Intimidator 305 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Intimidator 305
Intimidator 305 as seen from the Eiffel Tower
Kings Dominion
Location	Kings Dominion
Park section	Safari Village
Coordinates	37°50′15″N 77°26′23″W / 37.83750°N 77.43972°W / 37.83750; -77.43972
Status	Operating
Opening date	April 2, 2010 (2010-04-02)
Cost	$25 million
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Intamin
Model	Giga Coaster
Lift/launch system	Cable lift hill
Height	305 ft (93 m)
Drop	300 ft (91.4 m)
Length	5,100 ft (1,554 m)
Speed	90 mph (145 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	3:00
Max vertical angle	85°
Capacity	1,350 riders per hour
Height restriction	54–78 in (137–198 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 32 riders per train.
Fast Lane Plus only available
Intimidator 305 at RCDB

Intimidator 305 is a super tall steel roller coaster at Kings Dominion theme park in Doswell, Virginia, United States. It was built by a company called Intamin. This exciting ride opened on April 2, 2010. It was the park's fourteenth roller coaster. You can find it in the Safari Village area of the park. It's right next to the Anaconda ride.

Intimidator 305 is 305 feet (93 m) tall. It reaches amazing speeds of up to 90 mph (145 km/h). This makes it the second "Giga Coaster" ever built in North America. The first was Millennium Force at Cedar Point. Building Intimidator 305 cost $25 million. This was the most money ever spent on a single ride at Kings Dominion. The roller coaster is designed to look like a race car. It is named after the famous NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt. He was often called "The Intimidator."

The first drop on Intimidator 305 is 300 feet (91 m) straight down. It drops at a very steep 85-degree angle. The ride's unique lift hill only has two main support points at the very top. This roller coaster is even taller than the observation deck of the park's Eiffel Tower. After it first opened, the ride's first turn was changed. This was done to help riders feel more comfortable.

History of Intimidator 305

How the Ride Was Announced

Intimidator 305 was the first "Giga Coaster" built since Steel Dragon 2000 in the year 2000. The plans for this huge ride were shared on August 20, 2009. Important people like the CEO of Cedar Fair, Dick Kinzel, were there. Also present was Jeff Steiner from Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. Dale Earnhardt's daughter, Taylor Earnhardt, also attended the event.

The announcement was led by Kings Dominion's manager, Ed Kuhlmann. They showed videos of the ride and even a small working model. The roller coaster was designed to honor Dale Earnhardt. He was a true legend in NASCAR racing.

Building the Coaster

Intimidator 305 was built on land that used to hold the Safari Monorail. That old ride closed in 1993. The new coaster is also very close to the Flight of Fear ride. Kings Dominion started building Intimidator 305 on June 1, 2009. The first parts of the track arrived just a few days later.

By August 19, the first steel pieces were put into place. The 305-foot (93 m) tall lift hill was finished in November 2009. Workers kept building the ride all through the winter. The very last piece of track was put in place on January 9, 2010. Intimidator 305 had its first test run on March 14, 2010.

Changes to the Ride

When Intimidator 305 first opened, some riders felt dizzy or lightheaded. This happened right after the first big drop. It was because of the strong G-forces the ride created. To fix this, Kings Dominion first added special brakes. These brakes slowed the coaster down a little on the first drop.

During the next off-season, the first turn of the coaster was changed. They made the turn wider. This helped to reduce the strong G-forces. Because of this change, they could remove the temporary brakes. This allowed the ride to go back to its original top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h).

What It's Like to Ride

The tall lift hill and the ride's sign

The silver train waiting in the brake run

Intimidator 305 is often described as a mix of two other famous rides at Cedar Point: Millennium Force and Maverick. Intamin designed Intimidator 305 to have a very tall lift hill, like Millennium Force. But after the big drop, it has fast, low-to-the-ground turns and hills, similar to Maverick. The ride has six spots where you feel like you're floating (called air time humps). It also has three super-fast turns close to the ground. All this happens over 5,100 feet (1,554 m) of track.

The Ride's Path

When your train is ready at the station, a special car hooks onto the middle of your train. Before you leave, you hear a recording say, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" Then, you hear a loud engine sound. The train then starts climbing the 45-degree lift hill. It goes up at 13.2 miles per hour (21.2 km/h) to a height of 305 feet (93 m).

Once you reach the top, the train drops down a 300-foot (91 m), 85-degree hill. You hit speeds of up to 90 mph (145 km/h)! This drop is so steep that riders in the back feel like they are being pulled out of their seats. After the drop, the train turns right into a big 270-degree curve. Then, it goes up a 150-foot (46 m) airtime hill.

Next, the train dips into a fast "bunny hop" hill. After that, it enters another high-speed turn. The ride then goes through three quick twists. This leads into a final fast turn. The train then climbs another airtime hill, which has some brakes. This is followed by one more airtime hill. Finally, there's a small twisty bunny hop before the train enters the magnetic brakes to stop. One full ride on Intimidator 305 lasts about 3 minutes.

Trains and Racing Theme

Intimidator 305 has two trains. They are designed to look like Dale Earnhardt's famous black number 3 race car. Each train has headlights at the front. They also have stickers that look like advertisements, just like real NASCAR cars. One train is red, and the other is silver.

Each train has eight cars. Four passengers can sit in each car. This means 32 people can ride at once. The seats are arranged like in a stadium, so everyone can see. The restraints are overhead lap bars with soft, padded shoulder straps. In July 2010, the ride got new restraints. The shoulder part now feels more like a padded seat belt than a typical over-the-shoulder harness from Intamin.

Awards for Intimidator 305

Intimidator 305 was recognized in the Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards. These awards celebrate the best in the amusement park industry. In 2010, Intimidator 305 came in second place for the Golden Ticket Award for Best New Ride. It received 21% of the votes.