A racing roller coaster, sometimes referred to as a dual track coaster, consists of one whole track or two separate coasters

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...

 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. They often get close enough for riders to reach out and slap hands with riders on the opposite train, though this is extremely dangerous and can result in ejection from the park.

Some racing roller coasters are Möbius Loop racing coasters. These rides have a single track that traverses the circuit twice. A train leaving the station on one side will return on the other. Currently there are three Möbius coasters in the world: the Grand National

Grand National (roller coaster)

The Grand National is a wooden roller coaster at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool. It was designed and constructed by Charles Paige in 1935 and is now one of only three surviving Möbius Loop roller coasters in the world and the only one in Eurasia. It is themed and named after the Grand National; with...

 at Pleasure Beach Blackpool

Pleasure Beach Blackpool

Pleasure Beach Blackpool is a family owned amusement park and resort situated along the Fylde coast in Blackpool, England. It is the most visited amusement park in the United Kingdom, and one of the top twenty most-visited amusement parks in the world with an estimate of 5.5 million visitors in...

 in the UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Montaña Rusa

Montaña Rusa

Montaña Rusa is a roller coaster at La Feria Chapultepec Magico in Mexico City, Mexico. In 1993, it was renamed Serpiente de Fuego but later it was changed back to Montaña Rusa....

 at La Feria Chapultepec Mágico

La Feria Chapultepec Mágico

La Feria Chapultepec Mágico is an amusement park in Mexico City, Mexico. Located in Chapultepec Park, it opened in 1964 as Juegos Mecánicos de Chapultepec and was operated by the Mexican government...

 in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, and Racer

Racer (Kennywood)

The Racer is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. It is a racing, moebius loop coaster; one of only three in the world.-Beginnings:...

 at Kennywood Park in the United States.

Some examples of dual-track racing coasters are 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...

's Rolling Thunder

Rolling Thunder (roller coaster)

Rolling Thunder is a racing wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. Rolling Thunder is the park's first wooden coaster, and debuted in 1979 during the park's fifth anniversary season. The line for the ride begins at an adjoining entrance and has separate queues for each...

, American Eagle

American Eagle (roller coaster)

American Eagle is a two track racing wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. It was manufactured by Intamin of Switzerland and built in 1981 by the contracting firm Figley-Wright...

 at Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...

, Port Aventura's Stampida

Stampida

Stampida is a dueling, wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International at PortAventura. It is a very rickety roller coaster with many drops and 2 tunnels. It features two parallel tracks with blue and red cars each one, but then they run separately for a while. Finally, they come...

, and 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...

's Gemini

Gemini (roller coaster)

Gemini is a hybrid wood and steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1978 by Arrow Dynamics and designed by Ron Toomer, it is a racing roller coaster...

.

Not all parks choose to operate both sides of their racing coasters; Rolling Thunder

Rolling Thunder (roller coaster)

Rolling Thunder is a racing wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. Rolling Thunder is the park's first wooden coaster, and debuted in 1979 during the park's fifth anniversary season. The line for the ride begins at an adjoining entrance and has separate queues for each...

 and Colossus

Colossus (Six Flags Magic Mountain)

Colossus is a wooden roller coaster located in the Colossus County Fair area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. When it opened on June 29, 1978, it was one of the tallest and fastest wooden roller coasters in the world, and the first roller coaster in the world with two drops in...

 are two examples of this. Other parks operate one side frontwards and one side backwards. In 2008, Cedar Fair directed the former Paramount Parks

Paramount Parks

Paramount Parks was an operator of theme parks and attractions, which annually attracted about 13 million patrons. Viacom had assumed control of the company as part of its acquisition of Paramount Pictures in 1994....

 racing coasters operate both sides frontwards.

