Kennywood Racer: A Gem or a Bust?

The racer at Euclid Beach was a better coaster with alot of air time and it's a shame it's still not running.

I believe about 30 yrs ago that Kennywood was thinking about replacing the Racer with a new coaster that Andy Vettel designed.

Back then I was hoping they would,but through the years Im glad they didnt,its very unique..

I love all 3 woodies at KW! I might give a slight edge to Thunderbolt, but I certainly have never thought of Racer as anything but a great classic coaster. From the cool station to the continuous track...it has a lot to offer!

OK I'm not one of theose people who thinks a ride is good because of history. In my opinion the Racer is slow and boring. There is not much to it. Throughout the ride the feel of "racing" isn't really felt. I only rode it this summer because 1. my friend has never been to Kennywood and 2. I heard of the renovated trains.

Should Kennywood keep It? Well I wouldn't miss it, but it's still a good coaster for younger riders. I think it's really an oversized junior. Look at the first drop! I laughed when I first saw it. *** Edited 8/20/2005 3:26:19 PM UTC by AJFelice***

Yeah Gonch, I understand schools don't rate people on a 0-10 scale, but it sounded funny. At least it did to me... ;)

My high school was more like a 6.9-10 scale:
9.2-10 A
8.3-9.1 B
7.5-8.2 C
6.9-7.4 D
Less than 6.9 E

Yes E, there are no F's in Mifflinburg(my almamater. Besides, the alphabet doesn't go ABCDF. :)

To get back on topic, I don't usually rate coasters. I list them and rank them, and base my rankings on which I'd rather ride between two rides. For instance MF and S:ROS at SFNE. If the two of them were side by side without wait, which would I rather ride? Twisted, but it works.

Well, AJFelice, you seem to be ungrateful and have no appriciation for where coasters came from, nor do you care. If all you care about is the modern, "gimmie fast and tall rides" attitude, go to Magic Mountain or Great Adventure and have a marginal time without any atmosphere. But for those looking for a wonderful time to enjoy both mean fast rides and the wonderful coasters that laid the foundation for today's coasters, then come to Kennywood and be surrounded by arguably the best park atmosphere in the world. And to even consider that Kennywood getting rid of the racer would be OK, that is just crazy. You wouldnt miss it, AJ, because you'd be in a 4 hour line for Kingda Ka, but i guarantee you that Kennywood would not be Kennywood without it.

-Jeff

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Jeff Reim said:
I think you have to rate the ride based on its purpose, its era, and its uniquness.

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I agree to the point of it fulfilled it purpose. I believe it was meant to be a fun, gentle family style racing coaster, and it is that 100%. In that respect it deserves a 10/10 (or whatever ratings mean). However, I could say the same thing about a ride like Mean Streak, as it was meant to be a big throw you around airless wooden coaster, and it also fulfilled its purpose giving it a 10/10 ;). As for the rides themselves though, Mean Streak is not enjoyable while Racer is a gentle, smooth, and fun race, therefore Racer is a better coaster.

Compared to it’s era though I still think there are better rides, such as Thunderhawk, Big Dipper, the other 1000 countless lost legends, and even the parks own Thunderbolt. In fact for it’s time, Kennywood might have been thinking of a family coaster to compliment its current ride line-up. While it doesn’t outdo any coaster for it’s time, it is unique and fits the park nicely. I think it could have been a better ride and still family friendly if the drops were a little larger, such as found on Euclid Beach Parks Racer.

Well put me in with the "Racer is a gem" crowd. I love the coaster and look forward to riding it many times when I visit. It's just plain, simple fun. There's no *cattle call* about it.

My very first ride on it back in '84, stood me up completely on the last drop (I was in the back seat). That unexpected moment killed me I remember. I couldn't stop laughing about it when it happened. I'll never forget that. I love John Miller rides and understand the psychology behind his designs. To me, the Racer should be cherished by all enthusiasts. There's not many rides like it left.

^^ Based on that 10/10 ratings. Every coaster would be a 10/10. ;) Make something up thats unique about that one coaster that no other one has. All coasters would be 10/10 then. Except for Batman:The Ride's of course. ;)

Jeff R, I don't care only about "modern, gimmie tall and fast rides." I like quite a few older rides too. All I'm saying is wouldn't give an older ride 10/10 just because of it's atmosphere and history. I rank rides by how fun they are, and Racer wasn't that fun to me. I would give it on Lord Goncher's scale a D, one of those "blah" coasters. And thats my opinion. Not anyone elses, mine.

Id give anything to ride it as it was ment to be ridden, No restraints!

Chuck, who hates the damn boxes PTC makes you sit in

Considering it was built in 1927, I would say it has been anything but a gem. I find myself smiling the entire ride.

If you must have airtime, sit in the second to last seat, you will get yanked over the last hill before the station, good times.

I'm one of those who thinks Kennywood's Racer is not very exciting. It's very pretty. The station is awesome. The most exciting part of the ride to me is at the beginning going under the station.

