ROAR
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Can you hear the Roar? Maybe not from your screen, but once inside Six Flags Discovery Kingdom "you'll never hear the end of it!.
The twisting Roar wooden coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom theme park in Vallejo.
In 1999 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (formerly Six Flags Marine World) joined the uppper class ranks of parks that sport world-class wooden roller coasters. With the introduction of Roar, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom suddenly joined the list of parks that coaster enthusiasts must visit.
Roar is everything you'd expect in a good wooden coaster with a few extra surprises. The unique layout delivers fast, twisted drops, outstanding laterals, consistent speed, airtime, and most important it manages to deliver an great rider experience.
Wooden Twister
Height: 95 feet
Max drop: 85 feet
G-force: 3.5 G's
Top speed: 50 mph
Length: 3,467 feet
Other Features:
6 reversals, 22 crossovers, 200-foot roofed partial tunnel
Number of Trains:
2 - 24 passenger trains
Opening Date:
Late-May 1999
Coaster Designer:
Great Coasters International
Location:
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Vallejo, California
Roar starts with a 9-story, twisting, first drop where the train accelerates to the ride's top speed of 50 miles per hour.
Roar is not an original design for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Instead it is a clone of its popular sister coaster Roar, which is located at Six Flags America on the east coast. Custom designed and built by Great Coasters International, Roar has received rave reviews from park guests since its debut at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
One of the unique differences on Roar versus most of the recently built wooden coasters is the train design. These custom 24-passenger trains revive the look of a classic coaster train that was common on many wooden coasters built in the early part of the 20th century. Stepping on board is like taking journey back into history.
Roar has several tall fan turns like the one above, which contributes to a confusing layout that includes six reversals.
Riders speed around one of the many high-speed, banked turns on the Roar wooden coaster.
Your ride on Roar will begin with the climb up the coasters 95-foot tall lift hill. Upon reaching the summit you will begin your decent down the 90-foot first drop and reach a top speed of 50 mph.
Roar unique layout features an amazing twenty-two crossovers, six reversals, and plenty of twisted drops. In other words it is disorienting sending the train traveling back and forth, crossing over the track, again and again.
One of the memorable moments comes near the end of the ride when the train dips into a 200-foot long semi-enclosed, roofed tunnel. The entrance to the tunnel is tight, creating a classic head chopper effect. Brave riders will defy logic keeping the hands up!
If you are looking for massive air on Roar you may be disappointed, as this is not an airtime coaster. But riders looking for airtime will certainly enjoy the few spots where they will find some negative G's. Be prepared for the popular "flying up out of your seat sensation" on the crests of some of Roar's many hills.
Hands up! Riders experience some lovely "air-time" on Roar caused by the negative G-forces.
Something you should expect from Roar is intense lateral forces. The twisted layout, along with speed brings out these powerful forces in nearly every twist and turn. Be ready to feel like your gonna be thrown from the train! Of course your lap bar will prevent that, but if your seated alone you may wish you had a friend to lean on.
Roar is certainly something to scream about with consistent speed, good pacing, a smooth ride and combination of design elements delivering a memorable ride. Even the most seasoned coaster riders are certainly going to find something to be pleased about while riding Roar.
Next time you travel to Northern California, be sure to stop in to hear and feel the Roar at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
More photos can be found in the Roar Picture Gallery.
Photos by Eric Gieszl. Copyright © 1999 Ultimate Rollercoaster.
Roar artwork courtesy of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. All rights reserved.
