A New Twist in Coaster Race

In the theme park world, bragging rights to the biggest and longest ride can fire up attendance and arguments on hot summer days. Cedar Fair LP, which owns Knott’s Berry Farm, ignited a recent dispute by announcing it would open “the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster” next year at Cedar Point, its park in Sandusky, Ohio. Millennium Force, Cedar Point’s 14th coaster, will be 310 feet high and reach speeds of up to 92 mph.

Not so fast, countered Six Flags Magic Mountain, where Superman the Escape towers 415 feet and tops 100 mph. “We’re not going to let this record go without a fight,” said Jim Blackie, an engineering vice president at the Valencia park.

Ah, but Superman is no roller coaster, replied Knott’s promo man Bob Ochsner, noting that it accelerates using electromagnets instead of plunging from a “hill.” Said Ochsner: “The real fans and experts know that a coaster has to be gravity-powered.”

The reply from Magic Mountain spokesman Andy Gallardo: “The Guinness Book (of Records) says Superman is a coaster--the biggest, fastest coaster in the world. That’s good enough for us.”

Thrill ride enthusiast Robb Alvey of Irvine, who runs the https://www.themeparkreview.com Web site, said he’d classify Superman as a roller coaster. But he added that the vertical drop portion of the ride is only about 150 feet, not the entire height of the attraction, so the “highest” bragging rights don’t apply.

In any case, prepare to duck another round of hype when Magic Mountain discloses exactly what it is building at its latest construction site. “We’ll make an announcement sometime in September,” Gallardo said. “It’s going to be something big.” Predicts Alvey: “It’s another hyper-coaster, probably in the 250-foot range.”