WildCat | |
---|---|
Cedar Point | |
Location | Cedar Point |
Park section | Celebration Plaza |
Coordinates | 41°28′54″N82°41′6″W / 41.48167°N 82.68500°W |
Status | Removed |
Opening date | 1979 |
Closing date | 2011 |
Replaced | Jumbo Jet |
Replaced by | Luminosity – Ignite the Night! and Sirens Curse |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel |
Manufacturer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
Designer | Werner Stengel |
Model | Wildcat/65m |
Track layout | Metal track in an overlapping and interlocking figure-eight configuration |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift |
Height | 50 ft (15 m) |
Length | 1,837 ft (560 m) |
Speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) |
Inversions | 0 |
Duration | 1:25 |
Capacity | 900 riders per hour |
Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
WildCat at RCDB |
WildCat was a steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf, the ride opened to the public in 1979. Cedar Point decided in 2012 to remove WildCat to allow for expansion of the Celebration Plaza, also citing that the coaster had reached the end of its service life. It was dismantled and scrapped. [1]
WildCat opened at Cedar Point in 1979. [2] It was the 65m variant of the Schwarzkopf Wildcat model where small cars (each holding four passengers) take many tight turns and small hills that produce negative g-forces as well as strong lateral forces. Riders were required to be at least 48" tall and be able to climb down vertical ladders in the case of an emergency evacuation. Riders were secured by a seatbelt and lap bar. At the end of the ride, riders were given a visual signal by the operator to extend their arms and hold on, as the train stops extremely quickly. [3] It was the second Cedar Point ride to use the WildCat name following the 1970 installation, Wildcat, which was an identical 65m Schwarzkopf Wildcat. [4] [5]
In 1997, the ride vehicles received seatbelts after the death of a teenager on a similar ride at Bell's Amusement Park in Oklahoma. [6]
WildCat is the only roller coaster in Cedar Point that has been relocated since being built. WildCat had been in two previous places before settling in its final location, across from Iron Dragon. WildCat gave more than 25 million rides since its debut. [3] Although this figure-8 designed coaster was a park favorite, ridership declined over the years from over 500,000 riders in 1996 down to 300,000 riders in 2008. [3]
On May 2, 2012, Cedar Point announced the permanent removal and dismantling of the WildCat roller coaster prior to the opening of the 2012 season for the expansion of Celebration Plaza. [1] WildCat was demolished and scrapped before the season started.
On May 16, 2008 during the opening weeks of the season, WildCat suffered a "roll back". A car traveling up the lift hill did not make it all the way up and rolled back down, hitting another car. This incident injured nine guests, of which eight were treated at the first aid station in the park, and one was treated and released at Firelands Memorial Hospital. [7] [8] Due to this accident, the ride was closed for a month. It reopened in late June 2008 after a section of track was replaced.
In the evening of June 5, 2011, two cars of WildCat collided, injuring seven people, none seriously. Three people were taken to Firelands Regional Medical Center as a precaution and four were released from the first aid station without further treatment. The crash was classified as an "incident" by the US Department of Agriculture. [9]
Cedar Point is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States, owned and operated by Six Flags. It opened in 1870 and is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the US behind Lake Compounce. Prior to the merger with Six Flags in 2024, Cedar Point served as the "flagship park" of the Cedar Fair amusement park chain and hosted the corporate headquarters. Known as "America's Roller Coast", the park features 17 roller coasters, which ranks third among amusement parks in North America behind sister parks Canada's Wonderland (18) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (20).
Top Thrill 2 is a launched roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The ride originally opened as Top Thrill Dragster in 2003, becoming the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, as well as the first ever strata coaster. Designed by Werner Stengel, the Intamin accelerator coaster debuted with a height of 420 feet (130 m), and could accelerate from 0 to 120 mph (190 km/h) in 3.8 seconds. It was themed to Top Fuel drag racing, with the launch track designed to resemble a dragstrip. The ride consistently ranked as one of the world's top steel coasters in Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards publication. Top Thrill Dragster's records were surpassed in 2005 by Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, though that ride's closure in 2024 may allow Top Thrill 2 to briefly reclaim the height record.
Valleyfair is a 90-acre (36 ha) amusement park in Shakopee, Minnesota, United States. Owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, the park opened in 1976 and features over 75 rides and attractions including eight roller coasters. Valleyfair also has a water park called Soak City which is included with the price of admission. Cedar Point and Valleyfair were the first two parks in the Cedar Fair chain and a combination of the park names – "cedar" and "fair" – were used to name the original company.
Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH, a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement parks and travelling funfairs around the world.
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein, best-known for designing and constructing thrill rides and roller coasters at dozens of international theme parks, amusement parks and other establishments. The Intamin brand name is a syllabic abbreviation for "international amusement installations". The company has corporate offices across the world, including three in Europe, three in Asia, and two in the United States.
