaped" lap bar. This allows the rider to experience more freedom and movement of the body. Opened in 1999, it soon became a favorite roller coaster of many enthusiasts and riders. The roller coaster uses an out and back design with a helix. Notably, the first drop is actually longer than height of the lift, the drop being 210 feet, and the height of the roller coaster 170 feet high. The ride with its purple track and yellow supports is easily noticeable from nearby roads. Apollo's Chariot is very quiet, which was accomplished by filling in the supports with gravel. Since its opening, trim brakes were added on two hills.
Since it opened, Apollo's Chariot never came out of the 10 top best steel coasters by Amusement Today, with lowest ranking being 8 in 2000. This is one of the few B&M coasters that accomplished this. It is a main rival of Nitro
at Six Flags Great Adventure
, since numerous times has it came back to back with Nitro is Amusement Today's polls.
. Coming out of the helix, there is a small drop, then a climbing right turn into the block brake
. A sudden dive off the block leads into a bunny hop parallel to the ride's initial plunge. Then, the ride features an overbanked turn under the lift hill, just dodging one of the support columns. After this, the train makes a left hand turn, and at the end the is a camel hump hill and drop into a ditch where the on-ride photo is located. Then the train enters the final brakes. After a left turn, the riders return to the station.
Parts of Apollo's Chariot cross over Roman Rapids, a River rafting ride
. To prevent riders on the Rapids from being hit by loose articles from riders on Apollo's Chariot, nets are present on the segment of track from the left hand turn after passing under the lift hill to the final drop, as well as on the predrop at the top of the lift hill.
, who also rode the first car of the coaster's train for the maiden ride. During the rapid descent on the 210 foot drop after the lift hill, a goose
struck Fabio in the face, leaving his nose covered with blood. However, he only received a one inch cut on his nose from the goose's bill. No one else was hurt. The goose's neck was broken in the impact and it was found dead under the roller coaster.
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president...
hypercoaster
Hypercoaster
A hypercoaster can mean one of two things:*Any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feetOr, more narrowly:*A style or model of roller coaster with three features:**A height of 200–299 feet...
, located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, in James City County, Virginia
James City County, Virginia
James City County is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. Its population was 67,009 , and it is often associated with Williamsburg, an independent city, and Jamestown which is within the...
.
Description
Apollo's Chariot is the first roller coasterRoller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
to incorporate the "T-shaped" clamshell harness design, which is a type of tight lap restraint rather than an over the shoulder harness, or the traditional "U-shaped" lap bar. This allows the rider to experience more freedom and movement of the body. Opened in 1999, it soon became a favorite roller coaster of many enthusiasts and riders. The roller coaster uses an out and back design with a helix. Notably, the first drop is actually longer than height of the lift, the drop being 210 feet, and the height of the roller coaster 170 feet high. The ride with its purple track and yellow supports is easily noticeable from nearby roads. Apollo's Chariot is very quiet, which was accomplished by filling in the supports with gravel. Since its opening, trim brakes were added on two hills.
Since it opened, Apollo's Chariot never came out of the 10 top best steel coasters by Amusement Today, with lowest ranking being 8 in 2000. This is one of the few B&M coasters that accomplished this. It is a main rival of Nitro
Nitro (roller coaster)
Nitro is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. It was opened in the spring of 2001 and at the time was the fastest roller coaster in New Jersey and the tallest on the East Coast of the United States.-The ride:...
at Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
, since numerous times has it came back to back with Nitro is Amusement Today's polls.
Ride experience
After latching in, riders hear a typical dispatch message, "Thank you, and enjoy your voyage to the sun on the wings of Apollo's Chariot!" The train climbs a 170 foot lift hill. When the train finally reaches the peak, it drops down a few feet in a pre-drop. The pre-drop serves to reduce the stress and pull of the chain. After the pre-drop, riders drop 210 feet toward a water-filled ravine at a 65 degree angle and reaching speeds of 73 mph. At the end of the ravine, the train enters a second airtime hill with a 131 foot drop. A short narrow above ground tunnel is at the bottom of the second drop. Then after the third hill, the train descends a 144 foot drop, which banks to the left as it descends. Then there is a large, upward helix which pulls 4.1 GsEarth's gravity
The gravity of Earth, denoted g, refers to the acceleration that the Earth imparts to objects on or near its surface. In SI units this acceleration is measured in metres per second per second or equivalently in newtons per kilogram...
. Coming out of the helix, there is a small drop, then a climbing right turn into the block brake
Brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust the train's speed...
. A sudden dive off the block leads into a bunny hop parallel to the ride's initial plunge. Then, the ride features an overbanked turn under the lift hill, just dodging one of the support columns. After this, the train makes a left hand turn, and at the end the is a camel hump hill and drop into a ditch where the on-ride photo is located. Then the train enters the final brakes. After a left turn, the riders return to the station.
Parts of Apollo's Chariot cross over Roman Rapids, a River rafting ride
River rafting ride
A river rafting ride is an amusement ride that simulates whitewater rafting.-History:The river rapids ride concept was proposed by Bill Crandall and developed by Intamin AG...
. To prevent riders on the Rapids from being hit by loose articles from riders on Apollo's Chariot, nets are present on the segment of track from the left hand turn after passing under the lift hill to the final drop, as well as on the predrop at the top of the lift hill.
Goose incident on opening day
Apollo's Chariot is known for an accident that occurred during the coaster's opening day on March 27, 1999. The coaster's opening ceremony was attended by fashion model Fabio LanzoniFabio Lanzoni
Fabio Lanzoni ; born March 15, 1959), widely known simply as Fabio, is a famous international Italian fashion model, spokesperson and actor who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s....
, who also rode the first car of the coaster's train for the maiden ride. During the rapid descent on the 210 foot drop after the lift hill, a goose
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
struck Fabio in the face, leaving his nose covered with blood. However, he only received a one inch cut on his nose from the goose's bill. No one else was hurt. The goose's neck was broken in the impact and it was found dead under the roller coaster.
Awards
| Golden Ticket Awards: Best Steel Coaster | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Ranking | ||||||||||||