Construction has gone vertical on Six Flags' new record-setting dive coaster in Texas.
Six Flags Over Texas will announce the name and all the details for its new coaster Thursday morning. We know already that the new thrill ride will be a Bolliger & Mabillard dive coaster, and it is expected that the Texas installation will be the biggest one yet. But the park is getting a head start on the hype by releasing new construction photos today.
The current record holder for a B&M Dive is Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland, which features a 245-foot drop. That coaster reaches a top speed of over 80 mph and runs for 3,625 feet. Yukon Striker also seats eight riders across each row, for 24 riders on a train.
The new coaster will be Six Flags Over Texas' first new coaster since Joker in 2017, unless you count 2023's Aquaman: Power Wave, a Mack Rides, PowerSplash, as a coaster. This new installation will bring the original Six Flags theme park's coaster count up to 14.
For our list of all the new theme park attractions in development that we are tracking, please visit our what's under construction page.
I hope this ride has an appropriate theme/name, has no rattle, has a loop and/or dive loop, and breaks at least one record. A tunnel/ride interaction wouldn't hurt either.
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I've ridden quite a few B&M Dive Machines including the newest one in the US (Wrath of Rakshasa) and the current record holder (Yukon Striker) both in the past few months. I thought Rakshasa was good, but Yukon Striker was better with its tunnel and interaction with Vortex. However, the second half of Yukon Striker (after the MCBR) was dull with just a second steep drop and a relatively forceless helix. I've said this before, but every dive machine should have some type of tunnel or other near miss element along the course, and in my book is what makes Yukon Striker one of the best despite the mediocre second half.
However, I think B&M Dive Machines are a bit played out, and wish parks would install more fliers (either B&M or the new Vekoma design like F.L.Y.). I know flying coasters have a lot more maintenance requirements, especially considering B&M have figured out how to eliminate most of the retractable floor elements in the station, but flying coasters offer far more opportunities for intricate theming and deliver a far more thrilling, intense ride experience.