Specific Type: Giga Coaster
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Sandusky, Ohio's Cedar Point has long been known for breaking records. Cedar Point went down in record books throughout the 20th century for rides such as Corkscrew, the world's first triple-inversion coaster; Gemini, the tallest racing coaster; Magnum XL-200, the first ever hypercoaster; Mean Streak, the largest wooden coaster; Raptor, the loopiest inverted coaster; Mantis, the fastest stand-up coaster...
Bottom line: If a ride opens at Cedar Point, it has to break records. And for the coming of the 21st century, the Point would once again outdo themselves with the park's most mammoth, most record-demolishing ride ever. Plans were soon announced for the tallest, fastest and largest coaster of all. A new thrill ride would again open at Cedar Point that would leave the world in awe. Created by Intamin AG, Millennium Forcewould ride along nearly 7,000 feet of bright blue track, reaching a top speed of over 90 miles per hour. Rising up to unprecedented three-hundred-and-ten foot heights, the new millennial giant would feature a nearly vertical 80-degree first drop (taken at a steeper angle due to tiered cars) and never-before-seen Overbanked turns banked past 90 degrees to a nearly-inverting 122-degree angles. And the 'Force's design leaves no room for a dull moment, boasting the first 'elevator' cable-lift to get riders up to altitude from ground level in just 16 seconds, with a smooth final brake run using magnetic energy to slow the train from a final speed of 65 miles per hour. Millennium Force became reality on May 13th, 2000 when the first riders ever climbed to the giga-coaster heights. Loading onto one of three sleek tiered Intamin-designed giga-craft, simple lap restraints and safety belts are secured, then it's up, up, up and away, the ride immediately beginning with the 45-degree, 310-foot initial climb by way of the cable lift system. In no time at all, riders are rounding the crest, Lake Erie immediately to the left, the park spread out down to the right, and a 30-story, 80-degree, 93-mile per hour plunge straight ahead. Down the mammoth descent it is, nearly straight down the 80 degrees and leveling out at the top speeds in a matter of seconds. Immediately afterward, passengers are swept through the first high-speed over-banked 210-degree curve, hitting 122-degrees on the way around. Without losing speed, the Force curves around a left-hand turn feeding into the first tunnel. Speeding back out of the tunnel, the train hits the beginning of the 182-foot tall second hill and flys over the crest of a still dominating 25 stories before plunging onto an island in the heart of Cedar Point. With a banked turn to the right, the real curvature begins as riders are sped through the second 122-degree over-banked curve followed by a third highly-banked turnaround in the opposite direction. Negative-gs follow over a speedy Camelback Hill paralleling the first. Next it's through the second tunnel and then around a curve sending the train banking to the left. The track hops into the air in a speed hump giving out a second dose of airtime, then a curve turns the course leftwards. Speeding over a straightaway, the train prepares to take on the final over-banked turn, this time sending riders over the queuing area and smoothly into the magnetic brakes. |
RPOV
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