Lightning Racer
Encyclopedia
Lighting Racer is a wooden roller coaster
located at Hersheypark
in Hershey, Pennsylvania
. Built by Great Coasters International
in 2000, it was the first wooden racing
and dueling roller coaster
. The ride makes use of GCI's Millennium Flyer articulated trains for a smooth and comfortable ride. During the ride's first two years in operation, the park played recordings for the winning train, which sometimes included local celebrity voices.
While fans of the ride may have a particular side (Thunder/Green, or Lightning/Red) they enjoy more, both sides travel through the same elements, although at different times. However, the Lightning (red) train consistently wins most of the races. Speed is affected not only by weight on the train, but by weather conditions (rain, temperature) and maintenance. Also, the lifts' speeds can be slightly different.
Guests noticed that during the 2010 and early 2011 seasons that the Thunder trains began to win most of the races.
Like most GCI coasters, both sides of the Lightning Racer's first drops curve as a way to decrease the chances of nausea, and both coasters contain an on-ride camera
, located in the tunnel midway through the ride.
The only tie in recorded history occurred when the Lightning train stopped at the top of the lift hill while the Thunder train began to descend the ride's first drop. The Lightning train continued moments later, and as a result, the trains tied at the finish line. This occurred during a test run with no passengers on board either train. It is believed that if the Lightning train did not stall than it would have won the race with the Thunder train noticeably behind.
In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Thunder and Lightning are renamed Mischief and Mayhem, respectively. The ride is also dubbed "Wicked Racer" for the occasion.
Wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...
located at Hersheypark
Hersheypark
Hersheypark is an amusement park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, near the Hershey Chocolate Factory.Hersheypark was opened on April 24, 1907 as a leisure park for the employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company, an American confectionery company. Later, the company decided to open the park to the...
in Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...
. Built by Great Coasters International
Great Coasters International
Great Coasters International, Inc. is a Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based roller coaster manufacturer which has created several award-winning rides since its formation in 1994. Starting in 2006 with Thunderbird in Finland, the company expanded beyond the United States and began building coasters in...
in 2000, it was the first wooden racing
Racing roller coaster
A racing roller coaster, sometimes referred to as a dual track coaster, consists of one whole track or two separate coasters that travels along parallel or mirrored tracks to simulate a race between the trains. The coaster trains travel along tracks just a few feet apart of one another...
and dueling roller coaster
Dueling roller coaster
A dueling roller coaster features two roller coasters, usually with a similar layout, built close to each other. The rides are designed to do just as the name indicates: to duel...
. The ride makes use of GCI's Millennium Flyer articulated trains for a smooth and comfortable ride. During the ride's first two years in operation, the park played recordings for the winning train, which sometimes included local celebrity voices.
While fans of the ride may have a particular side (Thunder/Green, or Lightning/Red) they enjoy more, both sides travel through the same elements, although at different times. However, the Lightning (red) train consistently wins most of the races. Speed is affected not only by weight on the train, but by weather conditions (rain, temperature) and maintenance. Also, the lifts' speeds can be slightly different.
Guests noticed that during the 2010 and early 2011 seasons that the Thunder trains began to win most of the races.
Like most GCI coasters, both sides of the Lightning Racer's first drops curve as a way to decrease the chances of nausea, and both coasters contain an on-ride camera
On-ride camera
An on-ride camera is a camera mounted alongside the track of a roller coaster, log flume or other thrill ride that automatically photographs all of the riders on each passing vehicle. They are often mounted at the most intense or fastest part of the ride, resulting in humorously distorted...
, located in the tunnel midway through the ride.
The only tie in recorded history occurred when the Lightning train stopped at the top of the lift hill while the Thunder train began to descend the ride's first drop. The Lightning train continued moments later, and as a result, the trains tied at the finish line. This occurred during a test run with no passengers on board either train. It is believed that if the Lightning train did not stall than it would have won the race with the Thunder train noticeably behind.
In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Thunder and Lightning are renamed Mischief and Mayhem, respectively. The ride is also dubbed "Wicked Racer" for the occasion.
Additional Information
Lightning Racer is in the Midway America section of the park. It is the most popular attraction in that section, often dispatching full trains on the average day. Despite this, wait times for the ride often do not exceed fifteen to twenty minutes when both trains are running on each track due to high capacity and ease of dispatch. If only one train is operating on each track wait times can reach up to one hour.Awards
Lightning Racer is a consistently voted a top 25 wooden roller coaster by Amusement Todays Golden Ticket Awards.| Golden Ticket Awards: Top Wooden Roller Coasters | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Ranking | |||||||||||
| Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Ranking | ||||||||||