Dragon Challenge
Encyclopedia
Dragon Challenge is a pair of intertwined inverted roller coaster
s in the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter area of Universal Studios
' Islands of Adventure
. The ride is themed to two dragon
s, one side being Chinese Fireball and the other Hungarian Horntail. It features a layout in which the two trains share adjacent lift hill
s, but then traverse two completely unique courses. The ride was constructed by Bolliger & Mabillard
of Switzerland
. The Chinese Fireball dragon reaches a top speed of 63 mph and the Hungarian Horntail dragon reaches a top speed of 57 mph. Both dragons have a two minute and twenty-five second ride duration and include five inversions.
When Islands of Adventure opened on May 28, 1999, the ride was called Dueling Dragons and was located in The Lost Continent area with the two sides named Fire and Ice. During much of the ride's history, the trains were normally dispatched simultaneously, providing three near-miss encounters along the courses. After a renovation period, the attraction soft-opened as Dragon Challenge on June 1, 2010 and officially opened
with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter area on June 18, 2010.
original attractions, opening with the theme park on May 28, 1999 in the park's The Lost Continent area. At the time, it was the only fully inverted dueling roller coaster in the world. The ride was themed to two dueling dragons, with one track named Ice and the other named Fire.
The ride featured an extremely long, elaborately themed queue. It was themed on a ruined castle, passing through the dungeons, which included human skeletons, flaming torches, and cobwebs. The queue split in two for the different coasters. At this intersection, riders would turn right to ride on the Ice Dragon and left for Fire Dragon. Merlin
would frequently taunt riders with lines which included-
"Turn right for Ice and left for Fire! Now, pick the dragon you desire"
"The left burns hot, the right turns cold, whichever you choose, you'd best be bold"
"Past this point of no return, your only choice is freeze or burn"
"Turn left for Fire, turn right for Ice! I know not which is best advice"
"Earthworms and rancid beer, why on earth are you still here?"
"You do not listen to this old magician, and so you'll need a good mortician"
"If you continue along this path, you will face the dragons wrath"
"Battle Bravely"
"I bid thee farewell"
"Onward to thy doom"
"May the fates be with you"
"May the dragons spare you"
"Keep your hands inside the dragon"
"Ice/Fire Dragon, you are clear for battle"
"Fire is red, Ice is blue, I'd turn back if I were you"
"To ride the dragon was your wish. Now you'll be his tasty dish"
"Once beyond the castle gate, there is no turning back. It's far, far too late"
"Sword
s and Shield
s will not work, for you are headed where the dragons lurk"
To improve the dueling aspect of the ride, the trains were weighed as they were being dispatched in order to properly time the near-miss points:
book and film series. Dueling Dragons, as well as the adjacent Flying Unicorn roller coaster, were shown to be included in the new section. In September 2009, Universal confirmed the move and also announced that the attraction would be renamed Dragon Challenge upon opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on June 18, 2010.
The two sides of the attraction were announced to be renamed as Hungarian Horntail and Chinese Fireball, although it was not stated at the time which existing track (Fire or Ice) would be given which name., but the Eye on Orlando podcast team revealed that the Chinese Fireball would be the new name for the Fire Dragon, leaving the Ice Dragon to be renamed to Hungarian Horntail.
In September 2008, the entrance to Dueling Dragons was relocated to the Jurassic Park section to aid in the construction of the Wizarding World. The old entrance to the ride, featuring Fire and Ice dragons in battle was demolished one month later. The attraction soft opened on June 1, 2010 under the new name of Dragon Challenge. It officially opened with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on June 18, 2010.
, they enter the Champions' Tent. From there guests pass a large pedestal with the Triwizard Cup glowing at the top, a hall illuminated by floating candles, and a long system of tunnels. Guests pass a wooden wall as they hear the dragons growling and roaring behind it. Above the ride station is the shadow of a dragon flying above through tears in the tent.
(second near miss). Leaving the vertical loop, Chinese Fireball riders round a left hand turn leading into the first corkscrew, which interlocks with the only corkscrew on Hungarian Horntail Dragon (third near miss). After another turn, the track passes through the second corkscrew, before hitting the final brake run
.
. Shortly after the park opened, huge walls behind the ride were put up after local residents complained about the screaming.
Inverted roller coaster
An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but "swings" via a pivoting bar attached to the...
s in the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter area of Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
' Islands of Adventure
Islands of Adventure
Universal's Islands of Adventure is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened May 28, 1999 as part of an expansion that, along with CityWalk Entertainment District, the Portofino Bay Hotel, and Hard Rock hotel, converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort...
. The ride is themed to two dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s, one side being Chinese Fireball and the other Hungarian Horntail. It features a layout in which the two trains share adjacent lift hill
Lift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is often the initial upward-sloping section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride...
s, but then traverse two completely unique courses. The ride was constructed by Bolliger & Mabillard
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...
of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The Chinese Fireball dragon reaches a top speed of 63 mph and the Hungarian Horntail dragon reaches a top speed of 57 mph. Both dragons have a two minute and twenty-five second ride duration and include five inversions.
