The Joker (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)

Last updated
The Joker
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (27297618681).jpg
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Location Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Park section DC Universe
Coordinates 38°08′17″N122°13′58″W / 38.13806°N 122.23278°W / 38.13806; -122.23278
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateMay 25, 2016 (2016-05-25)
Opening dateMay 29, 2016 (2016-05-29)
Cost7,800,000
Replaced Roar
General statistics
Manufacturer Rocky Mountain Construction
Designer Alan Schilke
ModelI-Box
Track layoutI-Box
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height100 ft (30 m)
Drop95 ft (29 m)
Length3,200 ft (980 m)
Speed53 mph (85 km/h)
Inversions 3
Duration2:00
Max vertical angle78°
Capacity1,128 riders per hour
G-force 3.4
Trains2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Single rider line availability icon.svg Single rider line no
Wheelchair symbol.svg Wheelchair accessible
Attraction transfer icon.svg Must transfer from wheelchair
The Joker at RCDB

The Joker is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California. The ride opened on May 29, 2016, as a rebuild of former wooden roller coaster Roar, adding a new steel track on top of Roar's wooden support structure. This hybrid configuration was implemented by Rocky Mountain Construction and is themed to the Joker, a comic book character villain featured in DC Comics publications. [1] [2] The original Roar roller coaster was constructed by Great Coasters International and opened in 1999. [3]

Contents

History

Roar was a roller coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom constructed by Great Coasters International. When it debuted on May 14, 1999, Roar was the park's first wooden roller coaster and one of its first rides overall during the transition of adding amusement park rides to the marine mammal park. The coaster featured a height of 94 feet (29 m), a first drop of 85 feet (26 m) and a top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). [4]

In July 2015, Six Flags announced plans to permanently close Roar on August 16, 2015. [5] On September 3, 2015, the park revealed plans to resurrect and convert Roar into a steel-tracked coaster called The Joker for the 2016 season. [6] Rocky Mountain Construction was contracted to perform the renovation using the company's patented I-Box steel track technology married to the existing wooden support structure. [6] The wood-steel hybrid was designed to incorporate three inversions, including a new element described as a "step-up under-flip inverted roll", and it also received new trains themed to the Joker comic book character. [1]

Based on the success of previous roller coaster conversions in its partnership with Rocky Mountain Construction, Six Flags anticipated that Roar would benefit from the overhaul and transition into The Joker. [7] Discovery Kingdom held a soft opening, a media preview event for The Joker, on May 25, 2016. [8] The roller coaster was well-received and opened for Memorial Day Weekend on May 29, 2016. [8] [9]

Characteristics

Roar in 2009 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Roar.jpg
Roar in 2009

The table below compares the original Roar, with the updated Joker ride. The original ride by the Great Coasters International was an approximately 94 feet (29 m) tall and the length of 3,291 feet (1,003 m). The refurbished ride by Rocky Mountain Construction features a steeper and taller coaster, thus achieving a faster speed.

StatisticRoar [10] The Joker [11]
Years199920152016
ManufacturerGreat Coasters InternationalRocky Mountain Construction
DesignerMike Boodley Alan Schilke
TrackWoodSteel
Height94.6 ft or 28.8 m100 ft or 30 m
Drop85 ft or 26 m
Length3,291 ft or 1,003 m3,200 ft or 980 m
Speed50 mph or 80 km/h53 mph or 85 km/h
Inversions03
Max vertical angle45°78°
TrainsGreat Coasters InternationalRocky Mountain Construction

Ride experience

The Joker's trains are themed to the character widely known in the Batman comics. Each train has six cars, each seating four people with two across in two rows, for a total capacity of 24 riders per train. As the train departs the station, it enters several small 'bunny hills' and turns, reminiscent of pre-lift elements on Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The train will then ascend up its first hill of 100 feet (30 m), followed by a curved drop at 78 degrees – re-profiled as a steeper drop from the original Roar coaster. It accelerates to a maximum speed of 53 mph (85 km/h) before entering the "step-up under-flip inverted roll" element.

After turning left out of the inversion, the train goes up a hill into a 180-degree stall featuring several head chopper beams. A wave turn element and several air time hills follow, along with an over-banked turn and an Asian camelback hill. The track winds sharply through another over-banked turn before entering the final inversion, a zero-g-roll. Finally, the train undergoes another banked turn and camelback hill before reaching the final brake run and returning to the station.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wooden roller coaster</span> Type of roller coaster

A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also be made of steel lattice or truss, which has no bearing on a wooden coaster's classification. The type of wood often selected in the construction of wooden coasters worldwide is southern yellow pine, which grows abundantly in the southern United States, due to its density and adherence to different forms of pressure treatment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steel roller coaster</span> Roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel

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. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated wheels, the steel roller coasters can provide a taller, smoother, and faster ride with more inversions than a traditional wooden roller coaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Lantern (Six Flags Great Adventure)</span> Steel roller coaster

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Riddler's Revenge</span> Stand-up roller coaster

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Toro (Six Flags Great Adventure)</span> Wooden roller coaster

El Toro is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened to the public on June 11, 2006. Intamin subcontracted Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) to build the ride, and the coaster's track was prefabricated, allowing for quicker installation and lower construction costs. El Toro is the main attraction of the Mexican-themed section of the park, Plaza Del Carnaval. It replaced another roller coaster, Viper, which closed following the 2004 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twisted Cyclone</span> Steel roller coaster in Georgia

Twisted Cyclone, formerly known as Georgia Cyclone, is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the ride opened to the public on May 25, 2018. It features RMC's patented I-Box Track technology and utilizes a significant portion of Georgia Cyclone's former support structure. Originally constructed by the Dinn Corporation, Georgia Cyclone first opened on March 3, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twisted Colossus</span> Roller coaster at Magic Mountain

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Rattler</span> Steel roller coaster in San Antonio

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wicked Cyclone</span> Roller coaster at Six Flags New England

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Thunder Run (Kentucky Kingdom) Wooden roller coaster

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Storm Chaser (roller coaster)</span> Steel roller coaster in Kentucky

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goliath (Six Flags Great America)</span> Wooden roller coaster

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References

  1. 1 2 MacDonald, Brady (September 3, 2015). "Six Flags unveils new attractions for every park in 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  2. Glidden, John (September 3, 2015). "'The Joker' roller coaster set to open next year". Vallejo Times Herald. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  3. MacDonald, Brady (September 3, 2015). "Meet the latest contender for best new roller coaster of 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  4. "Great Coasters International trains". Great Coasters International . Retrieved 2015-09-04.
  5. "Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to Silence Roar For Good". NewsPlusNotes.
  6. 1 2 MacDonald, Brady (September 3, 2015). "Meet the latest contender for best new roller coaster of 2016". The Baltimore Sun . Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  7. Miller, Keith (2013). "New Rides & Attractions 2013 - Wooden Coasters". Funworld Magazine. IAAPA. Archived from the original on August 17, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  8. 1 2 Sestito, Maria (May 27, 2016). "The Joker doesn't disappoint roller coaster enthusiasts". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  9. "The Maniacal, Twisted New Coaster, The Joker, Makes Its Highly-Anticipated Debut at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom". Six Flags. May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  10. Marden, Duane. "Roar". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  11. Marden, Duane. "Joker  (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved September 5, 2015.