- "Do you have what it takes to tame the bull?"
- ―Slogan[src]
Raging Bull is a steel hyper coaster located in Southwest Territory at Six Flags Great America. It was designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, and opened on May 1, 1999.
Themed and named after the "ferocious beast" that once terrorized the citizens of Southwest Territory, Raging Bull is the signature attraction of the area.
At 208 feet tall, Raging Bull is the tallest ride in the park, and it is the only hyper coaster in the world with a "twister" layout.
History[]
Raging Bull is located in Southwest Territory, situated between Viper and the giant helix on American Eagle. This space was formerly occupied by Rolling Thunder, a bobsled roller coaster which arrived in 1989 from Six Flags Great Adventure as part of a ride rotation program, but was later relocated in 1998 to The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom in Queensbury, New York.
It was announced on June 15, 2016, that Virtual Reality would be added to the ride later in the year. However, that was shelved due to long lines and being added to a ride with shorter lines, Giant Drop, instead.
Experience[]
Queue[]
As guests walk underneath the entrance, they walk through the queue. This queue begins with a switchback section. There is an extended queue area that winds around the section parallel to the normal pathway through the trees, leading to more switchbacks. Guests go down the stairs and walk on the wooden planks underneath the tracks. On the left side, there is a chicken exit that guests can take if they have one last chance to exit before riding. Following this, is a stairwell that leads to the station.
Layout[]
Train Going Up An Airtime Hill
As the train exits the station, it makes a left turn and a small dip before hitting the lift hill. At the 202-foot peak (62 m), the ride drops a very small distance (known as a pre-drop) followed by a 208-foot plunge (63 m) into a tunnel at the base of the drop reaching speeds of up to 73 mph (117 km/h). The train then ascends 155 feet (47 m) into a hammerhead turn to the right above Viper's queue line. After the turnaround is a 141-foot-parabolic hill (43 m) that applies a trim brake on the uphill side. This followed by a 128-foot hill (39 m) that banks left over the station area, followed by a dip under the lift hill and the 2nd hammerhead turn to the left, then a right hand uphill turn into a mid-course brake run. Upon clearing the block brakes, the train drops into a valley where the on-ride camera snaps photos. This is followed by an airtime hill, and a three-quarter turn to the right wrapping around the first drop, before the ride enters a figure-eight turn. Exiting the figure-eight turn, the track rises uphill and hits the final brake run.
Awards[]
| Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2003 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Position | 17 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 24 | 19 | 31 | 32 (tie) | 34 | 48 | 46 |
Trivia[]
- Raging Bull was the fastest, longest, and tallest roller coaster at Six Flags Great America upon opening.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Photos[]
See also[]
- Southwest Territory (Six Flags Great America)
- El Toro, a similarly themed wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure.
