Chupacabra | |
---|---|
Previously known as Gambit at Thrill Valley (1995–2002) Batman: The Ride at Six Flags New Orleans (2003–2005) Goliath at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (2008–2024) | |
Six Flags Fiesta Texas | |
Park section | Los Festivales |
Coordinates | 29°35′56″N98°36′28″W / 29.59889°N 98.60778°W |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | April 18, 2008 |
Six Flags New Orleans | |
Park section | DC Comics Super Hero Adventures |
Status | Removed |
Opening date | April 12, 2003 |
Closing date | August 21, 2005 |
Thrill Valley | |
Status | Removed |
Opening date | 1995 |
Closing date | May 6, 2002 |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel –Inverted |
Manufacturer | Bolliger &Mabillard |
Designer | Werner Stengel |
Model | Inverted Coaster - Batman |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
Height | 105 ft (32 m) |
Drop | 80 ft (24 m) |
Length | 2,693 ft (821 m) |
Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
Inversions | 5 |
Duration | 2:00 |
Capacity | 1400 riders per hour |
G-force | 4 |
Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
Trains | 2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train. |
Flash Pass Available | |
Chupacabra at RCDB |
Chupacabra is an inverted roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio,Texas,United States. Designed by Werner Stengel and Swiss manufacturer Bolliger &Mabillard,Chupacabra initially opened in 1995 at an amusement park in Japan,it then operated at Six Flags New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina caused the parks abandonment in 2005 and removal of Chupacabra and was relocated to Six Flags Fiesta Texas where it has operated since 2008. It stands at a height of 105 feet (32 m),reaches a maximum speed of 50 mph (80 km/h),and features multiple inversions.
Chupacabra originally opened in 1995 as Gambit at Odakyu Gotemba Family Land,a former amusement park in Japan that was later known as Thrill Valley. [1] [2] When Thrill Valley closed on May 6,2002, [1] Six Flags purchased several of its rides,including Gambit,and transported them to various Six Flags parks. [3] Gambit went to one of their newly acquired theme parks,Six Flags New Orleans. [3] It was repainted and renamed Batman:The Ride in accordance with the park chain's use of DC Comics theming and reopened on April 12,2003. [4]
After Hurricane Katrina made landfall over New Orleans in 2005,the park's drainage system failed,leading to substantial flooding that submerged many of the park's rides in water and damaging them beyond repair. [5] Batman:The Ride survived relatively unscathed primarily due to its high elevation above sea level and corrosion-resistant support structure. When flooding retreated,Six Flags New Orleans was permanently closed,and any rides that could be salvaged were moved to other parts of the country. [6] Batman:The Ride was moved to Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio and would be refurbished and repainted. [7] The coaster reopened on April 18,2008. [8] It was named Goliath until December 13,2024,when it was renamed Chupacabra. [9]
After departing from the station,the train immediately climbs the 105-foot (32 m) chain lift hill. [8] At the top,the train makes a sharp 80-foot (24 m) [8] downward right turn into the roller coaster's first element,a vertical loop,reaching a top speed of approximately 50 mph (80 km/h). After exiting the loop,the train enters a zero-g roll inversion before entering a second vertical loop. This is followed by an upward right-handed helix and a downward left turn into a series of corkscrews separate by a sharp left turn. The train then veers right into a brake run and returns to the station. One cycle of the ride lasts approximately 2 minutes. [8]
Chupacabra has a track length of 2,693 feet (821 m) and climbs to a height of 105 feet (32 m). [8] As Gambit at Thrill Valley,the ride featured a painted black spine and black crossties,unpainted rails and grey supports. [10] When it was known as Batman:The Ride in New Orleans,the track was painted black and orange with grey supports. At Six Flags Fiesta Texas,the ride's color scheme a blue track with yellow supports from 2008 to Fall 2024;the track was then repainted orange while the supports remained yellow. [11] Friction brakes are used to control the speed of the train. The track was manufactured by Clermont Steel Fabricators located in Batavia,Ohio. [12]
Chupacabra is a clone of Bolliger &Mabillard's Batman model. The original was introduced in 1992 and became a huge success after multiple parks introduced it to their lineup. Today,the Batman model can be found all over the world. Chupacabra differs from other models as it is a mirror image. [13] It is not the only Batman model to be found in San Antonio;SeaWorld introduced The Great White first in 1997. [14]
Chupacabra operates two steel and fiberglass trains with seven cars each. Each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train. [8] The supports for the seats are orange,the seats themselves are black with yellow over-the-shoulder restraints connected to each one,and the coverings for the wheels are orange,blue,and yellow. [15]
An inverted roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. Riders are seated in open cars,letting their feet swing freely. The inverted coaster was pioneered by Swiss roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger &Mabillard in the early 1990s with the development of Batman:The Ride,which opened at Six Flags Great America on May 9,1992.
