Intimidator 305
Encyclopedia
Intimidator 305 is a steel
roller coaster
designed and built by Intamin located at Kings Dominion in Doswell
, Virginia
in the United States. Standing at 305 feet (93 m) tall and reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour (144.8 km/h), it is the tallest, fastest roller coaster at Kings Dominion. It is the fifteenth roller coaster installed at the park and the third non-launched roller coaster to top 300 feet (91.4 m), following Millennium Force
and Steel Dragon 2000
. The ride's designer, Intamin, has also built Millennium Force
and Top Thrill Dragster
at Cedar Point
in Ohio.
Intimidator 305 has a first drop of 300 feet (91.4 m), with a maximum descent angle of 85 degrees. The massive lift-hill structure for Intimidator 305 is unique in that the lift-hill and crest only have three points of support. The balance of the ride's track consists of Intamin's new double-spine track, which allows for longer spans with fewer supports, particularly on crest curves. The ride provides five air-time humps and three near-ground level high-speed turns. The overall height of Intimidator 305 matches the height of the top of Drop Tower: Scream Zone at Kings Dominion, one of the world's tallest drop tower rides which, like Intimidator 305, was built by Intamin.
in 2000, was announced on Thursday, August 20, 2009. Local news media, Cedar Fair CEO Dick Kinzel and Cedar Fair corporates, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated CEO Jeff Steiner, and Dale Earnhardt's daughter Taylor Earnhardt were in attendance to the announcement. The official announcement, led by Kings Dominion Head Manager Ed Kuhlmann, was accompanied by animation videos of the ride and a working model. The roller coaster is themed to NASCAR
racing legend Dale Earnhardt
.
inherent in the ride's original design. Kings Dominion temporarily installed trim brakes on the first drop in order to reduce the speed while a long-term solution could be devised. The brakes were adjusted and positioned by September 2010.
During the following off-season, Kings Dominion replaced three sections of the roller coaster's track, starting midway up the incline of the first airtime hill to the peak of the first airtime hill. The radius of the first high-speed turn was widened to reduce friction and impact on riders. With this improvement, the trim brakes on the ride's first drop were removed, returning the ride to its original speed.
In the past, other rides by Intamin such as Xccelerator, Maverick, Wicked Twister, and Possessed have also needed to be modified to change certain ride elements.
at Cedar Point
and Storm Runner
at Hershey Park.
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
roller coaster
Roller 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...
designed and built by Intamin located at Kings Dominion in Doswell
Doswell, Virginia
Doswell is an unincorporated community in Hanover County in the Central Region of the U.S. state of Virginia. Originally called Hanover Junction, it was located on the Virginia Central Railroad, which later became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad at a crossing of the Richmond,...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in the United States. Standing at 305 feet (93 m) tall and reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour (144.8 km/h), it is the tallest, fastest roller coaster at Kings Dominion. It is the fifteenth roller coaster installed at the park and the third non-launched roller coaster to top 300 feet (91.4 m), following Millennium Force
Millennium Force
Millennium Force is a steel roller coaster built by Intamin located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It is the fourteenth roller coaster built at the park since the Blue Streak opened in 1964. Standing 310 feet tall at its highest point, the coaster overlooks Lake Erie.On a clear...
and Steel Dragon 2000
Steel Dragon 2000
is a roller coaster at Nagashima Spa Land amusement park in Mie Prefecture, Japan. Built by Morgan Manufacturing, this gigacoaster opened, appropriately, in 2000—"The Year of the Dragon" in Asia. It debuted only months after Millennium Force at Cedar Point, and surpassed that as the world's tallest...
. The ride's designer, Intamin, has also built Millennium Force
Millennium Force
Millennium Force is a steel roller coaster built by Intamin located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It is the fourteenth roller coaster built at the park since the Blue Streak opened in 1964. Standing 310 feet tall at its highest point, the coaster overlooks Lake Erie.On a clear...
and Top Thrill Dragster
Top Thrill Dragster
Top Thrill Dragster is a steel, Hydraulic-launched roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. It was the first "Strata Coaster", loosely defined as a complete circuit coaster that is over tall. It was built by Intamin and debuted to the public on May 4, 2003...
at Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
in Ohio.
Intimidator 305 has a first drop of 300 feet (91.4 m), with a maximum descent angle of 85 degrees. The massive lift-hill structure for Intimidator 305 is unique in that the lift-hill and crest only have three points of support. The balance of the ride's track consists of Intamin's new double-spine track, which allows for longer spans with fewer supports, particularly on crest curves. The ride provides five air-time humps and three near-ground level high-speed turns. The overall height of Intimidator 305 matches the height of the top of Drop Tower: Scream Zone at Kings Dominion, one of the world's tallest drop tower rides which, like Intimidator 305, was built by Intamin.