Examples of Racing Coasters

Coaster Name	Park	Location	Type	No. of Tracks	Builder	Year Opened	Notes
American Eagle American Eagle (roller coaster) American Eagle is a two track racing wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. It was manufactured by Intamin of Switzerland and built in 1981 by the contracting firm Figley-Wright...	Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...	United StatesGurnee, Illinois Gurnee, Illinois Gurnee is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28,834 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 30,772 in 2005. The village borders the city of Waukegan and is considered a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Gurnee is perhaps best known for being the location of...	Wooden	2	Intamin AG Intamin AG Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an...	1981	Tallest, fastest, and longest racing wooden roller coaster in the world
Colossus Colossus (Six Flags Magic Mountain) Colossus is a wooden roller coaster located in the Colossus County Fair area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. When it opened on June 29, 1978, it was one of the tallest and fastest wooden roller coasters in the world, and the first roller coaster in the world with two drops in...	Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...	United StatesValencia, California Valencia, California Valencia is an affluent planned community located in the City of Santa Clarita, California and Los Angeles County, California, U.S. in the northwestern corner of the Santa Clarita Valley, adjacent to Interstate 5. In 1987, it was one of the four unincorporated communities that merged to create the...	Wooden	2	International Amusement Devices	1978
Gemini Gemini (roller coaster) Gemini is a hybrid wood and steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1978 by Arrow Dynamics and designed by Ron Toomer, it is a racing roller coaster...	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...	United StatesSandusky, Ohio Sandusky, Ohio Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....	Steel	2	Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of...	1978	With wood supports.
Grand National Grand National (roller coaster) The Grand National is a wooden roller coaster at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool. It was designed and constructed by Charles Paige in 1935 and is now one of only three surviving Möbius Loop roller coasters in the world and the only one in Eurasia. It is themed and named after the Grand National; with...	Blackpool Pleasure Beach	Blackpool, Lancashire	Wooden	1	Charles Paige	1935	Mobius loop
Joris en de Draak George and the Dragon (Efteling) George and the Dragon is a Wooden racing coaster in the theme park Efteling, based on the legend of Saint George.-History and details:...	Efteling Efteling Efteling is the largest theme park in the Netherlands, and as it opened in 1952, it is one of the oldest theme parks in the world. Efteling is located in the town of Kaatsheuvel, in the municipality of Loon op Zand, and has received over 100 million visitors....	NetherlandsKaatsheuvel Kaatsheuvel Kaatsheuvel is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant, situated along highways N261 and N628. With a population of roughly 16,600, it is the largest village in and the capital of the municipality of Loon op Zand, which also consists of the villages of De Moer and Loon op Zand...	Wooden	2	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...	2010
Lightning Racer Lightning Racer 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...	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...	United StatesHershey, 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...	Wooden	2	Great Coasters International	2000
Matterhorn Bobsleds Matterhorn Bobsleds The Matterhorn Bobsleds or the Matterhorn is an attraction composed of two intertwining steel roller coasters, which opened in 1959 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It is modeled after the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Swiss Alps...	Disneyland	United StatesAnaheim, California Anaheim, California Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...	Steel	2	Arrow Dynamics	1959	Weaves around and through a replica of the Matterhorn Matterhorn The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points... .
Milky Way	Mitsui Greenland	JapanArao, Kumamoto Arao, Kumamoto is a city located in Kumamoto, Japan.As of April 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 56,144, with a household number of 23,966 and the density of 982.40 persons per km². The total area is 57.15 km².The city was founded on April 1, 1942....	Steel, Stand Up	2	Senyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.	1991
Le Monstre Le Monstre Le Monstre is a wooden roller coaster at La Ronde amusement park in Montreal, Canada. Le Monstre is the largest wooden roller coaster in Canada and is also the tallest two-track wooden roller coaster in the world....	La Ronde La Ronde (amusement park) La Ronde is an amusement park in Montreal, owned and operated by Six Flags. It is the largest in the province of Quebec and the second largest in Canada after Canada's Wonderland, with about 2.5 million guests in 2006...	CanadaMontréal, Québec	Wooden	2	William Cobb & Associates	1985/86	One track opened in 1985, the other in 1986
