Kings Dominion announces Intimidator 305

Time for me to put on my Intamin will screw this up hat:

I bet that first hill will either:
-Not pass inspection due to it being structurally unsound
-Somehow cause the first drop to be very rough
-Catastrophically fail during testing

Two supports holding up a 300 ft lift? Thats almost as crazy as a barrel roll taken at 50+ mph at ground (make that pond) level.

kRaXLeRidAh said:

I noticed nobody really commented about the lift hill. Only TWO support structures holding up the entire lift. Very Intamin. Me like. :)

I always attributed minimalist supports with B&M, not Intamin.

Touchdown: I honestly do not believe support for the lift will be a problem. I say this because each section of track has its support section connected directly underneath it. This pretty much makes it self supporting persay.

BDesvignes said:
For the record SnakeEyes I am neither a Kyle Busch or Jeff Gordon fan. I don't like either of them. I am a Montoya fan, who btw is going to make the chase unlike Jr.

Well that's better. Never heard or seen a bad thing about his fans. Granted his fanbase is much smaller. I gained a lot of respect for him last year when he was drafting with Jr at the plate races and Jr spoke highly of him after the races. I think he'll probably make the Chase. The key is going to be good finishes at ATL and Richmond. I think he's figured out Bristol but at Richmond his only good finish there was the spring race this year.

And no need to throw the dig at Jr in there.

Now back to coaster talk. That lift hill support does look... different now that y'all mention it. Hopefully they don't screw this up.

CPcisco, Im just saying, this is the company that designed Maverick's barrel roll, WT's spikes and lap bars that apparently cant keep their passengers from being ejected. When they complete their first major coaster project that does not have some engineering hitch Ill change my tune.

I don't see what's wrong with lap bars. Less people can fit in the ride, but that could be an incentive to live a healthier life. Oh well just another reason B&M hypers are the best.

The lap bars, prior to the "retro fit" (ie belt tightening) ejected a women on Perilous Plunge who was properly secured (SFNE's SROS is less clear.)

I also forgot one, it seems like a summer cannot go by when one of their rafts ends up landing upside down in the trough.

The lift hill supports are ingenious. Its basically one big arch that supports itself. Take a look at some of the greatest engineering feats in the history of mankind: the Roman Coloseum and the St. Louis arch. Both use arches to support the weight of the structure...in fact, the weight pushing down in both directions is what keeps the structure sound. To think that the Intimidator's lift hill will fail because it only has 2 supports isn't thinking outside the box. The last piece they are going to put in will be the very top of the lifthill...not for ceremony's sake but because it is essentially the "keystone" that supports the entire thing.

Im aware, thank you, as I said before Im a pessimist when it comes to Intamin. If the thing goes up without a hitch and doesnt sway too much in the wind or when a train goes up and down it, good for them, but until that time color me skeptical.

Assuming the lift track would be around 425 feet, and the first support is at two-thirds of that, that's 280 feet of unsupported track. To which I say, so what? We've seen what the track looks like, and I don't see any issue with truss that big. And as someone else mentioned, the top is essentially a big arch, a technology that has been around for, what, thousands of years?

Like I said, my only concern is about the heat on the wheels and in the bearings. Not that they'd spontaneously combust, but that they'd end up replacing them very frequently.

I dont think failure is that likely, however, that is one heavy track. I would not at all be surprised if the structure sways in the wind too much and causes damage to itself, the trains or the riders.

The lift hill structure is very sexy! Welcome to the future of roller coaster lift hill engineering!

I've been trying to think of the advantages of constructing it the way they did, and one thing no one has mentioned is installation. Conceivably you could erect several sections of lift hill track together on the ground before getting a large crane involved. The less time you need the large crane, the better - I'm sure it's not cheap to rent that type of equipment.

CPcisco said:

kRaXLeRidAh said:

I noticed nobody really commented about the lift hill. Only TWO support structures holding up the entire lift. Very Intamin. Me like. :)

I always attributed minimalist supports with B&M, not Intamin.

http://rcdb.com/1574.htm?p=4115

http://rcdb.com/747.htm?p=1492

I don't understand how CF counts their airtime moments. If they want to have a ride with 6 airtime humps, why don't they just build one? If they don't think it is important, then stop bringing it up.

Having said that, I think this ride looks great and possibly better than MF. Even if it isn't, it will be terrific and it is great for the park. The lift hill looks sick, the drop has the correct angle, the OTSR are imaginary, it should have some decent air, the speed will last till the end, and slightly fatter people that are rejected on MF may get a chance to ride. The one two punch of Intimidator and Volcano make KD a top tier park and puts it way ahead of both SFA and BGW in my opinion. Wasn't that a recent topic...one two punches?

Jeff said:
Everyone keeps bringing up NASCAR, but I don't see any mention of it on the official site (power is out, viewing on iPhone). I think CF would be too cheap to pay for that license, but apparently Earnhardt has a lower price. Yes, by extension, one could argue there is a NASCAR theme, but they're not paying for it.

Yeah, there is no NASCAR license. However, there will end up being a connection. Those that watch NASCAR will tell you they like getting the name out there. They also like to film tons of crap to fill the ridulous amount of airtime they have during a season. I'm sure you'll see drivers there next year and they will film it to show on Race Day, broadcast pre-race, during the next rain delay... etc.

KD is not way ahead of BGW. BGW has an awesome invert and hyper, and much much better theming and atmosphere. Now that BBW is going away they can add in a new ride. They really need a good wooden coaster and they would have a solid lineup. The crowd that KD attracts makes it unbearable sometimes, and there is just a general lack of great rides.

Austin said:

Yes, but if there would be a "Jr. coaster" at 305 feet since that's the height which is said IN the name, then it would have to be verryy not steep. Not that kids would ride it anyways, but I would make it a joke.

You want a junior version, you make it 25'4" high. (do the math...)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Intimidator's designers fell into the same old trap:

1) A marketing need for a height record.

2) A cramped footprint .

3) The need for short supports to save on total cost.

What do you get? A G-force laden, ground hugging Spaghetti Bowl. Congratulations, it's an inelegant disaster. I mean, honestly? A turn-around DIRECTLY after the plunge? That's almost as bad a design flaw as having a long lift hill into the station at the end of a ride. Or having a break run at the bottom of the first plunge. Why even bother with a record breaking plunge? Why not just launch people at high speed into the turnaround?

In fact, why not just have the trains smash into a brick wall at the bottom of the first hill? Now that would make for some good G-forces!

Awful.

When are capricious ride designers going to admit that they need to take their designs through focus groups? It's as if they're a bunch of pseudo-scientific narcissists with no regard for pacing, ridability, or likability and with no accountability for their designs. Just sad.

^ Okay, wise guy, how would YOU have designed the coaster?????

Ya say it's an egngineering and design disaster, but can you improve it?

It's a little early to start calling it a disaster. Until we've ridden it, we have no way of knowing if the turn after the first drop is a mistake or not -- it might be THE truly awesome perfectly engineered moment in all of coasterdom for all we know.