Maverick (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Maverick is a Intamin-made linear synchronous motor
-launched blitz steel
complete-circuit roller coaster
at Cedar Point
in Sandusky
, Ohio. It was manufactured by IntaRide LLC, the United States
division of Intamin, and was the five-hundredth roller coaster designed by German
engineer Werner Stengel
. Maverick is the seventeenth roller coaster built at the park since the Blue Streak opened in 1964 and ushered in a new era of coaster building. Maverick' s US$21-million price tag makes it Cedar Point's third most expensive roller coaster. The 4450 feet (1,356.4 m) course is the fourth longest at Cedar Point. Maverick was scheduled to open on May 12, 2007, but opening was delayed until May 26, 2007 after testing revealed the heartline roll element to be too intense. Continued use of the element would have put excessive stress on trains. As Cedar Point's 17th roller coaster, Maverick is the fourth to feature inversions. In a drop angle of 95 degrees, Maverick has Cedar Point's steepest drop out of any of the coasters in the park. The attraction's tagline is, "The Old West was never this wild."
According to Cedar Fair officials, discussion about a new roller coaster for the 2007 season started in early 2003, right after the completion of Top Thrill Dragster
. In January 2006, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. had filed for a trademark for the name Maverick. Community speculation reached its high point in the summer of 2006, right before the official announcement. The project became known officially and colloquially as "Project 2007" until the announcement on September 7, 2006.
log flume ride was retired. Although the ride was disassembled, the station was left intact and now serves as Maverick' s on-ride photo booth and queue. Beginning in February 2006, concrete footers were poured on the former White Water Landing site, as well as in the pond that once housed Cedar Point's Swan Boat ride. In May 2006, track segments arrived in a fenced area near the park's off-site hotel, Breakers Express. Initially, Cedar Point covered track segments with blue tarps. After several pieces arrived and enthusiasts posted photos on the internet, the park gave up and stopped hiding the track. Brown supports for Maverick were delivered to both the staging site at Breakers Express and the construction site at the park. Beginning in mid-July 2006, supports were transported across the Cedar Point causeway to the former White Water Landing site for erection. On August 14, 2006, the first track segments were installed. On September 11, 2006, the crest of the lift hill was added, thereby topping off the ride.
On October 20, the last piece of track was installed. Work on the Stator
s began on October 30, the day after the park closed for the 2006 season, and the installation of the stators was presumably finished as of November 14, 2006. During electrical work in late October, one lane of the perimeter road that leads around the tip of the peninsula was closed to run a new electrical service line from the front of the park to Maverick' s plot of land at the back. Maverick is now connected to the same electrical "trunk" line as Top Thrill Dragster and Wicked Twister.
. On May 17, 2007, the heartline roll was removed and was replaced with an s-curve five days later. The s-curve transitions the existing track from a banked right curve to a banked left curve. Installation of the s-curve was completed on May 24 and final testing and licensing of the attraction resumed. On the same day, Cedar Point officials also announced that Maverick would debut on May 26. While waiting for the new track to arrive, the ride continued to test with the heartline roll in place. Some observers noted trains rolling backward down the lift hill in a simulated rollback. Maverick opened on May 26, 2007.
A rollback is fairly common and is done daily to test the ride block system.
Linear motor
A linear motor is an electric motor that has had its stator and rotor "unrolled" so that instead of producing a torque it produces a linear force along its length...
-launched blitz steel
Steel roller coaster
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...
complete-circuit roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
at Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
in Sandusky
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
, Ohio. It was manufactured by IntaRide LLC, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
division of Intamin, and was the five-hundredth roller coaster designed by German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
engineer Werner Stengel
Werner Stengel
Werner Stengel is a German roller coaster designer and engineer. Stengel is the founder of Stengel Engineering, also known as Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH ....
. Maverick is the seventeenth roller coaster built at the park since the Blue Streak opened in 1964 and ushered in a new era of coaster building. Maverick
History
Top Thrill Dragster
Top Thrill Dragster is a steel, Hydraulic-launched roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. It was the first "Strata Coaster", loosely defined as a complete circuit coaster that is over tall. It was built by Intamin and debuted to the public on May 4, 2003...
. In January 2006, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. had filed for a trademark for the name Maverick. Community speculation reached its high point in the summer of 2006, right before the official announcement. The project became known officially and colloquially as "Project 2007" until the announcement on September 7, 2006.
