As American as apple pie served at a baseball game on the 4th of July.
Basically, The Racer is a true blue (and red!) slice of coaster history and remains an integral part of Kings Island lore. Fans of the TV show The Brady Bunch may recognize this venerable ride as the one featured in the episode 'The Cincinnati Kids', where Jan loses Mike's plans for an expansion project of the park while on a ride, and something goofy involving a Yogi Bear poster. Hijinks ensue, blah blah, who cares, but La Familia de Brady *did* in fact ride the Racer several times during the shoot. So that's something, I guess.
Racer operates as side-by-side wooden coaster tracks, each topping out at 88ft high and 53mph. The station makes an effort to dispatch both sides simultaneously to create the 'racing' effect. For the better part of 26 years, the Racer ran one side backwards (not unlike what SFGAm did with my beloved Eagle), but as of this writing both sides now face forward.
Although both sides run adjacent to one another during the lift and the first few hills, eventually they separate on the out & back layout for the turnaround portion, and 'race' once again on their return trip to the station. Despite a few decent pockets of negative G's, the thrills that Racer delivers are milder in nature than the surrounding coasters, which is perfect for families or those not tall enough to ride Banshee or Firehawk.
True, this is a great coaster with a lot of history to its name, but it's hard not to compare it to American Eagle, the only other red + blue racing wooden coaster in the midwest that boasts more airtime and superior ride stats. Nevertheless, Racer is worth your time for a quick cred, and given that waits are short due to a 4-train operation, walk-ons aren't unheard of during the park's quieter hours.
Recommended! Try both sides in the front and back to figure out your favorite :) read more