An ancient predator has been disturbed from its sleep beneath the ground during construction work at Gardaland...
An ancient predator has been disturbed from its sleep beneath the ground during construction work at Gardaland...
| Theme Park | Gardaland |
|---|---|
| Type | Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 1 April 2011 |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Model | Wing Coaster |
| Height | 108 ft |
| Length | 2526 ft |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Max Speed | 56 mph |
| Duration | 1½ minutes |
A flight on Raptor
While wing rider coasters, where riders sit on "wings" either side of the track, had already been built at several parks around the world by the time Gardaland opened Raptor, this was the first of B&M's Wing Coaster model to be launched.
Wing coasters give riders the feeling of, as the name might well imply, riding on the wings of some gigantic beast as it flies through the sky, narrowly missing obstacles in its path, barrel rolling and skimming the ground as it goes. Thus, Raptor's theme is very apt: some previously unknown beast unearthed during construction of a new rollercoaster at Gardaland (sound familiar?), awakened from its slumber and now wreaking chaos and destruction. Guests are caught up by the beast, which drags them along on its flight of furious venegence, leaving ruined buildings in its wake.
Raptor is a great ride - it is more intense than some other wing coasters, but feels very much like being on a frenzied flight with a confused, out-of-control predator. The theming works well adding to the ride experience, with multiple close encounters with partially destroyed buildings, a water splash and a last minute change of angle to allow Raptor to pass through a narrow metal rectangle across the track.
Ride sign
Raptor's lift hill
First drop
Wing riding
Inversion
Circling the queueline
Airtime
Upside down
Passing through the rectangle
Roll over
