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Raging Bull (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
The Raging Bull is a Bolliger & Mabillard
hyper
-twister
steel roller coaster
located at Six Flags Great America
in Gurnee, Illinois
. It was built in 1999, and features a 208 feet (63.4 m) first drop and top speed of 73 miles per hour (117.5 km/h), and is currently one of the most popular rides at Six Flags Great America. At 5057 feet (1,541.4 m) in length, it is the longest roller coaster at Six Flags Great America. Raging Bull is the world's second "hyper-twister" roller coaster, after Fujiyama at Fuji-Q Highland
, built by TOGO, a Japanese coaster company. It is also B&M's 2nd hypercoaster.
The ride received a fresh coat of paint for the 2008 season.
Other names considered for this ride were Stampede and The Undertaker.
, one of three wooden roller coaster
s in the park. The land used by Raging Bull was formerly occupied by Rolling Thunder
, a bobsled which had been relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure
in 1990 and was removed in 1996 to make room for Southwest Territory, which Raging Bull is a flagship attraction of, alongside Viper. The bobsled Rolling Thunder is now Alpine Bobsled
at The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
in Queensbury, New York
.
until they fled the town and built the courtyard
and mission
seen today.
. At the 202 ft (62 m) peak, the ride drops a very small distance in an element known as a 'pre-drop,' 'kicker' or 'fake out' to gain momentum and also serves the purpose of an added thrill as well as helping to reduce stress on the lift chain. This element is most used on 1990s roller coaster
s built by Bolliger & Mabillard
. After the kicker, the ride drops 208 ft (63 m), with a tunnel being at the base of the drop. The train then ascends into a hammerhead turn to the right, passing over Viper's queue line twice. After the turn, there is an airtime
hill that has a trim brake on the way up to trim excess speed. Following that, there is an overbanked turn to the left, followed by another hammerhead turn to the left. The train then curves up into a mid course brake run
. After the brake run, the train drops back to the ground. At the base of the drop, there is an on-ride camera
. Guests can purchase their photos after the ride. The train then passes over another airtime hill and then a helix
. After the helix, the train then drops back to the ground and passes through another trim brake. After the brakes, the train enters a figure eight
finale, in which the train curves to the left, then to the right, and to the left again, eventually sliding up onto the final brake run and coasting back to the station.
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president...
hyper
Hypercoaster
A hypercoaster can mean one of two things:*Any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feetOr, more narrowly:*A style or model of roller coaster with three features:**A height of 200–299 feet...
-twister
Twister roller coaster
A twister roller coaster is the generic name given to any roller coaster layout which tends to twist or interweave its track within itself several times. It is essentially the opposite of an Out and Back roller coaster, which is often a much more simplistic layout...
steel roller coaster
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...
located at Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...
in Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28,834 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 30,772 in 2005. The village borders the city of Waukegan and is considered a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Gurnee is perhaps best known for being the location of...
. It was built in 1999, and features a 208 feet (63.4 m) first drop and top speed of 73 miles per hour (117.5 km/h), and is currently one of the most popular rides at Six Flags Great America. At 5057 feet (1,541.4 m) in length, it is the longest roller coaster at Six Flags Great America. Raging Bull is the world's second "hyper-twister" roller coaster, after Fujiyama at Fuji-Q Highland
Fuji-Q Highland
Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan.The theme park is near the base of Mount Fuji. It has a number of roller coasters, as well as The Haunted Hospital, the world's second largest haunted attraction, and Thomas Land, a children's area with a Thomas the Tank Engine...
, built by TOGO, a Japanese coaster company. It is also B&M's 2nd hypercoaster.
The ride received a fresh coat of paint for the 2008 season.
Other names considered for this ride were Stampede and The Undertaker.
Location
Raging Bull sits next to ViperViper (Six Flags Great America)
Viper is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, which opened in 1995. Viper features a layout that is a mirror image of the Coney Island Cyclone and is the only roller coaster ever to be built directly by Six Flags...
, one of three wooden roller coaster
Wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...
s in the park. The land used by Raging Bull was formerly occupied by Rolling Thunder
Alpine Bobsled
Alpine Bobsled is a steel roller coaster of bobsled design. It has been at three places:* From 1984 to 1988, named Sarajevo Bobsled, at Six Flags Great Adventure* From 1989 to 1996, named Rolling Thunder, at Six Flags Great America...
, a bobsled which had been relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
in 1990 and was removed in 1996 to make room for Southwest Territory, which Raging Bull is a flagship attraction of, alongside Viper. The bobsled Rolling Thunder is now Alpine Bobsled
Alpine Bobsled
Alpine Bobsled is a steel roller coaster of bobsled design. It has been at three places:* From 1984 to 1988, named Sarajevo Bobsled, at Six Flags Great Adventure* From 1989 to 1996, named Rolling Thunder, at Six Flags Great America...
at The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom is an amusement and waterpark located in Queensbury, New York. It is advertised as being located in Lake George, New York...
in Queensbury, New York
Queensbury, New York
Queensbury is a town in and the county seat of Warren County, New York, United States. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county. The population was 25,441 at the 2000 census. The town is named in honor of Queen Charlotte, the consort of George III of Great Britain and Ireland. It...
.
Theme
Raging Bull is named after a fictitious ferocious beast that terrorized the citizens of the old Southwest TerritorySouthwest Territory
The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the United States as the State of Tennessee.The Southwest Territory was...
until they fled the town and built the courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
and mission
Mission (station)
A religious mission or mission station is a location for missionary work.While primarily a Christian term, the concept of the religious "mission" is also used prominently by the Church of Scientology and their Scientology Missions International....
seen today.
Ride Layout
The ride starts with a left turn with a small dip out of the station and on to the lift hillLift hill
A 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...
. At the 202 ft (62 m) peak, the ride drops a very small distance in an element known as a 'pre-drop,' 'kicker' or 'fake out' to gain momentum and also serves the purpose of an added thrill as well as helping to reduce stress on the lift chain. This element is most used on 1990s 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...
s built by Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president...
. After the kicker, the ride drops 208 ft (63 m), with a tunnel being at the base of the drop. The train then ascends into a hammerhead turn to the right, passing over Viper's queue line twice. After the turn, there is an airtime
Airtime
Airtime is a free and open source radio management application for remote broadcast automation , and program exchange between radio stations.-History:...
hill that has a trim brake on the way up to trim excess speed. Following that, there is an overbanked turn to the left, followed by another hammerhead turn to the left. The train then curves up into a mid course brake run
Brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust the train's speed...
. After the brake run, the train drops back to the ground. At the base of the drop, there is an on-ride camera
On-ride camera
An 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...
. Guests can purchase their photos after the ride. The train then passes over another airtime hill and then a helix
Helix
A helix is a type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space. It has the property that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis. Examples of helixes are coil springs and the handrails of spiral staircases. A "filled-in" helix – for...
. After the helix, the train then drops back to the ground and passes through another trim brake. After the brakes, the train enters a figure eight
Figure 8 roller coaster
A Figure 8 roller coaster is the generic name given to any roller coaster where the train runs through a figure 8 shaped course before returning to the boarding station. This design was one of the first designs to be featured in roller coaster design, along with the out and back roller coaster...
finale, in which the train curves to the left, then to the right, and to the left again, eventually sliding up onto the final brake run and coasting back to the station.
Awards
| Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Ranking | ||||||||||||