Dragon's Run facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dragon's Run |
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| Previously known as Time Machine and Led Zeppelin: The Ride | |
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View of most of the Dragon's Run layout when it was Time Machine
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| Dragon Park Ha Long | |
| Coordinates | 20°57′15″N 107°02′52″E / 20.954139°N 107.047806°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | January 25, 2017 |
| Freestyle Music Park | |
| Coordinates | 33°42′55″N 78°56′08″W / 33.715335°N 78.935674°W |
| Status | Relocated to Dragon Park Ha Long |
| Soft operation date | April 15, 2008 |
| Opening date | May 9, 2008 |
| Closing date | September 27, 2009 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Model | Sitting Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 155 ft (47 m) |
| Drop | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Length | 3,738 ft (1,139 m) |
| Speed | 65 mph (105 km/h) |
| Inversions | 6 |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. |
 Must transfer from wheelchair |
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| Dragon's Run at RCDB | |
Dragon's Run is an exciting steel roller coaster found at Dragon Park Ha Long in Vietnam. It was built by Swiss engineers called Bolliger & Mabillard. This roller coaster wasn't always in Vietnam! It used to be in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at a park called Freestyle Music Park. Back then, it was known as Time Machine.
The ride first opened on April 15, 2008, with the name Led Zeppelin: The Ride. It was a big attraction at Hard Rock Park. However, that park faced money problems and closed after only five months. It reopened in 2009 under new owners and a new name, but it closed again at the end of that season. Many of its rides, including this one, were later moved to new homes.
History of Dragon's Run
Plans for a music-themed amusement park started in 2003. By 2006, a deal was made with the Hard Rock company. The park, named Hard Rock Park, was announced in early 2007. Its main ride, "Led Zeppelin – The Ride," was going to be a Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster. It was designed to celebrate the famous English rock band Led Zeppelin. By July 2007, the ride's tall lift hill was already built.
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"Led Zeppelin – The Ride" had a special early opening on April 15, 2008. The first seats were even sold to raise money for charity! The ride officially opened on May 9, 2008. While riding, guests could listen to Led Zeppelin's song "Whole Lotta Love" through speakers on the train. In September 2008, Hard Rock Park had serious money troubles and had to close.
In February 2009, new owners bought the park and renamed it Freestyle Music Park. All the old music themes were removed. "Led Zeppelin – The Ride" became "The Time Machine." Instead of one band's music, riders could now listen to songs from the 1960s to the 2000s. The new park opened on May 23, 2009. But just like before, the park closed in September 2009. The roller coaster then sat unused for almost five years.
In 2014, the Time Machine roller coaster was bought by a new park being built in Vietnam. On August 21, 2014, cranes began taking the Time Machine apart. Pieces of the ride were carefully removed. Finally, on January 25, 2017, the ride opened as Dragon's Run at the new Dragon Park Ha Long in Vietnam.
What Makes Dragon's Run Special?
The Time Machine, now Dragon's Run, has six exciting flips and twists, called inversions. The ride is about 3,738-foot-long (1,139 m). It includes two vertical loops, a cobra roll, a zero-g roll, and a corkscrew. Riders can reach a top speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h).
The trains on this coaster are quite big. Each train has eight cars, and each car seats four riders across. This means 32 people can ride at once!
The Ride Experience
_(9).JPG) _(5).JPG) Trains going through the cobra roll (left) and zero-g roll (right)
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After you get into your seat, the train leaves the station. It then starts climbing the tall chain lift hill, which is about 155-foot-tall (47 m). Once at the top, you drop 150 feet (46 m) down!
Next, you zoom into the first vertical loop, which is about 120-foot-tall (37 m). This is followed by a cobra roll, a cool flip that looks like a snake's head, and then a zero-g roll, which makes you feel weightless. After that, there's a second, smaller vertical loop.
The train then twists through a large helix (a spiraling turn). You'll then slow down a bit on the mid-course brake run. After this short pause, the ride drops again into another small helix. Then, you'll go through a corkscrew, which is a twisting inversion. One more helix comes before the train slows down in the final brake run and returns to the station.
