Putting the Wild into Wild West...
Putting the Wild into Wild West...
| Theme Park | Cedar Point |
|---|---|
| Type | Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 26 May 2007 |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Model | LSM Launch Coaster |
| Height | 105 ft |
| Length | 4450 ft |
| Inversions | 2 |
| Max Speed | 70 mph |
| Duration | 2½ minutes |
Maverick's lift hill and first drop
Cedar Point's Maverick is a speedy ground hugging rollercoaster which describes itself with the tagline "the Old West was never this Wild".
The ride is an Intamin LSM Launch Coaster and features two launch sections including one which accelerates trains up Maverick's 105ft tall lift hill. The first drop is a beyond-vertical 95° which gives way to a series of twisting turns close to the ground and a huge airtime hill, which all offer views out toward Sandusky Bay.
Following a twisted horseshoe roll inversion which sends riders upside down twice, the ride enters a tunnel which encloses the second LSM launch. This time trains are accelerated up to the ride's maximum speed of 70mph and out into the layout's second half which features more ground-hugging turns and overbanked curves.
Maverick offers a great, smooth, intense ride experience. Although a simple addition, the themed Western style rockwork around the track creates many close-shaves and headchopper moments that also increase the sensation of speed. Perhaps its only real negative comes with Intamin's restraints which, in common with a lot of their launch coasters, are not particularly comfortable.
