Monday, April 23, 2012

T is for El Toro



A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Lightning Loops, the very first looping coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.  Lightning Loops was a big thing when it opened in 1978, and the looping feature, of course, was what drew the thrill seekers in.  Loops on roller coasters was a new thing at the time, and it was one of the first new ride design features that would prove to be big draws over the years. 

In the annual roller coaster wars among amusement parks around the world, the competition is always fierce, and the thrill seeker always comes out the winner.  Seemingly every year, newer and more innovative ride designs are introduced, taller, faster, steeper, etc.  One of my favorite roller coasters at Great Adventure was introduced in 2006 as having the steepest drop of any coaster in the world at 76 degrees.  Though that record has since been eclipsed, El Toro still packs a mean punch!

El Toro means “The Bull” in Spanish and this wooden roller coaster is as wild as a ride on its namesake, for sure!  The ride is not your usual wooden roller coaster in that it is constructed of prefabricated pieces of wood, which are laser cut in a factory and give the coaster’s effects much more precision, and a smoother ride, than your average woodie.   

The lift hill is also very different than a traditional coaster of any kind in that it doesn’t use a chain to get the train to the top of the first hill.  Instead El Toro employs a cable lift, which gets the cars up there frighteningly fast before banking to the left and into that steep, steep drop.  Absolutely thrilling!  The coaster is nearly 19 stories high, and runs about 70 mph through a series of terrifyingly sharp banks and turns, with plenty of airtime.   I love it!  So sit back, press play, and take a ride on El Toro:



Check out these Yahoo articles by me on the coasters of Six Flags Great Adventure:





Image Source: team liquid





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