When Islands of Adventure opened on May 28, 1999, the ride was called Dueling Dragons and was located in The Lost Continent area with the two sides named Fire and Ice. During much of the ride's history, the trains were normally dispatched simultaneously, providing three near-miss encounters along the courses. After a renovation period, the attraction soft-opened as Dragon Challenge on June 1, 2010 and officially opened
Grand opening
Grand opening is a term used when a business, public office, or private association wishes to announce the official opening of a new location. This differs from just opening the doors on the first day, in that a grand opening is more of a celebration event, not just the first day having the doors...
with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter area on June 18, 2010.
History
Dueling Dragons era
Dueling Dragons was one of Islands of Adventure'sIslands of Adventure
Universal's Islands of Adventure is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened May 28, 1999 as part of an expansion that, along with CityWalk Entertainment District, the Portofino Bay Hotel, and Hard Rock hotel, converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort...
original attractions, opening with the theme park on May 28, 1999 in the park's The Lost Continent area. At the time, it was the only fully inverted dueling roller coaster in the world. The ride was themed to two dueling dragons, with one track named Ice and the other named Fire.
Queue
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
would frequently taunt riders with lines which included-
"Turn right for Ice and left for Fire! Now, pick the dragon you desire"
"The left burns hot, the right turns cold, whichever you choose, you'd best be bold"
"Past this point of no return, your only choice is freeze or burn"
"Turn left for Fire, turn right for Ice! I know not which is best advice"
"Earthworms and rancid beer, why on earth are you still here?"
"You do not listen to this old magician, and so you'll need a good mortician"
"If you continue along this path, you will face the dragons wrath"
Station
When guests reached the boarding area, The ride attendants used several quotes when dispatching the trains including-"Battle Bravely"
"I bid thee farewell"
"Onward to thy doom"
"May the fates be with you"
"May the dragons spare you"
"Keep your hands inside the dragon"
"Ice/Fire Dragon, you are clear for battle"
"Fire is red, Ice is blue, I'd turn back if I were you"
"To ride the dragon was your wish. Now you'll be his tasty dish"
"Once beyond the castle gate, there is no turning back. It's far, far too late"
"Sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s and Shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
s will not work, for you are headed where the dragons lurk"
Operations
- Fire's 1st airtime hill crosses over Ice's zero-g roll.
- Fire and Ice's vertical loopLoop (roller coaster)The generic roller coaster vertical loop is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. Specifically, the loop refers to a continuously upward-sloping section of track that eventually results in a complete 360 degree circle. At the top-most piece of the loop, riders are completely inverted.-...
s, creating a near impression that the riders of both trains are about to collide, pulling up into the loops at the last moment. - Fire's first corkscrewCorkscrewA corkscrew is a kitchen tool for drawing stopping corks from wine bottles. Generally, a corkscrew consists of a pointed metallic helix attached to a handle. The user grips the handle and screws the metal point into the cork, until the helix is firmly embedded, then a vertical pull on the...
and Ice's only corkscrewCorkscrewA corkscrew is a kitchen tool for drawing stopping corks from wine bottles. Generally, a corkscrew consists of a pointed metallic helix attached to a handle. The user grips the handle and screws the metal point into the cork, until the helix is firmly embedded, then a vertical pull on the...
interlock with each other. This is one of only two cases of interlocking corkscrews on an inverted roller coaster, although in this case, there are two separate coasters (the only inverted roller coasterInverted roller coasterAn inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but "swings" via a pivoting bar attached to the...
with interlocking corkscrews on the same track is Nemesis InfernoNemesis InfernoNemesis Inferno is a steel inverted roller coaster, themed around an erupting tropical volcano, in the Thorpe Park theme park in Surrey, England, UK. It was designed by Bolliger & Mabillard of Switzerland...
at Thorpe ParkThorpe ParkThorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded, the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
).
Dragon Challenge transformation
In May 2007, Universal announced plans to construct The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a new section devoted to the popular Harry PotterHarry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
book and film series. Dueling Dragons, as well as the adjacent Flying Unicorn roller coaster, were shown to be included in the new section. In September 2009, Universal confirmed the move and also announced that the attraction would be renamed Dragon Challenge upon opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on June 18, 2010.
The two sides of the attraction were announced to be renamed as Hungarian Horntail and Chinese Fireball, although it was not stated at the time which existing track (Fire or Ice) would be given which name., but the Eye on Orlando podcast team revealed that the Chinese Fireball would be the new name for the Fire Dragon, leaving the Ice Dragon to be renamed to Hungarian Horntail.
