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Vortex (Carowinds)
Steel roller coaster at Carowinds From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Vortex is a stand-up roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the ride opened to the public on March 14, 1992.[2] Vortex was built a year before Paramount Parks (now Six Flags) purchased Carowinds and is situated on the former site of the Carolina Speedway miniature car attraction. It was B&M's third coaster and features a loop and a corkscrew element in its relatively short track layout. Vortex represented a new era of stand-up coasters at the time, which were more advanced than the previous generation introduced in the 1980s.
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History
On August 15, 1991, Carowinds announced that a new stand-up roller coaster would be added to the park in 1992 called Vortex.[3] It was the first coaster built at Carowinds since Carolina Cyclone in 1980, and also became the park's most expensive ride to date at $5.5 million.[3] Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, Vortex was the sixth stand-up coaster to open in the United States.[3] Construction began in September 1991, and officials believed it would be completed by January 1992.[4]
Vortex officially opened on March 14, 1992. It was repainted for the 2011 season with red track and gray supports, similar to Thunder Striker.[citation needed]
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Ride Layout
Riders depart from the station in a standing position, then ascend a small 90-foot (27 m) lift. A pre-drop, characteristic of early Bolliger & Mabillard coasters, follows the lift hill, preceding the curved right drop. A vertical loop follows the drop and is followed-up by an upward right and downward banked turn. An upward helix follows the downward turn and is followed by a corkscrew to the right. After another upward helix and a wide turnaround, the train enters the final brake run before entering the station.[5]
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Construction Data
- 109 columns and foundations
- 411,000 pounds of steel
- 931 cubic yards of concrete
Ride Elements
- Loop
- Corkscrew
- Banked Turn
- Vortex's drop
- Vortex's loop
- Vortex's drop directly before the corkscrew
- Vortex's corkscrew
References
External links
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