Scorpion (roller coaster)
Scorpion is a steel looping roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. It opened in 1980 as a part of the newly added Timbuktu section that gave the park a complete circuit, linking the Congo section to the Nairobi section of the park.
| Scorpion | |
|---|---|
_02.jpg) Scorpion on its Vertical Loop element | |
| Busch Gardens Tampa Bay | |
| Location | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay |
| Park section | Pantopia |
| Coordinates | 28°2′15″N 82°25′24.2″W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 16, 1980 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Designer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
| Model | Silverarrow |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 60.7 ft (18.5 m) |
| Length | 1,817.6 ft (554.0 m) |
| Speed | 41 mph (66 km/h) |
| Inversions | 1 |
| Duration | 1:30 |
| G-force | 3.5 |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
| Trains | Single train with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train. |
| Scorpion at RCDB Pictures of Scorpion at RCDB | |
History
Construction on the roller coaster began with the establishment of a new area in Busch Gardens: The Dark Continent, entitled Timbuktu, in February 1979.[1] In the early 1980s, the Timbuktu area of the park opened, with the Scorpion purportedly to open at a later date in Spring 1980.[2][3] Later on May 16, 1980, the Scorpion opened to the public.[4][5] In 2004, the Scorpion was repainted from its original paint scheme of orange track and black supports to red track with blue supports (a paint scheme similar to SheiKra).[5]
Ride experience
Scorpion has a fairly simple and twisted layout involving a single vertical loop as the signature element. After the train is carried 60 feet into the air, riders twist down a drop and pass through the single vertical loop element. Following the loop, the train goes through a pretzel turnaround and threads the vertical loop. The train circles around a 900° helix and enters the brake run.[4][6]
Characteristics
The ride was designed by Anton Schwarzkopf as one of his Silverarrow model looping coasters. Only three of these exist today, which includes Big Blue located at Fun Park Biograd in Biograd na Moru, Croatia and the other is known as Looping Star owned by the Rand Show in Johannesburg, South Africa.[7] The roller coaster's height restriction is only 42 inches (110 cm). The ride features a lap bar restraint.[8]
References
- "Busch Gardens Begins $12 Million Expansion". Lakeland Ledger. The New York Times Company. February 9, 1979. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- Kline, Jeff (January 26, 1980). "Timbuktu opening provides light moments at Dark Continent". Lakeland Ledger. The New York Times Company. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- "The Dark Continent brings life to Africa of Yesterday". Temple Terrace Beacon. April 10, 1980. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- Marden, Duane. "Scorpion - Busch Gardens Tampa (Tampa, Florida, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- McMorrow-Hernandez, Joshua (2017). Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Images of Modern America. Arcadia Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 9781467124959.
- Alvey, Robb (November 30, 2017). "Scorpion Roller Coaster Awesome 4K 60FPS Multi-Angle View Busch Gardens Tampa". Theme Park Review. Retrieved January 4, 2019 – via YouTube.
- Marden, Duane. "Silverarrow - All Models - Schwarzkopf (Münsterhausen, Bavaria, Germany)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- Marden, Duane. "Scorpion car - Busch Gardens Tampa (Tampa, Florida, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 3, 2019.