In September 2008, the entrance to Dueling Dragons was relocated to the Jurassic Park section to aid in the construction of the Wizarding World. The old entrance to the ride, featuring Fire and Ice dragons in battle was demolished one month later. The attraction soft opened on June 1, 2010 under the new name of Dragon Challenge. It officially opened with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on June 18, 2010.
Queue area
The queue takes guests past a number of banners for the Triwizard Tournament showing support for the four contestants. After passing the Weasley's crashed flying Ford AngliaFord Anglia
The 1949 model, code E494A, was a makeover of the previous model with a rather more 1940s style front-end, including the sloped, twin-lobed radiator grille. Again it was a very spartan vehicle and in 1948 was Britain's lowest priced four wheel car....
, they enter the Champions' Tent. From there guests pass a large pedestal with the Triwizard Cup glowing at the top, a hall illuminated by floating candles, and a long system of tunnels. Guests pass a wooden wall as they hear the dragons growling and roaring behind it. Above the ride station is the shadow of a dragon flying above through tears in the tent.
Restraints
The restraints on the Chinese Fireball trains are yellow, and the Hungarian Horntail trains' restraints are blue. However, the front row restraints on both sides are pink, as they represent the dragons' mouths. Every train has two seats (rows 3 & 6) designed to fit guests with "certain larger body dimensions".Chinese Fireball
At the top of the lift hill, Chinese Fireball drops to the left, away from Hungarian Horntail , into an Immelmann loop. Leaving the Immelmann, the ride passes over an airtime hill, crossing over Hungarian Horntail's Zero-g roll (first near miss). Chinese Fireball then proceeds into a unique element called a wrap-around Immelmann, which is like an Immelmann loop but with a sharper pull-out curve. Riders on Chinese Fireball then enter a straight section of track, with front seat riders seeing the Hungarian Horntail Dragon train speeding almost right towards Chinese Fireball's train. At the last second, the Chinese Fireball train pulls up into a vertical loopLoop (roller coaster)
The generic roller coaster vertical loop is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. Specifically, the loop refers to a continuously upward-sloping section of track that eventually results in a complete 360 degree circle. At the top-most piece of the loop, riders are completely inverted.-...
(second near miss). Leaving the vertical loop, Chinese Fireball riders round a left hand turn leading into the first corkscrew, which interlocks with the only corkscrew on Hungarian Horntail Dragon (third near miss). After another turn, the track passes through the second corkscrew, before hitting the final brake run
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...
.
Hungarian Horntail
At the top of the lift hill, Hungarian Horntail drops to the right, away from Chinese Fireball. Unlike other Bolliger and Mabillard inverted roller coasters, Hungarian Horntail does not feature an inversion right away. Rather, the train then rounds a left hand spiral, which leads into the first near miss. Riders on Hungarian Horntail pass through a Zero-g roll passing underneath Chinese Fireball's first airtime hill. Almost immediately after the zero-g roll, the Hungarian Horntail trains pass through a Cobra roll, flipping riders upside down twice. Exiting the Cobra roll, the Hungarian Horntail riders speed along a straight section of track towards the oncoming Chinese Fireball train, before pulling up into a vertical loop, as part of the second near miss. After a straight segment following the vertical loop, the Hungarian Horntail track rounds a right hand turn leading to the ride's only corkscrew, which interlocks with Chinese Fireball's first corkscrew. Upon leaving the corkscrew, riders on Hungarian Horntail make a right hand turn and can see the riders on Chinese Fireball about to enter the second corkscrew, before making a left hand turn and hitting the final brake run.Noise level
The tracks are filled with sand to reduce noise, because of the proximity of the coaster to Dr. Phillips High SchoolDr. Phillips High School
Dr. Phillips High School is a high school located in Orlando, Florida, United States.The area of Dr. Phillips, Florida is named after Dr. Philip Phillips, a physician who later became a Central Florida citrus magnate. He was responsible for several key innovations in the processing and packaging of...
. Shortly after the park opened, huge walls behind the ride were put up after local residents complained about the screaming.
Incidents
After a pair of incidents in July and August 2011 in which riders were hit by flying objects during the course of the ride, Universal officials announced plans to operate the two roller coasters separately, pending the completion of an investigation. This is the first major change to the ride's operation since its opening in 1999. In October 2011, Universal officials announced that the dueling aspect of the ride was to be removed permanently, with the ride instead becoming "a high-speed chase between two coasters."Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll
| Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Chinese Fireball | ||||||||||||
| Hungarian Horntail |
- No Steel Roller Coaster Poll was held in 2000.
Other Results
In 2010 this roller coaster was awarded FireballWorld's coaster of the year award.External links
- Dragon Challenge at Universal Orlando ResortUniversal Orlando ResortUniversal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is wholly owned by NBCUniversal and its affiliates. The resort consists of two theme parks , Universal CityWalk , and three Loews Hotels...