Montaña Rusa Montaña Rusa Montaña Rusa is a roller coaster at La Feria Chapultepec Magico in Mexico City, Mexico. In 1993, it was renamed Serpiente de Fuego but later it was changed back to Montaña Rusa....	La Feria Chapultepec Magico La Feria Chapultepec Mágico La Feria Chapultepec Mágico is an amusement park in Mexico City, Mexico. Located in Chapultepec Park, it opened in 1964 as Juegos Mecánicos de Chapultepec and was operated by the Mexican government...	MexicoMexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...	Wooden	1	National Amusement Device Company	1964	Mobius Loop
Racer	Kings Island Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...	United StatesCincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...	Wooden	2	Philadelphia Toboggan Company Philadelphia Toboggan Company The Philadelphia Toboggan Company is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world.Mack Rides of Germany dates back to 1781, but it did not start building coasters until 1921 Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry B...	1972	Credited for starting the "Second Coaster Boom"
Racer Racer (Kennywood) The Racer is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. It is a racing, moebius loop coaster; one of only three in the world.-Beginnings:...	Kennywood Kennywood Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...	United StatesWest Mifflin, Pennsylvania West Mifflin, Pennsylvania West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The population was 20,313 at the 2010 census....	Wooden	1	John A. Miller	1927	Mobius Loop
Ramses	Parque de Atracciones de Zaragoza	SpainZaragoza, Zaragoza	Steel	2	Safeco	2002
Rebel Yell Rebel Yell (roller coaster) Rebel Yell is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. It opened with the park in 1975.Rebel Yell is a racing roller coaster featuring two individual tracks that parallel each other. Its design was inspired by the Racer, another wooden racing coaster at Kings...	Kings Dominion	United StatesDoswell, Virginia 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,...	Wooden	2	Philadelphia Toboggan Company	1975
Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder (roller coaster) Rolling Thunder is a racing wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. Rolling Thunder is the park's first wooden coaster, and debuted in 1979 during the park's fifth anniversary season. The line for the ride begins at an adjoining entrance and has separate queues for each...	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...	United StatesJackson, New Jersey	Wooden	2	Don Rosser, William Cobb	1979	Ride has two tracks in a figure 8 pattern, but the hills are arranged differently on each track
Stampida Stampida Stampida is a dueling, wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International at PortAventura. It is a very rickety roller coaster with many drops and 2 tunnels. It features two parallel tracks with blue and red cars each one, but then they run separately for a while. Finally, they come...	Port Aventura	SpainSalou, Tarragona	Wooden	2	Custom Coasters International Custom Coasters International Custom Coasters International was one of the premier wooden roller coaster manufacturers in the world and produced more wooden coasters in recent times than any other company...	1997
Thunder Road Thunder Road (roller coaster) Thunder Road is a wooden roller coaster located at the Carowinds theme park in Charlotte, North Carolina. It opened to much media attention in 1976.Thunder Road is a racing roller coaster, featuring two individual tracks that parallel each other...	Carowinds	United StatesCharlotte, North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...	Wooden	2	Curtis D. Summers	1976	Crosses the North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte... /South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...  state line.
Twisted Twins Twisted Twins Twisted Twins is a wooden roller coaster at former Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a double-tracked dueling roller coaster by Custom Coasters International whose two trains are nicknamed Lola and Stella....	Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Kentucky Kingdom is an amusement park located in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The park is located on of land which includes a collection of 27 amusement rides and a water park named Splashwater Kingdom...	United StatesLouisville, Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...	Wooden	2	Custom Coasters International	1998	Standing but not operating.
Vertigorama	Parque de la Ciudad Parque de la Ciudad The Parque de la Ciudad is an amusement park in Buenos Aires, Argentina.-History:The park was planned by the administration of Mayor Osvaldo Cacciatore in 1978. Cacciatore, appointed by Argentina's last military government, envisaged the park as the centerpiece of efforts to revitalize the...	ArgentinaBuenos Aires City	Steel	2	Intamin AG Intamin AG Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an...	1982
Vleermuis	Plopsaland Plopsaland De Panne Plopsaland De Panne is a theme park located near the town of De Panne on the Belgian coast. The park opened on 20 April 2000. Before that date the park was called Meli-Park, created by a honey company and based on a bee theme.-History:...	BelgiumDe Panne De Panne De Panne is a municipality located along the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Adinkerke and De Panne proper. On 1 January 2006 De Panne had a total population of 10,060. The total area is 23.90 km² which gives a population... , West Flanders	Steel, Suspended	2	Caripro	2000

See also

Duelling roller coaster