|
Humans have always competitive and subsequently love to win. Sports are a great example of this, as fans religiously support their hometown teams. Die-hard fans live and die by home their teams do. Sensing the competitive nature impressed within humans, Hershey decided to bolster their Midway America area with a unique GCI coaster at the start of the millennium. The end result was Lightning Racer, a CGI dueling twister that pits riders in a frenetic race against the other track.
Dominating the Midway America area, Lightning Racer looks incredible. The coaster simply is a tangled mess of demonically twisted track intricately woven together. Then, seeing the two trains gracefully race across it and having several near-misses only improves how fantastic the ride looks. Additionally, Lightning Racer’s entrance and station look great, as both really fit in perfectly with the area thanks to their American paint scheme.
One of the best aspects about Lightning Racer’s dueling nature is the subsequent effect that it has on lines. Thanks to there being two tracks, Lightning Racer’s line moves twice as fast as a typical wooden coaster. As an added bonus, each track is always running both trains which means that Lightning Racer essentially has four trains, which means that lines are very minimal. In fact, I think the longest that I’ve waited for Lightning Racer has been 10 minutes. It is not uncommon for Lightning Racer to be a walk-on for most seats. If you want the front seat, you may have to wait an extra 5-10 minutes, which honestly isn’t bad at all. Upon reaching the station one can freely select which track they would rather, Thunder or Lightning.
Lightning Racer turned out to be my first encounter with GCI’s revered Millennium Flyer trains. Not only do the trains look incredible, as they are a throwback to classic wooden coaster trains, but they also ride incredibly well. The whole ride is incredibly smooth, especially for a wooden coaster. There is no jackhammering or rough spots whatsoever, which is a rarity for most wooden coasters. While I love the highly padded and super comfortable seats of the Millennium Flyers, I personally am not a big fan of the lap bars. Without a doubt, they are very safe and securing, but they are a bit heavy in my opinion and really restrict the ride’s air-time.
Upon dispatching, Lightning Racer begins with a speedy lift hill. On the way up, it is commonplace for some lighthearted taunting to occur between the two trains. After cresting the lift, Lightning Racer treats riders to a majestic, swooping drop. While there unfortunately isn’t any air-time, a good deal of speed is built up. Immediately after is a large s-hill. The downwards portion of this hill actually is a double-down, and the result is that the second drop has a nice moment of floater air. After that, Lightning Racer flies around an overbanked turn and speeds into a shed. Not only is there a great bunny hill in there that produces the best moment of air-time on the ride, but also it is here where the on-ride photo is taken. Additionally, this tunnel is a great opportunity to see who is winning the race since the photo creates a cool strobe effect.
After leaving the shed, Lightning Racer begins its second half. Two quick turns are followed by a small bunny hill that produces a small pop of air, which ends up being the last moment of air-time on the ride. Then the second half is dominated by several near-misses between the opposing train. While there are several hills as the train dives over and under the other track, none of them provide any air. Instead, the real thrill comes from the numerous head-choppers. Eventually, the train approaches the finish line. Usually, the train that was ahead in the tunnel ends up winning, but despite this I still find the finale suspenseful and exciting. Lights located in the station signal the winner if it happens to be a photo finish.
Overall, Lightning Racer is an excellent wooden coaster that is simply a blast to ride. As a stand-alone coaster, Lightning Racer would be just average in my opinion since while it has some moments of air-time and cool twists, the individual tracks aren’t overly forceful or thrilling. But when you factor in the dueling aspect, Lightning Racer becomes a very noteworthy coaster for me in my opinion. Make sure to ride Lightning Racer several times during a visit to Hersheypark since everybody loves to race, and Lightning Racer may just be the most exciting racetrack around for a roller coaster enthusiast.
Best Seat: Front (1:1)
Favorite Part: Shed
|