Roar (roller coaster)

Roar (trademarked as ROAR) is the name of a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags America located near Upper Marlboro, Maryland. There were originally two roller coasters; the first and current ride was built in 1998 at Six Flags America, and a second ride was built in 1999 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Both rides were designed and built by Great Coasters International (GCI). In 2015, Discovery Kingdom announced the retirement of its version of Roar, which Rocky Mountain Construction later renovated and transformed into The Joker, a hybrid roller coaster.

Roar
1. Logo
2. Roar at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Six Flags America
Park sectionChesapeake
Coordinates38.907591°N 76.775993°W / 38.907591; -76.775993
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 2, 1998 (1998-05-02)
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Park sectionSky
Coordinates38°08′17″N 122°13′58″W
StatusConverted
Opening dateMay 14, 1999 (1999-05-14)
Closing dateAugust 16, 2015 (2015-08-16)
Replaced byThe Joker
General statistics
TypeWood
ManufacturerGreat Coasters International
Track layoutTwister
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height95 ft (29 m)
Drop85 ft (26 m)
Speed50.5 mph (81.3 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration1:52
Max vertical angle50°
G-force3.5
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Length3,468 ft (1,057 m) (America)
3,291 ft (1,003 m) (Discovery Kingdom)
Flash Pass Available
Roar at RCDB

Design and operation
Roar entrance sign for Six Flags America

The ride is a wooden roller coaster with a chain lift hill system. It features a unique "Speed Shed" element over a large section of track, designed to enhance the sense of speed without the visual sensory loss of a traditional tunnel. Of the two trains used on the ride, each one seats a capacity of 24 people in six cars and utilize both seat belts and lap bars. The height of the roller coaster is 95 feet (29 m), and its drop is 85 feet (26 m); the maximum speed reached is 50.5 miles per hour (81.3 km/h). Unlike classic out and back rides, Roar is a twister design.

Six Flags America

Six Flags America's Roar, called Roar (East) by GCI, was built in 1998. Unlike its sibling in the west, this ride is longer at 3,468 feet (1,057 m) and has a slightly longer ride time. The longer track length is due to the ride's location on a slanting hillside, and longer drops on the station side and lift hill. Its trains, designed and maintained by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, are also different. Roar is one of the three rides at Six Flags America that featured an on-ride camera (the others being Superman: Ride of Steel and Apocalypse). It has been removed along with the camera on Apocalypse. The camera for Apocalypse returned and was re-added for the 2019 transition to Firebird. The ride is situated in the park's Chesapeake themed section.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Main article: The Joker (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's Roar, called Roar (West) by GCI, was built in 1999 in light of adding the Six Flags moniker to the Marine World amusement park.[1] At 3,291 feet (1,003 m), this coaster was shorter than the installation at Six Flags America. The ride consisted of two 12 car Millennium Flyer trains. This type of train helps give the sensation of a steel roller coaster utilizing the classic wooden style design.[2] Roar was situated in the Sky animal-themed area of the park. It closed on August 16, 2015. This ride was remodeled; removing the upside-down inversion near the end of the ride for the 2021 - 2022 Season.


On July 16, 2015, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom announced that Roar would be retired on August 16, 2015. The closure marked the completion of the attraction's seventeenth season. Park president Don McCoy released a statement that the ride was being removed to make room for future expansion. An estimated 11 million visitors to the park have ridden the roller coaster since its debut in 1999.[3] On September 3, 2015, Six Flags announced that the Roar at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom would be transformed into a "wood-steel hybrid" named The Joker featuring three inversions.[4][5] Rocky Mountain Construction performed the conversion, opening the new version on May 28, 2016.

Awards
Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year20032004200520062007
Ranking 39[6]48[7]49[8]39[9]42[10]

References
General
  • "Roller Coaster DataBase: Roar (Six Flags America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  • "Roller Coaster DataBase: Roar (Discovery Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  • "Great Coasters International: Roar (East)". Great Coasters International. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  • "Great Coasters International: Roar (West)". Great Coasters International. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
Specific
  1. "Six Flags Discovery Kingdom profile". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  2. "Great Coasters International trains". Great Coasters International. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  3. Zavoral, Linda (July 16, 2015). "Six Flags Vallejo closing its Roar roller coaster". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  4. MacDonald, Brady (September 3, 2015). "Six Flags unveils new attractions for every park in 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  5. Glidden, John (September 3, 2015). "'The Joker' roller coaster set to open next year". Vallejo Times Herald. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  6. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 10–11B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  7. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  8. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  9. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  10. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
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