Mantis (roller coaster)

Mantis
119-foot (36 m) loop on Mantis
Location	Cedar Point
Coordinates	41°28′57.75″N 82°41′12.75″W
Status	Operating
Opened	May 11, 1996
Cost	US$ 12,000,000
Type	Steel - Stand-up
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Stand-up roller coaster
Track layout	Twister roller coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	145 ft (44 m)
Drop	137 ft (42 m)
Length	3,900 ft (1,200 m)
Max speed	60 mph (97 km/h)
Inversions	4
Duration	2:40
Max vertical angle	52°
Capacity	1,800 riders per hour
Height restriction	4 ft 6 in (137 cm)
Mantis at RCDB
Pictures of Mantis at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

Mantis is a Bolliger and Mabillard stand-up roller coaster at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. It set several stand-up coaster records when opened, including height 145 feet (44 m), speed 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), steepest 52°, and in the US, four inversions.

Mantis was originally designed to run three trains on its course. However, the complex trains have caused the loading times to be longer than anticipated. This caused the trains to "stack" on the brake runs. Stacking refers to guests waiting outside of the station on the brakes while waiting for a train to leave the station. To correct this problem, Mantis now runs only two trains, allowing quicker loading times. The other train is stored in the maintenance bay next to the ride, visible from the queue.

Banshee/Mantis

The original name for this ride was to be Banshee, but the name was quickly changed when Cedar Point realized the full negative connotations of the word banshee. All 'Banshee' stickers, pins and other promotional materials that had been released were recalled. Many of the original souvenirs and materials were burned or destroyed. Some t-shirts featuring the original Banshee logo can still be found. The shirts were sent out to season pass holders for 1996 who purchased their season passes early. Shortly after dropping the Banshee name, Cedar Point renamed the coaster to its current name of Mantis. As the coaster's name was changed, so was its logo, to a praying mantis. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom adopted the Banshee logo for its hypercoaster, Steel Force, which opened in 1997. In 2011, Mantis celebrated its 15th anniversary.

Ride Images

• 

  Track view of the corkscrew and the end of the twisted tracks.

• 

  Mantis' vertical loop.

• 

  Train rounding the turn between the diving loop and inclined loop.

Ride Elements

• 119-foot (36 m) loop
• 103-foot (31 m) diving loop
• 83-foot (25 m) inclined loop
• Corkscrew

External links

• CedarPoint.com - Mantis Official Page