Fury 325

Sections of track waiting to be installed in 2014

In September 2012, the Charlotte City Council discussed plans for a proposed roller coaster in one of its meetings and it was revealed the ride would cost approximately $30 million.[1] In a closed-session meeting, it was mentioned that the roller coaster would stand 70 feet (21 m) higher than the park's Intimidator roller coaster which stands at 232 feet (71 m), meaning the new coaster would be 302 feet (92 m) high.[2] On October 18, January 23, 2014, and June 9, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, the owners of Carowinds,[3] filed trademark applications for the names Centurion, Fury, and Fury 325.[4][5][6] In February, the Centurion trademark was suspended after another trademark application using the same name was found by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.[4][7] In July, the blueprints for Fury 325 were leaked showing the exact layout of the roller coaster.[8] At the beginning of August, the park sent a beekeeper to deliver a partially burnt bug net with a card saying, "you're gonna need a much bigger net to capture the thrills of the 2015 Carowinds season", to several media outlets in the Charlotte area.[9] On August 12, a microsite on Carowinds' website was found advertising a new ride called Centurion.[10] A similar hoax was conducted by Kings Island leading up to the announcement of Banshee in 2013.[11]

Carowinds officially announced Fury 325 on August 22, 2014, at an event held at the park's Harmony Hall Marketplace.[12] The first piece of track was installed on September 29, 2014. Within the week, the structure for the storage track was erected.[13] By October 22, the majority of the brake run was complete; two days later the final pieces for the section were put into place.[14][15] By October 26, the base of the lift hill was installed.[16] On December 4, the lift hill and first drop were completed.[17] On January 30, 2015, the final piece of Fury 325's track was put in place.[18][19] Fury 325 completed its first test run on March 4, 2015.[20] On March 25, Carowinds held the coaster's media day.[21] The ride officially debuted three days later on March 28, 2015, when Carowinds' 2015 operating season began.[22][23]

The ride closed on June 30, 2023, after a bystander spotted and reported a large crack at the top of a steel support pillar.[24][25] The North Carolina Department of Labor launched an investigation, and Fury 325 was closed for repairs.[24] Carowinds commented on July 6, after an inspection by park staff and the manufacturer, that the crack occurred on the weld line of the column.[26][27] In addition to the regular inspections, Carowinds planned to implement further types of inspections on the roller coaster;[28] a North Carolina labor commissioner said the crack had likely been visible at least a week before the ride was closed.[29][30] After a new support was installed in mid-July 2023,[31] the roller coaster reopened on August 10, 2023.[32]

Once the train is loaded and secured, it dispatches from the station and immediately passes over the transfer track. Afterwards, the train climbs the 325-foot (99 m) chain lift hill. The humming sound of a hornet is played twice during the ascent – once at the beginning and a second time after a voice announces safety directions to the riders. Upon reaching the top, the train drops toward the ground at an 81-degree angle and reaches a maximum speed of 95 mph (153 km/h). The train then enters a 190-foot-high (58 m) barrel turn, followed by a high speed s-curve that leads to the park's north entrance. After passing over the entrance, the train makes a banked turn to the left leading into a 157-foot (48 m) high horseshoe. At the top of the horseshoe, the train hits a 91-degree angle before dropping toward the ground and under the entrance pathway.

This is followed by a second banked turn to the left, which reaches a height of 101 feet (31 m), and a straight section of track. The train then travels over a 111-foot (34 m) camelback hill and makes a near-180-degree turn. It enters a second camelback hill, then makes a left turn into a third camelback hill, which ends with the final brake run. The train makes a 180-degree turn as it returns to the station. According to Carowinds, one complete cycle of the ride lasts three minutes and 25 seconds.[16][33][34][35][36]

Fury 325 set new records and came close to breaking others when it opened in 2015. It became the world's tallest giga coaster – a roller coaster that exceeds 300 feet (91 m) in height[41] – surpassing Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land by 6.7 feet (2.0 m).[35][42][43] Its maximum speed of 95 mph (153 km/h) ties it with Steel Dragon 2000 for being the fastest among roller coasters with a traditional lift hill.[44] As of 2019, Fury 325 is the seventh fastest, fifth tallest, and fourth longest roller coaster in the world.[42][44][45] In North American rankings, the roller coaster is the tallest, fastest, and longest among non-launched, steel roller coasters.[46][47][48]

Fury 325 is also the tallest to be built by Bolliger & Mabillard, following on the heels of the company's first giga coaster, Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, which opened in 2012. Leviathan reaches a maximum height of 306 feet (93 m).[35][49][50]

Initial reception following the announcement of the ride was positive. Chip Sieczko, a representative from American Coaster Enthusiasts, said, "This is not a Carolina story, this is not a national story. This is an international deal. It's going to be insane."[51] Arthur Levine from About.com stated that the roller coaster will make an impression at the front of the park.[52]

Fury 325 claimed the Best New Ride of 2015 from the 2015 Golden Ticket Awards (GTA), ranking fourth overall among steel coasters.[53] It was voted the best overall steel roller coaster in the same awards publication the following year[54] and has retained the top position ever since.[55]

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• Official website