On this day in 1982, Kings Island introduced a roller coaster first with the backwards Racer

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History

On this day in 1982, Kings Island introduced a roller coaster first with the backwards Racer

 

May 28, 2022

On May 28, 1982, Kings Island introduced a roller coaster first, the backwards Racer, the only wooden roller coaster in the world on which a train traveled its entire track backwards.

The idea for the backwards Racer was conceived by Kings Island’s marketing director at the time, Tom Nowlin.

A successful test of this new thrill experience during Memorial Day weekend led park officials to operate the backwards Racer for the remainder of the 1982 season. While the trains on The Racer’s south side ran backwards, the trains on the north side remained running forwards.

Though it was only intended for 1982, the backwards Racer experience ended up lasting for 26 seasons. In 2008, The Racer was restored to its original form by changing the south side forward again, with one change. Instead of a red and blue train on each side, the south side had the Red Racer trains and the north side the Blue Racer trains.