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| - Hmmm! Looks like my review of The Racer was somehow merged into my main review of Kennywood Park. So here it is again.
The Racer is Kennywood's second oldest rollercoaster after the Jack Rabbit. Built in 1927, it's a moebius (mobius) loop racing coaster. What's a moebius (mobius) loop racing coaster? Well it's a racing coaster that appears to have two continuous loops (ala the American Eagle at Six Flags or the Gemini at Cedar Point), but really has only one continuous track. So you end up on the opposite side of the station from where you started. There are only three remaining coasters of this type in the world. The other two are in Mexico City and Blackpool.
The Racer was designed and built by John Miller and its trains are classics built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. PTC built some of some of the most famous coasters and their trains. Its tallest vertical height is 76 feet, its maximum drop is 50 feet, and its top speed is 40mph. Of the three woodies at Kennywood (this, the Jack Rabbit and the Thunderbolt), the Racer is the only one in which the initial hill is also the lift hill. When built, it cost the then-princely sum of $76,000! Imagine what the designers back then would have thought of what the newest coasters cost!
Ready to take a ride?
Okay, let's get on the train on the right! It doesn't really matter where we sit on this one, so maybe we'll just park in the middle. The alarm bell rings, the brakes are released and we begin rolling towards the lift hill. We won't see our opponents until we're almost on the lift hill. The lift chain catches and we're inching our way up the hill. We're about a foot in front of them. We see the warning sign as near the top telling us not to stand up. Well duh, but I'll bet some moron has tried that!
The lift chain releases and we we're down the first drop, then a quick ascent, then a reverse curve. Because we're on the inside of the curve, we pull out to an early lead. Uh oh, that can't be good. Read on. We keep our early lead for awhile but remember, sometimes we're on the inside curve, sometimes on the outside. The great thing about the Racer is that some of the curves are so tight, we can reach out and high-five our opponents. Remember, it's not a tradition--it's a requirement!
The present Racer replaced an earlier one built in 1910, which was a side-friction coaster like Leap the Dips at Lakemont Park. The present Racer's cars are locked to the track, thus allowing banked curves as well as dips on the curves. We can see how this has come into play 'cos even though we've been ahead, on the final curve our opponents have pulled into a late lead and are first back into the station!
Shite! We lost!
The Racer really doesn't have the G-forces or the airtime hills of the Jack Rabbit or the Thunderbolt. It doesn't have the Thunderbolt's speed or wicked drops either. But it's still got a great rough ride and it's still a blast. The Racer is an ACE (American Coasters Enthusiasts) Classic and on June 21st, 2010 the Racer was declared an ACE Coaster Landmark.
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