"Evel Knievel" Roller Coaster Coming to Six Flags St. Louis in 2008
By Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez Six Flags has reported a new, $7 million roller coaster called Evel Knievel will be opening at Six Flags, St. Louis in mid-summer 2008. The new roller coaster, named for the world-renowned dare-devil who jumped motorcycles over gaps, cars, and buses, is going to provide a thrill for riders and onlookers alike. Evel Knievel will become the park's eighth roller coaster and third wooden coaster.
According to the park's press statement, Evel Knievel will feature 2,700 feet of track which includes an 80-foot, 90-degree left-turn angled first drop and a 55-foot "double down" drop. Evel Knievel riders will also have to prepare themselves for sixteen camelback hills, a 40-foot "fan curve," and a number of turns outfitted with embankments of up to 67 degrees. The 82-foot tall roller coaster's track will cross over itself 14 times and take riders to speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. The coaster's "Millennial Flyer" cars, built by Great Coasters International, Inc. (which will also build the roller coaster), are designed to give passengers a smooth riding experience along the track's many tight turns and steep hills. There will be two roller coaster trains, each able to accommodate 24 passengers.
"I've been thrilling people all my life with my death defying stunts," remarked Evel Knievel in the press release. "And I've proven after a spectacular fall that you're never a failure as long as you try to get up. What better way to create a new generation of Evel Knievel fans than by partnering with Six Flags for this exciting attraction. I'm thrilled to be part of it," Knievel continued.
"The unpredictability and high energy of this coaster make it the perfect way to pay tribute to the king of adrenaline, Evel Knievel," stated David Roemer, President of Six Flags St. Louis, in the press release.
The roller coaster's famous and death-defying namesake, Evel Knievel, was born in 1938 in Butte, Montana. In 1965, Knievel began his illustrious, twelve-year-long career as a daredevil. Some of his famous stunts include a 1968 bound over the Caesar's Palace water fountains; a 1971 leap over 19 cars in Ontario, California; using his "skycycle" to jump over Snake River Canyon in Idaho in 1974; and his monumental spring over 14 Greyhound buses in Ohio, also in 1974; in 1975 Knievel soared over 13 double-decker buses located at London's famed Wembley Stadium. While Knievel cleared many of his jumps, he also suffered a number of serious crashes, resulting in his entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for person with the most broken bones. Knievel's motorcycle is on display at the Smithsonian Institute.
Quelle: AC
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New Wooden Roller Coaster, Evel Knievel, Rides into Six Flags St. Louis in 2008
New thrill ride marks park's fourth consecutive year of capital expansion
Continuing its tradition of providing park guests with new and exciting thrills each season, Six Flags
St. Louis announced today plans for its latest addition: Evel Knievel. This $7 million wooden wonder is unlike any of the park's existing eight coasters. Evel Knievel, the park's third wooden coaster, is a compact twister by Great Coasters International, Inc. which will present an impressive visual from I-44 and a formidable challenge in person.
"The unpredictability and high energy of this coaster make it the perfect way to pay tribute to the king of adrenaline, Evel Knievel," said David Roemer, President of Six Flags St. Louis.
"I've been thrilling people all my life with my death defying stunts," said Evel Knievel. "And I've proven after a spectacular fall that you're never a failure as long as you try to get up. What better way to create a new generation of Evel Knievel fans than by partnering with Six Flags for this exciting attraction. I'm thrilled to be part of it."
A daredevil's dream, the 2,700-ft. ride experience begins with an 80-ft. first drop at a 90° left turn angle, which is answered with a 55-ft. double down drop. Sixteen hills follow with camelbacks, a 40-ft. fan curve and multiple high-banked turns at up to 67° angles. Standing 82-ft. tall and traveling 50 mph, this intense coaster crosses over itself an incredible 14 times while making frequent and tight directional changes. Evel Knievel will boast two 24-passenger trains of GCI's own Millennium Flyer cars specially designed to maneuver the ride's sharp turns and high banks on a dime while providing an exceptionally smooth ride.
Evel Knievel, born in Butte, Montana in 1938, began his daredevil career in 1965 and over the next
12 years earned the name of America's Legendary Daredevil for his heroic and death-defying feats. Through his eventful career, Evel had garnered international media attention for both his successful jumps and his amazing crashes. Some of his career highlights and best known feats include setting a world record for jumping 19 cars in Ontario, CA in 1971; flying over 50 cars stacked in the center of the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1973; jumping 14 Greyhound buses in Ohio in October of 1974 and soaring over Snake River Canyon in Idaho in his rocket powered "skycycle" that same year. They rival some of his more spectacular spills, including his jump over the fountains at Caesar's Palace in 1968 and his leap over 13 double tiered buses in Wembley Stadium in 1975.
By the time he retired in the winter of 1976, Evel held the Guinness Book of World Records for the most broken bones and had also captured ABC's Wide World of Sports largest TV viewing audience with his Ohio jump in 1974. Evel has also been immortalized in the Smithsonian Institute with his motorcycle and memorabilia display.
Evel Knievel is scheduled to open mid-summer 2008 and will be located in the front of the park near the Log Flume and the Moon Antique Cars. Six Flags St. Louis has brought its guests new and exciting experiences for the past four consecutive years with the addition of Tony Hawk's Big Spin, a new family coaster, in 2007; the introduction of Bugs Bunny National Park, our new kids area, and SUPERMAN Tower Of Power, a free-fall ride, in 2006. And, in 2005, Tornado swept into Hurricane Harbor, Six Flags
St. Louis' water park which is offered free with theme park admission.
Six Flags, Inc. is the world's largest regional theme park company. Founded in 1961, Six Flags celebrated its 45th Anniversary in 2006. Six Flags, Inc. is a publicly traded corporation (NYSE: SIX) headquartered in New York City.
Quelle: Sixflags.com
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