Lightning Racer

Lightning Racer
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Coordinates	40.292884°N 76.653171°W / 40.292884; -76.653171
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 13, 2000
General statistics
Type	Wood – Racing – Dueling
Manufacturer	Great Coasters International
Model	Twin
Height	91.7 ft (28.0 m)
Drop	90 ft (27 m)
Length	3,393 ft (1,034 m)
Speed	51.1 mph (82.2 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	2:20
G-force	3.6
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Lightning Racer at RCDB

Lighting Racer is a wooden roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Built by Great Coasters International in 2000, it was the first wooden racing and dueling roller coaster. The ride makes use of GCI's Millennium Flyer articulated trains for a smooth and comfortable ride. During the ride's first two years in operation, the park played recordings for the winning train, which sometimes included local celebrity voices.

While fans of the ride may have a particular side (Thunder/Green, or Lightning/Red) they enjoy more, both sides travel through the same elements, although at different times. However, the Lightning (red) train consistently wins most of the races. Speed is affected not only by weight on the train, but by weather conditions (rain, temperature) and maintenance. Also, the lifts' speeds can be slightly different.

Guests noticed that during the 2010 and early 2011 seasons that the Thunder trains began to win most of the races.

Like most GCI coasters, both sides of the Lightning Racer's first drops curve as a way to decrease the chances of nausea, and both coasters contain an on-ride camera, located in the tunnel midway through the ride.

The only tie in recorded history occurred when the Lightning train stopped at the top of the lift hill while the Thunder train began to descend the ride's first drop. The Lightning train continued moments later, and as a result, the trains tied at the finish line. This occurred during a test run with no passengers on board either train. It is believed that if the Lightning train did not stall than it would have won the race with the Thunder train noticeably behind.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Thunder and Lightning are renamed Mischief and Mayhem, respectively. The ride is also dubbed "Wicked Racer" for the occasion.

Additional Information

Lightning Racer is in the Midway America section of the park. It is the most popular attraction in that section, often dispatching full trains on the average day. Despite this, wait times for the ride often do not exceed fifteen to twenty minutes when both trains are running on each track due to high capacity and ease of dispatch. If only one train is operating on each track wait times can reach up to one hour.

When Lightning Racer opened, it was the second GCI coaster to open at Hersheypark after Wildcat, making it the only park in the world to have two GCI coasters.

Awards

Lightning Racer is a consistently voted a top 25 wooden roller coaster by Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.

Golden Ticket Awards: Top Wooden Roller Coasters
Year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Ranking	13	11	7	10	9	10	10	9	12	10	11

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Ranking	19	24	22	23	23	25	32	32	30	31