A roller coaster train is a vehicle made up of two or more carts connected by specialized joints which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. Roller coasters usually have various safety features, including specialized wheels and restraints. It is called a train because the cars follow one another around the track, the same reason as for a railroad train. Individual cars vary in design and can carry from one to eight or more passengers each.
Michigan's Adventure is a 250-acre (1.0 km2) amusement park in Muskegon County, Michigan, about halfway between Muskegon and Whitehall. It is the largest amusement park in the state and has been owned and operated by Six Flags since 2024. The park was previously owned by Cedar Fair from 2001-2024. As of 2024, Michigan's Adventure has over 60 rides, slides and attractions, more than any other park in the state.
Whizzer, originally named Willard's Whizzer, is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. Designed by Werner Stengel and built by Anton Schwarzkopf, the Speedracer model was one of two identical roller coasters built for the Marriott Corporation in time for the debut of their Great America parks in 1976.
Corkscrew is a steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Built by Arrow Development and designed by Ron Toomer, it opened to the public on May 15, 1976. The coaster features Arrow's first vertical loop and was built during the same time period as The New Revolution at Magic Mountain. Revolution, which opened seven days prior, is credited as the first modern-day coaster to feature a vertical loop, while Corkscrew is credited as the first roller coaster in the world with three inversions.
Rougarou, formerly known as Mantis, is a floorless roller coaster located at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Designed and built by Bolliger & Mabillard, the roller coaster originally opened in 1996 as a stand-up roller coaster called Mantis, which at the time was the tallest, fastest, and longest of its kind in the world. Cedar Point had planned to name the ride Banshee, but due to negative publicity following the announcement, the name was later changed to Mantis.
Raptor is an inverted roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The coaster, which broke many records upon its opening in 1994, differs from previous inverted coasters. Instead of having a short layout designed to fit into a compact area like Batman: The Ride, Raptor was designed with a larger, 3,790-foot (1,160 m) layout, making it the tallest, fastest and longest inverted roller coaster in the world when it opened. It features six inversions, including a cobra roll, a first for inverted roller coasters. The ride is themed as a bird of prey.
Steel Vengeance, formerly known as Mean Streak, is a steel roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The roller coaster, originally constructed by Dinn Corporation as a wooden roller coaster, was rebuilt by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and opened to the public on May 5, 2018. It is a hybrid coaster, using RMC's steel I-Box track and a significant portion of Mean Streak's former support structure. Upon completion, Steel Vengeance set 10 world records, including those for the tallest, fastest, and longest hybrid roller coaster.
WildCat (roller coaster) may refer to:
Jumbo Jet is a steel roller coaster located at Chelyuskintsev Park in Minsk, Belarus. It originally operated from 1972 to 1978 at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The roller coaster is a prefabricated model that features an electric spiral lift mechanism, and it was one of the earliest known coasters to use this lift mechanism.
Luminosity – Ignite the Night!, often shortened to Luminosity,, was a nighttime show performed nightly at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. It replaced American Portrait and the WildCat roller coaster. The show opened for previews on June 1, 2012 and held its grand-opening one week later. It ran nightly at 9:15 pm until August 19. From 2013 to 2017, the show ran every night at 9:30 pm except Tuesdays from May 31 – August 18.
GateKeeper is a steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), it was the fifth Wing Coaster installation in the world. The ride opened on May 11, 2013, on the most successful opening weekend to date in the park's history. GateKeeper featured the highest inversion in the world when it opened, with its 170-foot (52 m) Wing Over drop. It also broke several Wing Coaster records, including those for height, speed, track length, drop height and number of inversions. The coaster has a 170 ft (52 m), 40-degree inclined lift hill with a 164 ft (50 m) drop and features two support towers with keyhole elements that the trains travel through. Its maximum speed is approximately 67 mph (108 km/h).
Valravn is a steel roller coaster at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Built and designed by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), it was the first Dive Coaster model in the Cedar Fair chain of parks and opened on May 7, 2016, as the tallest, fastest, and longest of its kind in the world. It remains the tallest, sharing its height record with Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland. Valravn is also the first Dive Coaster to use B&M's vest-style, over-the-shoulder restraints and the third Dive Coaster overall to open in the United States. The installation marked the hundredth roller coaster from B&M, dating back to the company's founding in 1988.
Wildcat is a roller coaster manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf, currently operating at Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City, Maryland. The ride has also operated at other parks such as Cedar Point and Valleyfair.
Siren's Curse is an upcoming steel roller coaster at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. The Tilt Coaster model, manufactured by Vekoma, is planned to open in early summer 2025. The ride will have a length of 2,966 feet (904 m) with a maximum height of 160 feet (49 m), a 90-degree drop, and two inversions, making it North America’s tallest, longest and fastest Tilt Coaster. The ride will be Cedar Point's third roller coaster installation in as many years, after Wild Mouse (2023) and Top Thrill 2 (2024).