Announcement
Intimidator 305, the first Giga Coaster built since Steel Dragon 2000Steel Dragon 2000
is a roller coaster at Nagashima Spa Land amusement park in Mie Prefecture, Japan. Built by Morgan Manufacturing, this gigacoaster opened, appropriately, in 2000—"The Year of the Dragon" in Asia. It debuted only months after Millennium Force at Cedar Point, and surpassed that as the world's tallest...
in 2000, was announced on Thursday, August 20, 2009. Local news media, Cedar Fair CEO Dick Kinzel and Cedar Fair corporates, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated CEO Jeff Steiner, and Dale Earnhardt's daughter Taylor Earnhardt were in attendance to the announcement. The official announcement, led by Kings Dominion Head Manager Ed Kuhlmann, was accompanied by animation videos of the ride and a working model. The roller coaster is themed to NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
racing legend Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
.
Construction
Construction began on Intimidator 305 in June 2009 before the official announcement, with the removal of trees and the pouring of concrete footers for the supports. The 305 feet (93 m) lift hill was topped off in November 2009. Construction crews continued to construct the ride throughout a harsh winter and torrential rains, and construction was completed on schedule in January 2010. Intimidator 305's first test run was on Sunday, March 14, 2010.Modifications
Some riders experienced problems due to the G-forcesG-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
inherent in the ride's original design. Kings Dominion temporarily installed trim brakes on the first drop in order to reduce the speed while a long-term solution could be devised. The brakes were adjusted and positioned by September 2010.
During the following off-season, Kings Dominion replaced three sections of the roller coaster's track, starting midway up the incline of the first airtime hill to the peak of the first airtime hill. The radius of the first high-speed turn was widened to reduce friction and impact on riders. With this improvement, the trim brakes on the ride's first drop were removed, returning the ride to its original speed.
In the past, other rides by Intamin such as Xccelerator, Maverick, Wicked Twister, and Possessed have also needed to be modified to change certain ride elements.
Layout
While the train is being loaded in the station, the catch car of the cable lift is latched onto the middle car of the train. Once the train is dispatched, the train ascends the 45-degree lift at 15 miles per hour (6.7 m/s) to a maximum height of 305 feet (93 m). Once the train crests the top of the lift, the train descends down the 300 feet (91.4 m) 85-degree drop, reaching speeds up to 94 miles per hour (42 m/s). The train dives into a 270-degree turn, reaching a little over 6Gs before ascending the second 150 feet (45.7 m) tall parabolic hill, providing moments of airtime. The train then descends into a high-speed bunny hop before entering another high-speed turn. The vehicle then maneuvers 3 sharp twists before entering the final high-speed turn. The train then climbs a 75 feet (22.9 m) airtime hill, followed by another airtime hill before entering a final twist and then climbing a small, twisty bunny hop into the magnetic brakes. In April of 2011, Intimidator 305's second hill was modified due to rider complaints about blacking out. This allowed the ride's trim brakes to be removed.Statistics
- Angle of lift hill: 45 degrees
- Angle of first drop: 85 degrees
- Maximum height of lift hill: 305 feet (93 m)
- Second hill height: 150 feet (45.7 m)
- Third hill height: 75 feet (22.9 m)
- Fourth hill height: 70 feet (21.3 m)
- Maximum Speed: 90 in 2010 and 94 mi/h in 2011
- Maximum G-force: 6+
Features
- Cable lift hill
- Three ground level high-speed turns
- Five airtime humps
- Four sharp, direction-changing twists
Trains
Intimidator has two trains colored silver and red. Each train has ten four-passenger cars, allowing forty passengers per train. The trains are arranged in stadium-style seating with overhead lap bars fitted with soft, padded over-the-shoulder straps. A seat belt runs between the riders' legs. In early July 2010, the ride received a unique new restraint design. The over-the-shoulder part of the harness now resembles a padded seat belt rather than the typical over-the-shoulder restraints used by IntaRide LLC. Some rides that used typical Intamin over-the-shoulder restraints include MaverickMaverick (roller coaster)
Maverick is a Intamin-made linear synchronous motor-launched blitz steel complete-circuit roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. It was manufactured by IntaRide LLC, the United States division of Intamin, and was the five-hundredth roller coaster designed by German engineer Werner Stengel...
at Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
and Storm Runner
Storm Runner
Storm Runner is an Intamin steel launched roller coaster at Hersheypark. It was constructed in 2004 and was the third Intamin Accelerator Coaster. It reaches a height of 150 ft and catapults riders from 0 to 72 mph in 2 seconds. It features a top hat and three inversions, a dual...
at Hershey Park.
Awards
| Golden Ticket Awards: Best Steel Coaster | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2010 | 2011 |
| Ranking | ||
| Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride | |
|---|---|
| Year | 2010 |
| Ranking | |
| Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Coaster | |
|---|---|
| Year | 2010 |
| Ranking | |
| Mitch Hawker Poll: Best Steel Coaster | |
|---|---|
| Year | 2010 |
| Ranking | |
See also
- IntimidatorIntimidator (roller coaster)Intimidator is a steel roller coaster at the Carowinds amusement park. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, Intimidator is the thirteenth roller coaster installed at Carowinds and is located at the entrance of the theme park. The Intimidator is the tallest, longest, and fastest roller coaster in the...
- a Bolliger & MabillardBolliger & MabillardBolliger & 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...
hypercoasterHypercoasterA 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...
at Carowinds, another Cedar Fair park