B&M Inverted Roller Coaster Announced For Worlds of Fun

Kansas City -- Thrill-seekers will go inverted at Worlds of Fun next spring when the park introduces the new Patriot roller coaster, the longest, tallest and fastest full-circuit inverted roller coaster in the region. This brand-new $14 million ride is also the largest capital expenditure on a single attraction in the amusement park's history.

The $14 million Patriot roller coaster is sure to become the anchor attraction at Worlds of Fun next summer. The ride will boast the same red, white and blue colors of the American flag, and there is no other single ride or attraction in the park's 33-year history that meets this level of extreme thrill or financial commitment.

"We are excited to unveil the highly-anticipated Patriot roller coaster to our guests this spring," said Phil Bender, Vice President and General Manager at Worlds of Fun. "Adding this monster ride to our vast collection of attractions reinforces the Park's dedication to being the region's leading thrill park and family entertainment destination."

The Patriot will deliver two minutes and eighteen seconds of excitement, exposing riders to height, speed and seamless transition of gravity-defying elements.

Suspended beneath an overhead tubular steel track, the ride begins by climbing a 149-foot lift hill to plunge down a 123-foot curved drop reaching a speed of nearly 60 miles-per-hour. Riders are disoriented as they fly through seven gravity-defying elements, including an 89-foot vertical loop, a zero-gravity roll, an Immelmann loop, an inclined banked curve, an s-curve, a corkscrew, and a high-speed spiral.

With 3,081 feet of seemingly out-of-control tubular steel track, Patriot is the perfect addition to Worlds of Fun's already impressive line-up of world-class thrill rides. Known as an inverted coaster because of its unique trains that hang below the track, Patriot grips riders in bucket seats with shoulder harnesses and safety belts. The ski-lift style chairs leave legs dangling as the floor drops out, providing passengers with an un-obscured view of the terrain below.

Two 28-passenger trains will seat riders four abreast in seven rows. The roller coaster will accommodate 1,160 passengers per hour.

Patriot has been custom designed for Worlds of Fun by famed coaster designers Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) of Monthey, Switzerland.

Patriot is the sixth roller coaster at Worlds of Fun and is scheduled to open April 2006 and construction is already underway.

See related: www.worldsoffun.com