Kings Island’s Racer ignited a roller coaster renaissance

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Features

Kings Island’s Racer ignited a roller coaster renaissance

May 3, 2022

“It rides like a baby coach!”

That was the opinion of the renowned John Allen of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, whose “baby” was The Racer roller coaster at Kings Island.

Allen was asked about the possibility of building a new roller coaster for Kings Island when plans to build the park began in 1969. He accepted and was commissioned to design and supervise the construction which began in 1970. His design was truly inspirational, a twin-tracked, out and back racing coaster, unlike no other ever built.

Kings Island management, in one of the industry's best moves, got exactly what they needed in The Racer. In one coaster they had: high capacity, graceful aesthetics, and one of the best rides in the country.

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 coaster 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 1920s remained in operation. Then along came The Racer with the opening of Kings Island in 1972. The ride’s instant popularity sparked a roller coaster renaissance that has yet to slow down a half-century later. 

In addition to acting as the catalyst for other potential high-capacity racing coasters including Racer 75 (formerly Rebel Yell) at Kings Dominion and Gemini at Cedar Point, The Racer 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 the park 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.

The Racer was the first roller coaster structurally build on the ground with prefabricated sections lifted into position and bolted. It was billed as the most spectacular, longest, fastest and highest leading up to its opening, and the largest that Allen had built. He considered The Racer to be the finest roller coaster he ever built. And, he built a lot of them!

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, The Racer has given more than 107 million rides, far and away the most in Kings Island’s history. Its record year was 1976 when a park single-season record 3.6 million rides were given.