Construction
After the close of the 2005 season in October, the White Water LandingWhite Water Landing
White Water Landing was a log flume attraction at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky Ohio. Built in 1982, it was made to be like a wild river ride down an Appalachian River. It was located in the Frontiertown section of the park adjacent to the CP & LE Railroad, near the Mean Streak...
log flume ride was retired. Although the ride was disassembled, the station was left intact and now serves as Maverick
On October 20, the last piece of track was installed. Work on the Stator
Stator
The stator is the stationary part of a rotor system, found in an electric generator, electric motor and biological rotors.Depending on the configuration of a spinning electromotive device the stator may act as the field magnet, interacting with the armature to create motion, or it may act as the...
s began on October 30, the day after the park closed for the 2006 season, and the installation of the stators was presumably finished as of November 14, 2006. During electrical work in late October, one lane of the perimeter road that leads around the tip of the peninsula was closed to run a new electrical service line from the front of the park to Maverick
Delayed opening
On May 8, 2007, four days before Maverick was scheduled to debut, park general manager John Hildebrant announced that the ride would be delayed until early June because three 40 feet (12.2 m) track sections after the second launch needed to be replaced. These sections made up the heartline roll element and put excessive stress on the trains, which also might have caused discomfort to passengers due to high g-forces. On May 17, 2007, the heartline roll was removed and was replaced with an s-curve five days later. The s-curve transitions the existing track from a banked right curve to a banked left curve. Installation of the s-curve was completed on May 24 and final testing and licensing of the attraction resumed. On the same day, Cedar Point officials also announced that Maverick would debut on May 26. While waiting for the new track to arrive, the ride continued to test with the heartline roll in place. Some observers noted trains rolling backward down the lift hill in a simulated rollback. Maverick opened on May 26, 2007.
Rollback
On the day that it was going to open to the public, when a Maverick train was about to go down a 105 feet (32 m) drop, the train stopped at the top of the hill and slowly went down the hill. This is the second time that the coaster had a rollback. The train on the Maverick track went slowly down the hill to the station and then relaunched again. No one was on that train at that time and the coaster was opened a few days later to the public due to the heartline-roll delay.A rollback is fairly common and is done daily to test the ride block system.
Trains
Maverick has six three-car trains that seat twelve passengers each. The trains have tiered seating and feature the following colors: brass, copper, gold, gunmetal, iron, and silver. Each train has a name on the front car. The trains are named Brett, Brent, Ben, Beau, Bart, and Sam. The restraint system, similar to Accelerator Coasters, includes a hydraulic over the shoulder harness and an interlocking seat belt. The passenger height restriction was initially set to a minimum of 48 inches (121.9 cm). In May 2007, the height restriction was raised to a minimum of 52 inches (132.1 cm) per recommendations made by IntaRide.Features
- Riders are launched up a 105 feet (32 m) lift hillLift hillA lift hill, or chain hill, is often the initial upward-sloping section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride...
- First drop is 95 degrees (5 degrees past vertical)
- Travels at a top speed of 70 miles per hour (31.3 m/s)
- Two launch areas
- Eight airtime-filled hills
- One 400 feet (121.9 m) tunnel with LED lights & special effects
- 10 banked turns, from 62 to 92 degrees
- Two on-ride photoOn-ride cameraAn on-ride camera is a camera mounted alongside the track of a roller coaster, log flume or other thrill ride that automatically photographs all of the riders on each passing vehicle. They are often mounted at the most intense or fastest part of the ride, resulting in humorously distorted...
sections - Two canyon wall sections
- Magnetic, non-contact braking system
- Elevated single load/unload station
- First of its kind "Twisted Horseshoe Roll"
- S-curve (originally planned to be a heartline roll)
- "Water Bombs" that spray water when trains pass over the lagoon
Awards
- Voted "Best New Ride for 2007" by Amusement TodayAmusement TodayAmusement Today is a monthly periodical featuring articles, news, pictures, and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The magazine, which is based in Arlington, Texas, USA, was founded in 1997 by Gary Slade and Virgil...
Golden Ticket Awards: Best Steel Coaster Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Ranking 13 12 15 21 (tie) 20
External links
- Official Maverick website
- YouTube POV Video (Flash video software or a web browser supporting H.264 is necessary to see the content.)