Volume 2, No. 12. June 28, 2002
New Arrivals
It’s
a roller coaster!
Knott’s
Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, announces the arrival of Xcelerator,
June 22, 2002. Measurements: 205 feet high (62 meters), 2,202 feet long (667
meters), 82 mph (131 km/h), 20-passenger trains. Delivered by Intamin.
Here's a ride themed to embrace the rebel attitude of those hot-rodding,
flame-encrusted halcyon days of youths burning rubber on the strip in their
’57 Chevies. Yet this ride's opening epitomized proceed-with-care deliberation
and launched to the strains of the most patriotic of phrases.
At
the last minute Xcelerator's
debut ride—promised to high bidders in a charity auction for the Boys and
Girls Club of Buena Park and the Speech and Language Center of Buena Park—was
pushed back two days from the announced date of June 20 to Saturday.
“The real delay was some additional testing we wanted to do prior to the
state inspectors coming in, primarily with the hydraulic system” said Vice
President and General Manager Jack Falfas of the prototype launch mechanism.
“In fairness, with the scrutiny that’s out there, everybody wanted
to make sure we did everything right, ourselves and the state.”
The California inspectors descended on Friday, and waved the green flag at 3:01
p.m. (15,01) on Saturday—just one minute after Falfas and the state’s
chief inspector launched out of the station for the half-minute ride. Immediately
after, the 38 auction winners—who raised $10,500 with a top bid of $2,200—loaded
up for their rides. The debut ceremony, played out before local government officials,
construction contractors, print media and representatives of the two charity
organizations, cut to the chase.
“Jack wanted to center the first ride around the auction winners,”
said Susan Tierney, Knott’s director of public relations. “He didn’t
want to hold up the launch with a bunch of ceremonial stuff.” That ceremony
comprised only the U.S. National Anthem, traditionally played every day at the
opening of all Cedar Fair parks, but for the first time marking the opening
of a Cedar Fair ride. “We thought it would be neat to do it when an attraction
opened,” Tierney said. “The train launched right at the end of the
National Anthem; it was perfect.”
Confetti and streamers rained on the attendees, who then lined up for their
own rides. The public finally got on just after 6 p.m. (18,00), including a
handful of American Coaster Enthusiasts left over from the annual ACE Coaster
Convention earlier in the week at Knotts. The enthusiasts had agonizingly watched
the ride being tested and Knott’s employees getting previews, all the while
watching their own chance at exclusive ride time on the coaster slipping away.
For most riders Xcelerator was worth the wait. The hydraulic launch sends
the trains smoothly down the track reaching 82 mph in 2.3 seconds. They rise
up a 90-degree tophat hill, twisting on a 90-degree axis en route to the peak.
En route back down the train turns again, threading the needle of supports on
its way toward a pair of high-speed, over-banked U-turns. The ride lasts half
a minute; the pounding heartbeat and breathless laughter lasts significantly
longer.
“My first time?” said Falfas. “Usually there are so many concerns:
is it going to be accepted, is it a good ride, a great ride? My first time out
I thought, ‘Boy is this launch long.’ It seemed like you were on that
launch for a long time, and my eye was really focused on the tower, at where
we would head straight up. And then when it went up, I was so elated, looking
out at the city. And then it just dove down and I didn’t think about much
until I rode it again.”
At a cost of $13 million, Xcellerator gives Knott’s another world-class
coaster to go with the woodie fave Ghostrider. For Falfas, this one has
particularly special meaning, aside from its hot-rod theming that hearkens to
his youth and the thrilling sensations that heartened his spirit. “I finally
have a midway and steel ride,” said the longtime Cedar Fair veteran. “I
finally have something like Cedar Point.” Truly, he has something unlike
anything anywhere.
212.265.0043
lvhnyc@msn.com
Click
or Treat
©2002, Minton Enterprises
LLC
All rights reserved