If you want to simulate the feeling of flight, Raptor is a must ride. This classic inverted coaster has graced the center of the park for over 20 years. Apart from being the only inverted coaster in the park, Raptor is also by far the loudest. If you’re with friends and you’re within a 100-yard radius of the ride, having a conversation might be a difficult task. This Bollinger & Mabillard classic was completed in May of 1994. Along with breaking several inverted coaster records, it also set several firsts. It was the longest, tallest, and fastest of its kind when it opened. It features 3790 feet of track, a 119-foot drop, and six inversions. Amongst those six inversions is a cobra roll, the first time ever implemented into an inverted coaster. Riders traverse forward through an upwards half-vertical loop, corkscrew perpendicular to the first direction, enter another corkscrew that merges into a downward half-vertical loop that exits in the parallel but opposite direction of the entrance. It takes riders upside-down twice. Raptor’s construction was announced on September 1st, 1993. When asked about the design of the construction, Cedar Point Management said, “Raptor will be the most exciting and ambitious project ever … a project that will challenge the boundaries of imagination and change the Sandusky, Ohio amusement park/resort like nothing before it.”
The ride begins with a tension building 137-foot climb. The ride begins with a pre-drop to get the blood pumping before turning 90 degrees and dropping 119-feet, accelerating to a top speed of 65 miles per hour. At the bottom of the drop the ride immediately climbs into a 100-foot vertical loop. The ride doesn’t stop its series of inversions here, as it is then immediately followed by a zero-g roll and the cobra roll which is the staple of this attraction. The ride then enters the mid-course break run, which is a stretch of brakes that slows the coaster down. The train then dives down, transitioning into a short straight section of track. This straight section is followed by a double corkscrew rotating riders 360 degrees to the left. The track straightens yet again, before sending riders hurling through a second corkscrew. The ride ends with a 1.5 revolution flat helix in which riders feel strong G-forces before the ride comes to an end. The total ride time is 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
This week’s ratings will be a little different, considering this is the first inverted coaster I am covering. The components of my rating will be ride experience, inversion quality, G-forces, and comparison to others of its kind. If you’ve been on this ride, you know it’s incredibly smooth and it leaves most riders running back to the entrance, therefore, it gets a 10 out of 10 in this respect. The inversion quality is also a 10 out of 10, considering it features an inversion that most other inverted coasters don’t have. The G-forces aren’t incredibly strong until the very end, but the end experience does give it a pretty strong rating at a 7 out of 10. And in comparison to rides of its kind, it definitely ranks as one of the best (although personally, I prefer Great Bear at Hersheypark) giving it a 9 out of 10 and a final rating of 9 out of 10.