Should the park demolish it...No. The park needs a few beginner coasters for the young'uns.

I generally ride it once per park visit just for the heck of it. Then I reride all of the other coasters.

And for comparison, Trailblazer at Hersheypark doesn't get a reride either, because I don't find it very fun. On the other hand, Leap The Dips at Lakemont Park, which has smaller drops than both Racer and Trailblazer, gets many rerides because I find it incredibley fun.

Its cool, just wanted to know ur opinions. No hard feelings AJ. I getcha.

I don't rank rides
I don't keep a track record
I never voted in nor read Mitch's poll
I don't credit whore.
I've never even been on a freakin' boomerang!

Trying to rank and quantify rides is useless to me. The whole thing reminds of that part of Dead Poet's Society where Robin Williams has the class rip up that part of the book describing a method for analyzing poems. To me, ranking coasters is the same thing. Utter crap. It takes all the fun out of riding them. It's not about comparing this ride to this ride or laughing at a coaster because the drop doesn't look intense, or bemoaning the fact that you get no rush (does *everything* have to be a rush?). You can talk about airtime, drops, speed, height, etc. all you want but none of it really matters. A coaster 300 feet tall and loaded with airtime can be a fun but so can a 5 foot high ride with no airtime.

For me, it is all about having fun and I find the racer to be an incredibly fun and unique coaster. It is most certainly a gem and one of my favorite rides at Kennywood.

I also had a heck of a lot of fun on Erieview Parks' Little Dipper. Who new it would be such a hoot to sit on this tiny coaster while the ride op sends it around about 25 times while an entire crowd gathered to watch a couple of old farts on a kiddie coaster.

Now waiting in a 3 hour line for 20 second rush. That's not fun. And that's about the extent of my rankings.

Amen Millrace! Anyone who can't enjoy KW Racer and have a good time while riding needs a new friggin hobby. ;)

*** Edited 8/22/2005 2:54:01 PM UTC by Mamoosh***

It is a nice size coaster that many people can have fun on, just not hardcore coaster riders.........

Although i don't understand how it is an even racing coaster. The first turnaround spilts and is even.........then it has 3 turns after that.

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millrace said:
Trying to rank and quantify rides is useless to me. The whole thing reminds of that part of Dead Poet's Society where Robin Williams has the class rip up that part of the book describing a method for analyzing poems. To me, ranking coasters is the same thing. Utter crap. It takes all the fun out of riding them. It's not about comparing this ride to this ride or laughing at a coaster because the drop doesn't look intense, or bemoaning the fact that you get no rush (does *everything* have to be a rush?). You can talk about airtime, drops, speed, height, etc. all you want but none of it really matters.

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Agreed. But I'm not sure anyone here has said they do that - especially on that level.

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A coaster 300 feet tall and loaded with airtime can be a fun but so can a 5 foot high ride with no airtime.

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As someone with kids, you're preaching to the converted.

Go back to my A,B,C,D,E categorizations - there's no analysis, no scrutinization, no overthinking, no anything really. Just a loose measure of how much I enjoyed a coaster - and to say every coaster is equally fun, is something I dont get.

For example. I enjoy S:ROS and have a great deal of fun on it. I also enjoy boomerangs and have a great deal of fun on them. I also enjoy riding KW's Lil' Phantom with the kids and have a ton of fun giggling with the kids as we get jerked around the track. All are positive experiences, but I can (as well as most could) clearly tell you that given the choice of the three I could easily pick. I'd be on S:ROS in a second.

Voila! I just ranked a ride!

I don't see it as a system of theory with analysis, scrutinizations and rigid numbers ranking every aspect of riding. I'm not saying "this good, this bad" - it's all good. But to claim the inability to state a preference (and discrediting those who do) seems a little out there.

Back to the "Poet's Society" reference - sure analyzing a poem may be utter crap, but I'm sure anyone who appreciates poetry has their favorties or has read poems that don't move or inspire or touch them in ways that others do, yet they still enjoy. Same thing.

*** Edited 8/22/2005 4:46:25 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

Sure, I have favorites and preferences but to get into the nitty gritty of whether this coaster deserves a 6 or a 7 out of 10 is way beyond me. And my favorites can and do change depending on my mood, the crowds, the weather, what I had for breakfast, etc.

I agree with your system though. If I felt a need I might be able to write down a list of coasters and put them into general categories. But I'm not sure I could come up with more than 2 or 3. Must rides, might ride, won't ride. That's about my extent. I'm also not really interested in hearing others numerical rankings hence my disinterest in polls. It means nothing to me if somebody says that this ride is a 7/10. What *does* that mean? I'd much rather hear about the experience. It more of an emotion thing for me and that can't be put into neat little columns of numbers.

super7* said: The first turnaround spilts and is even.........then it has 3 turns after that.

After the lift you have one left-hand turn and two right-hand turns. The first turn [left] is pretty tight, which gives the train on the inside a good lead. The next two turns [right] are less tight, giving the train behind a chance to catch up.

Its called engineering ;)