Theme Park Insider
April 4, 2008

Kings Island turns its Racer around

By Robert Niles I don't know how many of you will find this interesting, but I did. Kings Island has announced that both trains on its wooden racing coaster, The Racer, will run facing forward this year.

Kings Island started running one of the Racers backward in the early 1980s. I was a high school student in Indianapolis at the time, and we thought that the idea of a backward coaster was pretty cool. Everyone thought that it was a temporary thing, though, a stunt to make a "new" attraction out of an old one, so I was surprised to discover that the train's been running backward ever since. (Shows you how much attention I've paid to Kings Island since I got out of the Midwest.)

Readers' Opinions

From Andy Guinigundo on April 4, 2008 at 12:32 PM
Well, I grew up at Kings Island and that is how I know the Racer - essentially 2 rides. The only difference with both going forward is one turns left and the other turns right. Certainly, I remember both forward, but I am going to miss the backwards. My six year old will ride it this year. Dear KI: don't mess with the Beast!!!
From Derek Potter on April 4, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Awful sad that they are doing that. The Racer backwards is quite an experience, especially on the bunny hops. Perhaps trying to increase ridership or capacity? Maybe some new trains are in the works? I can't imagine it being that much more costly to operate it backwards.

I have a feeling that the Beast may be getting a neighbor soon. Rumors are huge about a B&M hypercoaster in 2009 around the Rivertown area. Hopefully they will leave the forests around the Beast untouched, but I'm wondering where exactly they will put this ride.

From steve lee on April 4, 2008 at 2:16 PM
Same thing's happening with Thunder Road at Carowinds (and I thought Rebel Yell at KD too). Wonder what Cedar Fair's issue with the backwards thing is...

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