Specific Type: Floorless Coaster
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Six Flags Great Adventure is a park that likes to introduce new technology, innovations, and break records. In 1999 the park tapped Bolliger & Mabillard to come up with the next best thing. What they introduced was Medusa the first floorless roller coaster, a twisting layout with an innovative station and chassis system that allows guests to see the track racing by just a few feet away from their feet during the ride. Medusa was given a western theme and the station was made to look like an abandoned building that was adorned with the sign, Medusa Mining Company. Then in 2009 the experience would change forever, the ride and queue was transformed into Bizarro.
Guests enter Bizarro’s queue by passing underneath a gigantic cut out sculpture of the anti-hero, and the rides signature cobra roll. The western theming was given Bizarro treatment; wagons had square wheels, the horse in front of the mine building was now standing on a vertical wall, and everything had a new purple paint job. The theme continued to the ride experience too where scenery was put up around the track to add new head and foot choppers, on board audio was installed on the trains, and special effects were placed along the layout as well. The on board audio was removed for the 2013 season. After guest climb into the station they choose their row and sit down. Once the ride is locked and checked the station floor folds away revealing the track below, and the guard rails in front of the train parts. The train rolls out of the station dipping and turning to the left to line up with the 142 foot tall lift hill. From the top of the lift guest get an overlook of the safari area before banking to the left and plummeting down the main drop and reaching 61 MPH. At the bottom of the drop the train passes through a series of yellow shields, the shields are equipped with LED lighting elements, and a cooling fog spray that envelops the train. As the train emerges from the fog it ascends skyward in a tall vertical loop. The pace doesn’t let up as the train climbs and then enters a dive loop, complete with fire effects, and then a zero-G roll. The train races past the queue area and then into the giant cobra roll. The train flies past the station and up into the mid course brake run. There is no letting up on the pace and the train dives back into the action. The track snakes around and through some scenery buildings and then lines up for the interlocking corkscrews a pair of inversions featuring an auger threaded right through the center. This bizarre piece of mining equipment offers another near miss element and emits a cooling mist. The track does another banked turn as the train is sent into the brake run and finally returned to the station. So, is Bizarro your hero now? |
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