ginzo Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I heard a rumor about this last year. Just more evidence that CF is the asshole of the industry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnewton34 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 No more backwards makes me a sad panda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XII Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 This is just proof that Cedar Fair Sucks. Every decision they have made this year sucked. I predict that they're next big assignment will be to make Behemonths first drop 45 degrees since 80 is obviously too good for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKI Jizzman Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 The only way they can make up for this is with: A B&M Hyper. Ooorrrr....a new Sky Ride would work for me -J "I might just be a Sky Ride fanatic" Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozenflames Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 That really is a shame. The last time I was at KD, I could only ride Rebel Yell backwards. Riding it forwards left me with really bad bruises from being thrown into the lap bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryH Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 So, is this a new credit?? Only if your name is Jeff Johnson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiFan Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 They better run 2 trains if they only plan on keeping 1 side oepn most of the time. Everytime I went to KD in the past 12 years, each side of Rebel Yell is only running 1 train Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hang And Bang Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Disappointing. Racer backwards is infinitely better than Racer forwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musical Pete Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Wow, you can tell this is a coaster site - nothing but moaning about just about everything. I remember both sides of KI's Racer being very rough, but it's nothing to do with the direction you face. It's simply due to the oversupported nature of most wood coasters these days. John Allen built a typical 9' spaced structure, but over time the maintenance people decided there needed to be a few more bents put in to lower track maintenance and hey presto, a spine jarring ride. It's a common trait with the corporate parks, CF is no exception - and apart from this issue, I've enjoyed their parks I've visited. Backwards riding is fun, I used to ride the Texas Tornado at Morecambe as a kid and often rode the backwards front car. It's seen as a safety issue today as the coasters weren't designed with backwards riding in mind - not that they'd be structurally any different if they were - it's just something that insurance people don't like. A shame, but not the end of the world by any means. I sometimes wonder whether coaster enthusiasts actually live in the real world... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pufferfish Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 This just really sucks. I didn't want to believe it at first, and I still don't think this is a permanent change. It just sucks because CF has just destroyed one of the best rides at Carowinds. I was actually feeling excited about riding backwards after the refurb too. I want Paramount back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musical Pete Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 You're really THAT bothered by the change in direction of a coaster train? Christ man it's just a coaster. And yes, I love them too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texcoaster Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 ^^ I agree too. Racer forwards was one of the roughest coasters I've ever been on. It'd be a toss up between it and SOB as to which one was worse. I rode in the back with Nathan and both of us were wincing and yelling in pain the entire circuit. Backwards was fine though. So if forwards is the only option, I'll probobly never ride it again. Dude, seriously. Did it ever ONCE occur to you that perhaps the two tracks were the cause of the roughness and not the direction the train faced? Yes, the frontward side was rougher than the backward side last year, but it had very little to do with the train direction and everything to do with the condition of the track itself. A couple years after they turned one side around backward, it was exactly the opposite of last year. The front side was smooth and the backward side beat you to a pulp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 It's seen as a safety issue today as the coasters weren't designed with backwards riding in mind - not that they'd be structurally any different if they were - it's just something that insurance people don't like. A shame, but not the end of the world by any means. I sometimes wonder whether coaster enthusiasts actually live in the real world... I don't see how with decades of operation and tens of millions of riders how all of a sudden backwards riding is unsafe. It's so obviously NOT unsafe. Though I can understand the legal implications of going against PTC's recommendations for their trains. If they're actually interested in safety, how about making the frontwards Racer not give you those Mike Tyson kidney punches it's so famous for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downunder Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I thought backwards was heaps less punishing than forwards, so now it's double the pain. Look on the bright side the backwards one in forwards mode should constitute a new credit under the Jeff Johnson system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musical Pete Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I don't see how with decades of operation and tens of millions of riders how all of a sudden backwards riding is unsafe. It's so obviously NOT unsafe. Though I can understand the legal implications of going against PTC's recommendations for their trains. If they're actually interested in safety, how about making the frontwards Racer not give you those Mike Tyson kidney punches it's so famous for. I know it doesn't quite add up, but it's just the way the world is these days. Safety authorities and insurers make some strange demands today. Sadly it's the way our cultures have become. As for the kidney punches, I agree. It's a facet of wood coasters today that I really don't like, but I accept that it's the way things are. Things are done with structural design that are a bad move to me, the increased number of ledgers placed beneath the track lead to a rough ride. It's done to require less track maintenance as the laminate isn't allowed to flex so much. However, you then feel every vibration through the rigid track, and any tiny error in the height of the added ledgers causes a nasty jolt. At high speed under increased centripetal load, it doesn't half hurt... welcome to Meanstreak... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I personally didn't like the backwards side (and preferred forwards...) Slamming backwards against the hard seat-backs at the bottom of each drop was just painful. But it was better last year than it had been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesMC Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I'm not a huge fan of the "backwards" side of any coaster. Other than the lift hill where I like the scenic perspective, I don't think that backwards really enhances any ride I've ever been on. My .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmerleeberry Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 I guess Cedar Fair's position on making all double tracks, out and back coasters (in Kings Dominion, Carowinds, and Kings Island) run forward so they could bring back the dueling element which is becoming the next new thing in coasters. I remember how fun it was when you had two coasters running side by side and cheering when it was your side that beat the other train. I wonder if they are planning to add an extra element such as flashing lights and a voice from the loudspeaker that shouts "And the winner is . . . Right side (or Left side)!" They do that part at Hersheypark on a dueling coaster called Lighting Racer. In the mid 90's, one side ran backwards to give a different riding experience from those that rode the forward side. Now, in season 2008, Cedar Fair is bring the dueling, racing element back. Which side are you going to ride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinacaniac Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 ^As much as I would like to see that happen, I have to agree with what was said before that this is more than likely a way to cut costs so that they can run one side as opposed to both at the same time if it is slow. That and as said before, Rebel Yell's two lifts don't match in speed going up, so unless it was timed just right, it would never be close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeelTheFORCE Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Wow I'm really glad I rode backwards last year for my first and last time. I really enjoyed it more than forwards! I am definitely going to miss it when I go to KI this year and there are two forwards running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesdillaman Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Just heard on the local news here that the Racer is changing direction for next year. I had heard this would happen from a worker I know at the park, but was waiting to poast until I had confirmation. I'll post a link as soon as i can find the online article for it. Here's the link: http://www.wlwt.com/entertainment/15788326/detail.html -James Dillaman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Upsidedown Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Here is a bit on it. http://www.wlwt.com/entertainment/15788326/detail.html MASON, Ohio -- Something old is new again at Kings Island, as the backward traveling trains on the Racer roller coaster will run forward again when the park opens for the 2008 season on Sunday, April 20 at 10:00 a.m. The decision to run both sides of the Racer forward again after 26 years with one side facing backward was made in an effort to be consistent with other Cedar Fair parks. The Red Racer trains will be on the former backward side, with the Blue Racer trains on the other side. The Racer has been a mainstay at Kings Island, and with good reason. A lot of facts and figures have been bandied about concerning the coaster -- top height is 88 feet, the course is three-fifths of a mile long, speed is 53.3 miles an hour and the angle of the first drop is 50 degrees. The Racer is credited for re-igniting the coaster building boom in the early 1970's, thus beginning the second golden age of the roller coaster. More than 91,000,000 guests have taken a ride on the Racer since it opened in 1972 with the park. In addition to being considered an important part of the coaster renaissance of the 1970's, the Racer was the site of several world record riding attempts and is notable for its appearance in the Cincinnati Kids episode of the Brady Bunch, filmed at the park in 1973. On May 28, 1982, it became the first racing coaster to ever run trains backwards on one side of its tracks. In 2007, the American Coaster Enthusiasts named the ride an "ACE Roller Coaster Landmark," making it one of only 14 roller coasters in the world with landmark status. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesdillaman Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Yeah, I mentioned to the people I met up with who were here on the TPR trip that I heard this was happening. Sad to see it go. My gut tells me on slower days only one side will be running..... -James "loved the backwards racer" Dillaman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgeguy Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 WTF is Cedar Fair doing? First they make both sides of Rebel Yell foward, now Racer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpengeist04 Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Lame. ...even Paramount didn't do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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