A stand-up roller coaster is a roller coaster where passengers aboard a train stand throughout the course of the ride. The first manufacturer to employ the format was TOGO,a Japanese company that converted two traditional roller coasters in 1982 to stand-up configurations. Arrow Dynamics followed suit in the United States the following year with their own conversion. The first roller coaster designed from the ground up as a stand-up coaster was King Cobra,built by TOGO,which opened at Kings Island in 1984. Intamin and Bolliger &Mabillard (B&M) have also designed stand-up models beginning in the 1990s,with the latest opening in 2023 as Pipeline:The Surf Coaster in SeaWorld Orlando.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas,formerly known simply as Fiesta Texas,is an amusement park in San Antonio,Texas,United States. It opened on March 14,1992,in the La Cantera master-planned development and district as the first business in that development. Spanning 200 acres (81 ha),the park was originally built to become a destination musical show park with its focus on the musical culture of the state of Texas. The park was purchased by Time Warner in 1995,and branded as a Six Flags park for the 1996 season.
Bolliger &Mabillard,officially Bolliger &Mabillard Consulting Engineers,Inc. and often abbreviated B&M,is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey,Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by engineers Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard,both of whom had worked for Giovanola.
A Floorless Coaster,commonly known as a Floorless Roller Coaster,is a type of steel roller coaster manufactured by Bolliger &Mabillard where riders sit with no floor underneath them,allowing their feet to swing freely just above the track. Development of the Floorless Coaster model began between 1995 and 1996 with Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure opening on April 2,1999,making it the world's first Floorless Roller Coaster. Floorless Roller Coasters also tend to have 3 to 7 inversions incorporated in the layout of the coaster.
Batman:The Ride is an inverted roller coaster based on the DC Comics character Batman and found at seven Six Flags theme parks in the United States and at least one outside the US. Built by consulting engineers Bolliger &Mabillard,it rises to a height of between 100 and 105 feet and reaches top speeds of 50 mph (80 km/h). The original roller coaster at Six Flags Great America was partially devised by the park's general manager Jim Wintrode. Batman:The Ride was the world's first inverted roller coaster when it opened in 1992,and has since been awarded Coaster Landmark status by the American Coaster Enthusiasts. Clones of the ride exist at amusement parks around the world.
Giovanola Frères SA was a prominent steel manufacturing company based in Monthey,Switzerland. It was known for building electrical power stations,water storage tanks,pipelines,boilers,highway bridges,submarines,ski lifts and many other steel products. The company started out as a small metal forging shop,founded by Joseph Giovanola in 1888. Joseph Sr. died in 1904,and the company was taken over by his sons,the eldest of which,Joseph Jr.,was just 17 years of age. By 1930 the company had grown to the point that it required a new factory which was constructed in Monthey.
A hypercoaster is a roller coaster with a height or drop measuring at least 200 feet (61 m). The term was first coined by Arrow Dynamics and Cedar Point in 1989 with the opening of the world's first hypercoaster,Magnum XL-200,which features a height of 205 feet. The next hypercoaster,Pepsi Max Big One,opened five years later at Blackpool Pleasure Beach featuring a height of 213 feet (65 m).
