Specific Type: Accelerator Coaster
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When Knott's Berry Farm opened the Soapbox Derby Racers in 1976 as a modern version of the multi-laned Steeplechase rides of the 20's, the park had a hit on their hands. But 20 years later, the Racers raced for the last time. On it's site, Knott's opened the WindJammer in 1997 as a second family-oriented racing ride, this time a small set of looping coasters. The ride fit it's name a little too well, however, the Jammer being forced into closure, and four years later, the same site is clear once more. But in May of 2002, the Berry Farm hosted the grand opening of a coaster that will be sure not to go the way of the former two any time soon: Xcelerator. The Xcelerator is Knott's and manufacturer Intamin AG's latest interpretation of an extreme ride, fitting with it's name by launching riders at 82 MPH via a unique hydraulic-type of launch to a vertical ascent reaching a hyper height of 205'. After twisting over an upwards vertical 90-degree roll and likewise twist on the way back down, riders enter two Over-banked curves borrowed from the design of Cedar Point's Millennium Force. And this ride also doesn't go unnoticed, possessing two-thousand, two hundred and two feet of neon salmon-colored track supported by bright sea-foam green teal columns.
Thrill riders enter the coaster's 50's-themed glass and chrome-composed station and board one of two trains, either purple or red, pulling down the lap restraints. In a blink-of-an-eye's 2.3 seconds, Xcelerator demonstrates the true meaning of it's name, speeding ahead out of the station at a clip of 82 miles an hour and curving 90-degrees vertically to the sky. Reaching the 205-foot pinnacle in a matter of seconds, the Xcelerator twists riders over the top in a vertical 90-degree maneuver and throws the train right back down, curving around a second 90-degree twist and heading straightdown once more. Reaching the bottom of the 20-story plunge, the ride then swoops around a graceful 220-degree over-banked maneuver and flys over the bottom of the first drop. Ending the initial over-banked curve, the track then swerves around in the opposite direction through a second over-bank swinging around the tower supporting the vertical drop and through the second half of a figure eight-like formation. The ride dives back down to the ground into a downwards-angled brake run and around a final 135-degree turn back into the station to end Xcelerator's minute-long ride. |
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