West Coast Racers
| West Coast Racers | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Six Flags Magic Mountain | |
| Location | Six Flags Magic Mountain |
| Park section | The Underground |
| Coordinates | 34°25′18″N 118°35′57″W / 34.4217°N 118.5992°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | December 21, 2019 |
| Opening date | January 9, 2020 |
| Replaced | Déjà Vu |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Launched |
| Manufacturer | Premier Rides |
| Model | Custom |
| Height | 67 ft (20 m) |
| Length | 4,000 ft (1,200 m) |
| Speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 3:00 |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 12 riders per train. |
 Single rider line No | |
| West Coast Racers at RCDB | |
West Coast Racers is a dueling steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California. Manufactured by Premier Rides, the ride is a collaboration between West Coast Customs and Six Flags that was promoted as the world's first launch version of a racing roller coaster. After multiple delays and missing the 2019 summer season, the ride eventually debuted on December 21, 2019, in a series of preview events spanning several weeks. It officially opened to the public on January 9, 2020.[1] West Coast Racers is located on the former site of Déjà Vu, an inverted roller coaster removed in 2011, within a newly-themed land named The Underground, which replaced the former Cyclone Bay.[2][3]
History
Six Flags Magic Mountain revealed West Coast Racers during a media event held at the park on August 29, 2018,[4] along with a press release the following day.[5] Park president Neal Thurman and West Coast Customs Founder and CEO Ryan Friedlinghaus announced their partnership in the design of the roller coaster, which was touted as having a record-breaking four magnetic launches.[4][5] It would also feature four inversions – three zero-g rolls and one zero-g stall – along with 30 train interactions, which includes 14 track crossings and one "high-five" element across two laps around the course.[4][5] The coaster would reach a maximum speed of 55 mph (89 km/h) and feature a number of airtime hills and overbanked turns that will occur side-by-side.[4][5] West Coast Racers was originally marketed as the park's 20th coaster, but with the planned removal of Green Lantern: First Flight after the 2019 season, the park's total number of coasters remained at 19.[6]
Construction began months behind schedule in May 2019 following a delayed delivery of finished track.[7] The first pieces arrived reportedly later than expected in February 2019.[7] Six Flags did not release an expected opening date, but Theme Park Insider estimated fall 2019 based on the delayed start.[7] A construction update in July 2019 showed a significant amount of work left to complete.[8] In October 2019, a writer for USA Today said, "Speaking of Magic Mountain, the Los Angeles-area park has not revealed anything new for 2020. It still has yet to debut West Coast Racers..."[9]
On December 12, 2019, it was announced West Coast Racers would operate during a series of preview events beginning on December 21, 2019.[1][10] Access was given first to guests with select membership status, and on December 23, 2019, access was given to season pass holders, along with guests who purchased either a West Coast Racers t-shirt or the park's flash pass.[1][10] The ride officially opened to the general public on January 9, 2020.[11][12]
Ride experience
A pair of two-car trains, each holding a total of 12 riders, launch simultaneously from the station. They interact over thirty times throughout the course of the track, reaching a maximum speed of 55 mph (89 km/h) as the two trains cross the finish line. One pulls back into the station, while the other pulls into a replica of the West Coast Customs shop to listen to a narration given by Ryan Friedlinghaus. Both cars launch again and repeat the course a second time, producing a ride duration of approximately three minutes.[13]
References
- ^ a b c Niles, Robert (December 11, 2019). "Six Flags' West Coast Racers is finally ready to race". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ "Six Flags Magic Mountain unveils West Coast Racers, its new roller coaster for 2019". Daily News. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
- ^ Melnarik, David (July 20, 2019). "Six Flags Magic Mountain Gives Update On Newest Coaster". KHTS. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "West Coast Racers – Quadruple Launch Racing Coaster – Coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2019!". California Coaster Kings. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "World's First Racing Launch Coaster, West Coast Racers, Debuting at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2019". Six Flags Magic Mountain. August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2019/03/26/six-flags-magic-mountain-green-lantern-coaster-closed/
- ^ a b c Niles, Robert. "West Coast Racers finally goes vertical at Six Flags Magic Mountain". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ Melnarik, David (2019-07-20). "Six Flags Magic Mountain Gives Update On Newest Coaster". Hometown Station | KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ Levine, Arthur. "Six Flags 2020 preview: New Jersey's Devil coaster, Texas' Aquaman set to make a splash". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ a b MacDonald, Brady (December 12, 2019). "Six Flags Magic Mountain is ready to open its new West Coast Racers coaster". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- ^ Tuttle, Brittani (January 9, 2020). "West Coast Racers now open at Six Flags Magic Mountain". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "West Coast Racers (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
- ^ "World's First Racing Launch Coaster Coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2019". Six Flags. Retrieved January 11, 2019.