Roar (roller coaster) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roar
1. Logo 2. Roar at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Six Flags America
Park section	Chesapeake
Coordinates	38°54′27″N 76°46′34″W / 38.907591°N 76.775993°W / 38.907591; -76.775993
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 2, 1998 (1998-05-02)
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Park section	Sky
Coordinates	38°08′17″N 122°13′58″W / 38.13806°N 122.23278°W / 38.13806; -122.23278
Status	Closed
Opening date	May 14, 1999 (1999-05-14)
Closing date	August 16, 2015 (2015-08-16)
Replaced by	The Joker
General statistics
Type	Wood
Manufacturer	Great Coasters International
Track layout	Twister
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	95 ft (29 m)
Drop	85 ft (26 m)
Speed	50.5 mph (81.3 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:52
Max vertical angle	50°
G-force	3.5
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Length	3,468 ft (1,057 m) (America) 3,291 ft (1,003 m) (Discovery Kingdom)
Flash Pass Available at both Six Flags parks.
Roar at RCDB Pictures of Roar at RCDB

Roar (trademarked as ROAR) is the name of a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags America located near Upper Marlboro, Maryland. There were originally two roller coasters, with the first one built in 1998 at Six Flags America followed by the second one which was built in 1999 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Both rides were designed and built by Great Coasters International (GCI). In 2015, Discovery Kingdom announced the retirement of Roar at its theme park, but the park later revealed that it was being renovated and transformed into The Joker with I-Box track technology from Rocky Mountain Construction.

Design and operation

Roar entrance sign for Six Flags America

The ride is a wooden roller coaster with a chain lift hill system. It features a unique "Speed Shed" element over a large section of track, designed to enhance the sense of speed without the visual sensory loss of a traditional tunnel. Of the two trains used on the ride, each one seats a capacity of 24 people in six cars and utilize both seat belts and lap bars. The height of the roller coaster is 95 feet (29 m), and its drop is 85 feet (26 m); the maximum speed reached is 50.5 miles per hour (81.3 km/h). Unlike classic out and back rides, Roar is a twister design.

Six Flags America

Six Flags America's Roar, called Roar (East) by GCI, was built in 1998. Unlike its sibling in the west, this ride is longer at 3,468 feet (1,057 m) and has a slightly longer ride time. The longer track length is due to the ride's location on a slanting hillside, and longer drops on the station side and lift hill. Its trains, designed and maintained by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, are also different. Roar is one of the three rides at Six Flags America that featured an on-ride camera (the others being Superman: Ride of Steel and Apocalypse). It has been removed along with the camera on Apocalypse. The camera for Apocalypse returned and was re-added for the 2019 transition to Firebird. The ride is situated in the park's Chesapeake themed section.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's Roar, called Roar (West) by GCI, was built in 1999 in light of adding the Six Flags moniker to the Marine World amusement park. At 3,291 feet (1,003 m), this coaster was shorter than the installation at Six Flags America. The ride consisted of two 12 car Millennium Flyer trains. This type of train helps give the sensation of a steel roller coaster utilizing the classic wooden style design. Roar was situated in the Sky animal-themed area of the park. It closed on August 16, 2015.

On July 16, 2015, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom announced that Roar would be retired on August 16, 2015. The closure marked the completion of the attraction's seventeenth season. Park president Don McCoy released a statement that the ride was being removed to make room for future expansion. An estimated 11 million visitors to the park have ridden the roller coaster since its debut in 1999. On September 3, 2015, Six Flags announced that the Roar at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom would be transformed into a "wood-steel hybrid" named The Joker featuring three inversions. Rocky Mountain Construction performed the conversion, opening the new version on May 28, 2016.

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