Goliath to Dominate Six Flags Great America in 2014

Here we go!  The start of Six Flags announcements for 2014 - we shall begin with one heck of a large coaster addition to Six Flags Great America, so big you could call it Goliath.  Well, that's what the park is calling the ride, anyway.

The new coaster will break three world records for wooden coasters when it opens, it will stand the tallest at 180 feet, feature the steepest drop at an astonishing 85 degrees, and hit a new fastest speed of 72 miles per hour.

Designed by Rocky Mountain, the coaster will stand 165 feet tall but utilize a first drop into a below ground tunnel to achieve the full length of 180 feet.  Goliath will again pass through the same tunnel later in the ride's path.

The rest of the ride's course features a bunch of "jaw-dropping maneuvers including three over-banked turns, a 180 degree zero G roll, an inverted drop and an inverted zero G stall."  The ride fits into a long, narrow plot of land but takes advantage of all the space available.  Aver the first plummet stands a tall "overbank top hat" that turns the train around.  After another dive is a negative g floating hill, then a dive loop that the park labels as a 180 degree zero g roll combined with an inverted drop.  A new element, the "inverted zero g stall" follows that, with another turnaround, hill, then the final brakes.


The park released this b-roll animation of the ride, which shows plenty of off ride shots as well as a complete on-ride.  The "inverted zero g stall" is one interesting element, and appears to include plenty of hang-time for riders.  The train enters and inverts fully, continues on upside down, then reverts back the way it came instead of completing a traditional roll.

It appears as though Goliath will utilize the same track system that Rocky Mountain created and used on Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City.  The ride's steep first plunge is going to give riders to amazing air-time!

Just look at the train in this rendering the park released, only five small degrees away from being totally vertical!

This is the first full inversion that the trains will encounter, the dive loop or the 180 degree roll / inverted drop as the park calls it.  It's amazing to see the type of twisted and inverting elements that Rocky Mountain's designers are able to come up with using these new track systems!

Construction on Goliath is slated to begin soon, and the ride has a planned Spring/Summer opening at Six Flags Great America.  You can check out the official website for the ride at this link.