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California's Great America to open a Great Coasters
International wooden coaster in 2013 : Gold Striker
Update : 20:42Published by François Mayné the 3 September 2012, New.
The amusement park California's Great America, located in Santa Clara in Northern California, announced that it would open in 2013 Gold Striker, a new wooden roller coaster whose design and construction have been entrusted to the Sunbury based manufacturer Great Coasters International.
Custom designed for the park, Gold Striker's track will be 975 meters (3,197 ft) long and 33 meters (108.2 ft) high. The highlights of the ride will be the 31.5 meters (103.3 ft) double-down spiraling first drop around the Star Tower observation tower, a 80° banking (found at the “Midway” curve) and a station fly-by.
Great Coasters International will provide two Millennium Flyer trains of 24 seats (12 rows of 2 equipped with lap bars) that will reach a top speed of 86 kmp (53.7 mph) for an estimated capacity of 850 riders per hour.
“Gold Striker reflects our commitment to providing our guests with the best thrills and entertainment value in the region,” California’s Great America Vice-President and General Manager Raul Rehnborg said. “This ride was uniquely designed by melding together the highest performing and most exciting features of the very best wooden roller coasters in the world. Everyone who enjoys the thrills of riding a roller coaster will want to experience Gold Striker.”
The name of Gold Striker was chosen in reference to gold seekers who rushed to California at the late 19th century. Some themed elemets will be installed around the station to recall this era. During the teasing campaign that preceeded the official announcement, the ride was called "Au13", which is a mix between the chemical symbol of gold and the year 2013.
In September 2011, Cedar Fair announced the sale of California's Great America to a developer for $70 million, officially for the reason that it was an attractive business opportunity for the Group following a review of its property portfolio. After the abandonment of the sale proceedings by the developer a few weeks later, Cedar Fair had finally announced its choice to retain ownership of the park and its willingness to make new investments in capital to expand its business, all in collaboration with the authorities of Santa Clara.
The vertical construction of what will soon be the eighth roller coaster of the park is underway and the opening scheduled for next spring. For more details and construction photos, please visit www.cagreatamerica.com/goldstriker.
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