Green Lantern,formerly known as Chang,was a stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township,New Jersey. Green Lantern stood 155 feet (47 m) tall and featured a top speed of 63 miles per hour (101 km/h). The 4,155-foot-long (1,266 m) ride featured five inversions and had a duration of approximately 21⁄2 minutes. The steel coaster was designed and built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger &Mabillard.
The Riddler's Revenge is a steel stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Manufactured by Bolliger &Mabillard,the ride opened as the park's eleventh roller coaster on April 4,1998,setting multiple world records among stand-up coasters. Originally located in the Movie District section of the park,which later became Metropolis in 2017,The Riddler's Revenge was also the park's single biggest investment at a cost of $14 million. It features a height of 156 feet (48 m),a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h),six inversions,and a track length of 4,370 feet (1,330 m).
A fourth-dimension roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster where riders are rotated independently of the track's orientation,generally about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the track. The cars do not need to be fixed to an angle.
Montu is an inverted roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa,Florida. Designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger &Mabillard,it is the park's second roller coaster designed by that company following the success of Kumba,which opened 3 years prior. When the ride opened on May 16,1996,it was the world's tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster,a title it has since conceded to Alpengeist at sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg. The ride stands 150 feet (46 m) tall and reaches speeds of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).
Flashback was a steel roller coaster made by Intamin of Switzerland. The coaster was located in the Six Flags Plaza area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia,California. The model of the ride,a Space Diver coaster,was intended to be mass-produced,however,Flashback was the only installation.
The Jester was a steel roller coaster located at the now defunct Six Flags New Orleans amusement park in New Orleans. Built and designed by Vekoma,the ride originally opened at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in 1996 as The Joker's Revenge. After its closure in 2001,the coaster was sent to Six Flags New Orleans where it became The Jester. The ride opened to the public at Six Flags New Orleans on April 13,2003. Following the devastation to the amusement park in August 2005 by Hurricane Katrina,the roller coaster ceased operation following the park's closure but remained standing until its demolition in 2024.
The Dive Coaster is a steel roller coaster model developed and engineered by Bolliger &Mabillard. The design features one or more near-vertical drops that are approximately 90 degrees,which provide a moment of free-falling for passengers. The experience is enhanced by unique trains that seat up to ten riders per row,spanning only two or three rows total. Unlike traditional train design,this distinguishing aspect gives all passengers virtually the same experience throughout the course of the ride. Another defining characteristic of Dive Coasters is the holding brake at the top of the lift hill that holds the train momentarily right as it enters the first drop,suspending some passengers with a view looking straight down and releasing suddenly moments later.
The Great White is an inverted roller coaster at SeaWorld San Antonio,and the first roller coaster to be built at a SeaWorld park. It is not only the first inverted roller coaster in Texas,but also the first one in the state to be built by Bolliger &Mabillard.
Amusement rides and stunt shows themed to the Batman franchise its derivative elements are commonly found at Warner Bros. and Six Flags amusement parks across the world.
Wing Coaster is engineering firm Bolliger &Mabillard’s designation for its winged roller coaster designs. Winged roller coasters are a type of steel roller coaster where pairs of riders sit on either side of a roller coaster track in which nothing is above or below the riders. B&M began development on the first Wing Coaster between 2007 and 2008 leading to the opening of Raptor at Gardaland on 1 April 2011. There were eighteen B&M-designed Wing Coasters either under construction or operating worldwide as of 2024,with one more standing but not operating.
DC Comics Super Heroes Adventures was a DC Comics themed area found at Six Flags New Orleans,in the Eastern New Orleans area of New Orleans,Louisiana,USA. It opened on April 12,2003,after Six Flags took over the lease of the park in 2002 and added the company's signature Warner Bros. characters and themes.
Martin &Vleminckx Ltd. is a thrill ride and roller coaster manufacturing and construction company headquartered in Montreal,Québec,Canada with an affiliated office in Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada,a manufacturing facility in Orlando,Florida,United States,and two subsidiaries,including a warehouse in China.