Wicked Twister is a 2nd Generation 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...

 Inverted Impulse roller coaster

Inverted Impulse roller coaster

An Inverted Impulse roller coaster is a form of a launched inverted roller coaster manufactured by Intamin. The first Inverted Impulse roller coaster appeared in Japan, and the ride type has since evolved to include 4 specific layouts, 3 of these varieties being built in the USA. It uses LIMs to...

 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, Ohio

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....

. It is currently the tallest and fastest inverted rollercoaster in the world (although it is NOT complete circuit). When it opened in 2002, it was the first 2nd generation impulse coaster in the world. (Steel Venom & Possessed followed)

This 215-foot-tall ride consists of one train

Train (roller coaster)

A roller coaster train or car describes the vehicle which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. More specifically, a roller coaster train is made up of two or more "cars" which are connected by some sort of specialized joint. It is called a "train" because the cars follow one...

 operating on a double-ended track. Both ends of the towers (track) are designed with 450-degree vertical twists to provide an exciting ride experience. This is the main difference between Wicked Twister and its similar sibling: V2: Vertical Velocity 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 (which is a first generation impulse), and Possessed at Dorney Park

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The park features nine roller coasters, other adult and children's rides, and a waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom....

. Between the towers a horizontal track section incorporates the load and unload area as well as the linear induction motor propulsion system

Linear induction motor

A linear induction motor is an AC asynchronous linear motor that works by the same general principles as other induction motors but which has been designed to directly produce motion in a straight line....

 (LIM section).

The train consists of 8 cars carrying 4 passengers each, 2 persons side by side for a total of 32 persons.

Wicked Twister's feature theme song is "The Winner" by the Crystal Method

The Crystal Method

The Crystal Method is an American electronic music duo that was created in Los Angeles, California by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. The Crystal Method's music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements. The most prominent is the US television...

.

The ride

At the beginning of the ride, the linear induction motors propel the train forward out of the station during its first launch at 50 mi/h, which carries the vehicle approximately halfway up the front tower. After stalling out and reversing, the train enters the LIM section again, where the train is accelerated during its second launch to 63 mi/h in the backward direction so that the train climbs almost all the way up the rear tower. The train then stalls and drops forward before re-entering the LIM section where additional thrust is added as the train gains to 69 mi/h during its third launch, causing the train to rocket further up the front tower than the previous time. Stalling and reversing, the train plummets and re-enters the LIM section where the LIM launch the train for the fourth time, making the train reach a maximum speed of 72 mi/h to travel a maximum of 165 ft (50.3 m) up the rear tower. With the one more final pass forward through the LIM section, the train goes up the front helix once more before the train reverses. As it travels back toward the station, brakes are applied and finally stop within the station platform. Unlike some rides like this kind, the floor does not drop out underneath the train when the ride starts and back up when it stops. Riders must jump a bit to reach their seats when loading. It holds the World records for being the tallest and fastest inverted coaster. A unique part about this ride is that it has two helixus rather than just one and the opposite end having a straight tower with a brake section.

Safety Systems

Wicked Twister has many additional safety systems installed because it passes the station multiple times, and at high speeds. The first of these systems is a "light curtain", named for the nature in which it operates. Two emitters and two receivers are placed on each side of the ride station. Each emitter sends a thick, invisible beam of light towards the receiver on the other side. If at any time this beam is broken during ride operation, it will automatically emergency stop. Another safety system is installed under the station, attached to the automatic platform gates. If an individual places too much downward vertical force, or shakes the gates, the ride emergency stops. Yet another safety system is located on all other gates on the ride, including entrance and exit. The gates are electromagnetically sealed while the ride is in progress, to ensure guests do not enter. After the 2009 season yet another safety system was installed on the train that wirelessly communicates with the light curtain mentioned above that can stop the train anywhere on the launch/brake section of the track when the light is broken.

External links

• Cedar Point's Wicked Twister page