An amazing and smooth wooden roller coaster. The racing aspect is a lot of fun

Lightning Racer is a fantastic coaster, but simply didnt live up to the standards I expected it to and so many others believe it reaches. This was my first ride of the day (on Lightning) and I was able to ride Thunder once and Lightning another time. I know that this is not one of my top few woodens because after 3 rides I was never truly amazed by what LR had to offer. It was very fun, and just so incredibly smooth. It was much smoother than its twisted neighbor, Wildcat, however Im not sure if thats a good thing because I actually liked Wildcat a little more. The one thing I liked about LR much more than Wildcat was the fact that the restraints didnt seem to go down as far resulting in a more comfortable ride. The dueling aspect seems a bit overrated, although I never did get the front seat. They were much better than the duels on Twisted Twins, as the LR duels seemed spontaneous, natural, and quick, while the duels on Twisted Twins seemed set-up and you could see them coming from a mile away! However, the whole twin/racing/dueling thing just didnt make that big of a difference for me. The ride itself was fun, and fairly well-paced. The first drop was good and smooth, but not as intense as Wildcats amazing twisted drop. Then, Lightning Racer seemed to maneuver through its second element (a curved hill) a bit slow, which was kind of a let-down! However, LR picked up some great speed after that and the middle was by far the best part of the ride. It was fast and even a bit intense. The speed and smoothness of the ride is great, and there were laterals on many of the turns. There was a little bit of airtime; however, sometimes there were bunny hops that should have had air that didnt. The most disappointing part was the end: the final "race to the finish" composed of two or three bunny-hops taken side by side that were completely void of airtime for me! Lightning Racer was pretty good, just after three rides I never walked away with a "that was amazing" feeling! The ride needs more intensity, and then it would be really sweet. However, if you want a fun ride that is super smooth, has a great layout with a few lateral and negative G forces mixed in, you cant go wrong with Lightning Racer.

this ride is awesome, one of the smoothest woodies out there.

The Lightning Racer is a beautiful coaster, the station is clean and well designed. But the ride its self is very forceless and the tunnel was a joke. With its twisted layout, you would think this ride would have a lot of nice lateral forces, but I just couldnt seam to find any. It also doesnt help that it had those damn Millennium Flyer trains, the restraints are not comfortable at all. Plus having the Wild Cat just a few steps away, doesnt help this coasters sub par ride.

This is the best wooden racer that I have been on. The coasters always finish very close to each other keeping up the anticipation of the result until the very end. The layouts are quite fun and the coasters run quite smoothly, even the backseat ride is smooth. I slightly preferred my rides on the lightning side better than on the thunder side, although I cant quite put my finger on why that might be. A very good ride.

This is a great ride. The line is always short. At the top of the lift hill, it seems pretty high but it isnt steep or fast. My favorite ride i kingda ka because i love huge rides but this gave me the same thrill. I dont know how i liked it so much without a fast speed but Hershey somehow did it.

I really classify this as two different coasters, like Dueling Dragons. Individually, I rate each coaster a 9. But taken collectively, this one earns the elusive 10 that I only give to coasters that are not only great, but also have that extra dimension that defies definition, and indeed, may be something different for each coaster that has one. In this case, it is the rides incredible balance, pacing, fun, and, perhaps most impressively for a wooden coaster, smoothness and re-rideability that convince me that this one is an all star.

The fun starts with the aesthetics - this coaster, err, these coasters are some of the most beautiful that I have come across, with great sweeping turns, and drops and hills that run both parallel and over-and-under each other. Upon actually reaching the entrance and getting into the station, you pick your side and get your first really solid glimpse of the both beautiful and comfortable Millennium Flyer trains. In my opinion, these are the B&M hyper trains of the wooden coaster world.

Well, the appearance and trains are all very well, but how does it actually ride? The staggered lift is very loud, but works well to get the trains off to a fair start with the racing. It is also cool how it is difficult to see the other train when you are on Thunder, and impossible when riding Lightning, so that when coming down the great first drop (with laterals and airtime both on tap is good measure) another train almost magically appears and begins to race you. Well, if thats the way they want it, let the games begin! Up the 2nd hill and down again, just in time to split off, only to come back around on the turnaround and ride side-by-side through the tunnel for the on-ride photo. Flashing through some good turns, you approach a nice helix, with the other train doing the same in a slightly different manner. Then its out to duel it out mano-y-mano for the rest of the ride, with a number of bunny hills and laterals, the competitors criss-crossing over each other multiple times. One more dueling turnaround and its into the final stretch and up into the finish area and brakes. And look, youve won! Or maybe you havent. But regardless of the outcome, you are bound to have had fun in the chase.

The sides are fairly similar, but the layout is slightly different to each side, and I found Thunder to be slightly rougher, and significantly faster and more intense. Both are highly re-rideable though, so multiple ride are not only very feasible, but also highly enticing. Youll be hard pressed to find a better-balanced coaster out there. With the combination of speed, airtime, laterals, combination racing/dueling, smoothness, and fun, its a winner. Bottom line - best ride at Hersheypark.

WOW!!! This was THE best ride that I have EVER been on at an amusement park in my ENTIRE LIFE!!! Everything about it was PERFECT... The drop heights were perfect, the ride time was perfect, it had just the right amount of intensity, it was PERFECTLTY smooth, and the speed was perfect!!! LOL! Is that enough perfects for ya?!? The initial drop is an AWESOME height, and the remainder of the ride is simply amazing! Since this was only my second wooden roller coaster, it REALLY got my adrenaline pumping! I was so excited while on the ride that I screamed at the top of my lungs at the other car that we were racing, "WERE GONNA BEAT YOU!!!" when we passed them mid-way through the ride. The car that I was in was the green "Thunder" one, and we were racing the red "Lightning" car. And, fortunately, WE BEAT EM!!! LOL! I really liked the small tunnel that you race through near the end of the ride where your picture is taken. If you are in Hershey Park at any time, MAKE SURE TO RIDE THIS RIDE!!! Out of all of the rides that I rode during my last visit to Hershey Park, this one was DEFINITELY the best one!

I cant believe i didnt coment this well this has to be one of the best wodden roller coasters I have ever riden so go ride it and experience it yourself!

Cant say much that hasnt already been said about this coaster, so Ill just say that it ROCKS!!!