Apollo's Chariot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Apollo's Chariot |
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The first drop of Apollo's Chariot is at an angle of 65°.
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| Busch Gardens Williamsburg | |
| Location | Busch Gardens Williamsburg |
| Park section | Festa Italia |
| Coordinates | 37°14′05″N 76°38′29″W / 37.23480°N 76.64130°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | March 27, 1999 |
| Opening date | March 30, 1999 |
| Cost | US$20 million |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Hyper Coaster |
| Track layout | Out and Back/Terrain |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 170 ft (52 m) |
| Drop | 210 ft (64 m) |
| Length | 4,882 ft (1,488 m) |
| Speed | 73 mph (117 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:15 |
| Max vertical angle | 65° |
| Capacity | 1,750 riders per hour |
| G-force | 4.1 |
| Height restriction | 52 in (132 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 9 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 36 riders per train. |
 Quick Queue available |
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 Single rider line available |
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| Apollo's Chariot at RCDB | |
Apollo's Chariot is a super fun steel roller coaster! You can find it at the Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park in Virginia, USA. It was the very first "Hyper Coaster" ever made by a Swiss company called Bolliger & Mabillard. This awesome ride officially opened on March 30, 1999.
This roller coaster is super long, stretching over 4,882 feet (about 1,488 meters)! It has eight exciting "air-time" hills. These hills make you feel like you're floating! You'll climb up a 170-foot (52-meter) tall hill. Then, get ready for a thrilling 210-foot (64-meter) drop! It's super steep, at a 65-degree angle. Apollo's Chariot is very popular and often gets high ratings from roller coaster fans.
Contents
History of Apollo's Chariot
Apollo's Chariot was first announced on September 5, 1998. Everyone was excited because it would be the tallest and fastest roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. By January 1999, the ride was almost finished. Only about 20 pieces of track were left to install.
The roller coaster started its first test runs in mid-February 1999. Busch Gardens held a big opening ceremony for Apollo's Chariot on March 30, 1999. A famous fashion model named Fabio Lanzoni helped promote the new ride. Apollo's Chariot was the first Hyper Coaster built by the Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard.
What Makes Apollo's Chariot Special?
Apollo's Chariot is a "Hyper Coaster" built by Bolliger & Mabillard. It's 4,882 feet (1,488 meters) long. The park's natural hills and valleys are used to make the ride even more exciting. This means a 170-foot (52-meter) chain lift hill leads to an amazing 210-foot (64-meter) first drop!
The ride reaches a top speed of 73 miles per hour (117 km/h). It features eight "air-time" hills, which give you that fun floating feeling. Riders experience up to 4.1 times the force of gravity during the 2-minute, 15-second ride.
Apollo's Chariot uses three trains. Each train has nine cars, and four riders sit across in a single row. This means 36 riders can go on the ride at once! This design allows for about 1,750 riders per hour. You are held in place by a lap bar, and the seats are designed so your feet don't touch the ground.
Your Ride Experience
When you leave the station, your train starts climbing the 170-foot (52-meter) chain lift hill. Near the top, there's a small "pre-drop." This little dip helps reduce stress on the chain.
After the pre-drop, you plunge down a huge 210-foot (64-meter) drop! It's at a steep 65-degree angle and heads towards a water-filled area. You'll reach a top speed of 73 miles per hour (117 km/h) here!
At the end of the ravine, the train goes over a second airtime hill with a 131-foot (40-meter) drop. You then zoom through a short, narrow tunnel. After the tunnel, there's a 144-foot (44-meter) drop that banks to the left. The train then goes through an upward spiral.
Coming out of the spiral, the train drops 102 feet (31 meters). It then turns right and goes up into the mid-course brake run. After slowing down a bit, the train drops 48 feet (15 meters), followed by another 87-foot (27-meter) drop towards the ravine.
The train then banks right, dips 38 feet (12 meters), turns left, and goes through a small 16-foot (4.9-meter) dip. Finally, the train makes one last 49-foot (15-meter) airtime drop. Then it climbs up into the final brake run. You'll experience about 26 seconds of "airtime" during this exciting 2-minute, 15-second ride!
Images for kids
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The first drop of Apollo's Chariot is at an angle of 65°.
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Apollo's Chariot logo.
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The final drop on Apollo's Chariot
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