Raging Bull (roller coaster)

Raging Bull is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. The ride opened to the public on May 1, 1999, as the first hyper-twister roller coaster, the second Hyper Coaster model built by Bolliger & Mabillard, and the tallest and longest coaster in the park.

The 5057 ft ride is themed to a bull and is located in the park's Southwest Territory land. It reaches a height of 202 ft, dropping 208 ft at a 65 degree angle into a below-ground tunnel to reach a maximum speed of 73 mph. Raging Bull has been well received by guests and critics, frequently ranking among the top fifty steel roller coasters in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.

History

Premier Parks, the owner of Six Flags parks at the time, identified Six Flags Great America as a park that "needed [a] new thrill ride".[1] Raging Bull was announced on October 21, 1998, set to become the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster at Six Flags Great America, and the first hypercoaster to feature a twister layout.[2]

Characteristics

Trains

Raging Bull operates with three trains, each featuring nine single-row, four-across cars. The 36-passenger trains allow the coaster to achieve a theoretical capacity of 1,560 riders per hour.[8] Patented by Bolliger & Mabillard in 1999 for use on Raging Bull and Apollo's Chariot, each seat is equipped with a "clamshell" lap bar that secures passengers by contacting their thighs and stomach. Compared to over-the-shoulder restraints, the "clamshell" lap bar is designed to enhance the sensation of freedom, improve physical comfort, and allow riders to raise their arms. Simultaneously, it includes grab handles and ensures sufficient restraint by preventing excessive movement.[13][32] Marketed as a novelty upon the coaster's opening, the side-less design of the trains was intended to create a sense of vulnerability and make the ride more thrilling.[3][33]

Each train is designed to be 17 m long and 2.21 m wide. When empty, the first car of each train weighs 1950 kg, while each subsequent car weighs 1225 kg. The trains feature polyurethane wheels with a diameter of 354 mm.[34] The trains are primarily black with maroon seats, while the lap bar restraints are colored teal, red, or yellow, depending on the train. The front of each train displays the coaster's logo.[4][3][14]

Track

The coaster's 5057 ft of steel track is painted orange with unpainted rails, while the track's supports are painted maroon. The ride was constructed using 1535 short ton of steel and 12,000 bolts.[14][35] Raging Bull's chain lift hill is 135.5 m long, angled at 26 degrees, powered by a 247 kilowatt motor, and reaches a height of 202 ft.[36]

Raging Bull uses heartlining – banking the track around a point approximately level with riders' hearts – to provide a smoother ride experience. Heartlining reduces torque and abrupt acceleration on riders during turns, providing a smoother and more comfortable ride. Raging Bull's heartline is located 1.2 m above the track.[34][37]

Theme

Raging Bull is located in the park's Southwest Territory, a themed land based on cattle towns of the American West during the 19th century.[38] The coaster's station is designed to resemble a ruined southwestern mission. The narrative behind the coaster centers on a bull, the coaster's eponym, which forced residents to flee their town and construct the mission and courtyard now featured in the park.[8][9][3]

location	Six Flags Great America
section	Southwest Territory
coordinates	°N, °W
status	Operating
opened	May 1, 1999
soft opened	April 29, 1999
year	1999
previousattraction	Rolling Thunder
type	Steel
manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
designer	Werner Stengel
model	Hyper Coaster
lift	Chain lift hill
height ft	202
drop ft	208
length ft	5057
speed mph	73
inversions	0
duration	2:30
angle	65
capacity	1560
restriction in	54
trains	3
carspertrain	9
rowspercar	1
ridersperrow	4
virtual queue name	Fast Lane
virtual queue image	Cedar Fair Fast Lane availibility.svg
virtual queue status	available
transfer accessible	available
rcdb number	535

Raging Bull (roller coaster)

History

Ride experience

Characteristics

Trains

Track

Theme

Incidents

Reception

External links

References