Kings Island bringing back original red, white and blue color scheme on The Racer

In 1972, when The Racer debuted at Kings Island, it was the most talked about ride in America. In addition to being touted as the most spectacular, the longest, the fastest and the highest roller coaster, it was also considered the most beautiful and picturesque.

By the time Kings Island opens for its 50th anniversary season in April, The Racer will again look stunning as painters from Baynum Painting of Covington, KY. have begun the process of restoring the ride to its original color scheme of red (track), white (structure) and blue (handrails).

The twin-track wooden roller coaster has not been fully repainted since 1991, when the original colors were changed to black and white.

Prior to The Racer, the demand for roller coasters, and more specifically wooden roller coasters, had been in decline since the Great Depression. Literally hundreds of roller coasters built from 1890-1930 met the fate of the wrecking ball. By 1965, only about 200 of the 2,000 roller coasters built through the 1920’s remained in operation, then along came The Racer with the opening of Kings Island. The ride’s instant popularity rekindled America’s interest in roller coasters, sparking the “second golden age” of the roller coaster.

The Racer's success acted as catalyst for other potential high-capacity racing coasters including Racer 75 (formerly Rebel Yell) at Kings Dominion and Gemini at Cedar Point. It has also been the site of several world-record riding attempts and is notable for its appearance in the “Cincinnati Kids” episode of The Brady Bunch filmed at Kings Island in 1973. In 1982, one side of The Racer was transformed into the world’s first full-length, backwards traveling roller coaster, offering a unique ride experience that lasted for 26 seasons.

More than 107 million guests have taken a ride on The Racer – the most in park history. Its record year was 1976, when a single-season park-record 3.6 million rides were given.

In addition to The Racer, other rides receiving a new paint job include the Eiffel Tower, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Drop Tower, Adventure Express, Flying Ace Aerial Chase and Race For Your Life Charlie Brown.

Kings Island opens to Season Passholders on April 15 and to all guests on April 16.