Roller coaster at Six Flags America
The Joker's Jinx
is a
steel roller coaster
at
Six Flags America
in
Prince George's County, Maryland
. The ride utilizes
linear induction motor
technology to launch the train from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in just over three seconds.
The Joker's Jinx was designed by
Premier Rides
and manufactured by Intermountain Lift, Inc.
[2]
History
[
edit
]
In the fall of 1998, pieces of green
Premier Rides
roller coaster track were spotted on the park's property.
[3]
On October 28, 1998, it was announced that Adventure World would be renamed Six Flags America and feature three new roller coasters, including Joker's Jinx. Joker's Jinx would be an LIM spaghetti bowl launch coaster by
Premier Rides
. It was to be located in a brand new 6-acre (0.024 km
2
) Gotham City section, which would be entered by passing under
The Wild One
roller coaster.
[4]
Construction of Joker's Jinx began in December 1998 and was completed in late March 1999. On April 4, 1999, the ride performed its first test runs.
[5]
Joker's Jinx officially opened on May 8, 1999.
Joker's Jinx was repainted with a brighter green track in 2020.
[6]
Ride Layout
[
edit
]
Joker's Jinx is located in the
Gotham City
section of the park near
Superman: Ride of Steel
roller coaster and
Whistlestop Park
. After boarding Joker's Jinx, riders are launched through a narrow launch tunnel into a "spaghetti bowl" of track which contains a
cobra roll
, a sidewinder, and many twists and turns. The coaster doesn't have a mid-course
brake run
like the similar rides at
Kings Island
and
Kings Dominion
; instead the coaster has multiple rings that the train goes through. After the rings, riders spiral downward and to the left, and after more twists and turns they pass through a
corkscrew
before arriving at the ride's final brake run.
Premier Rides built several of these LIM Catapult roller coasters from 1996 to 1999, although only the two
Flight of Fear
rides are indoors. The other outdoor LIM Catapult coaster in the United States is
Poltergeist
at
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
; that opened in 1999. In addition, a LIM Catapult coaster called Mad Cobra operated at
Suzuka Circuit
in Japan from 1998?2003; Mad Cobra was moved to China and reopened at Kingdoms of Discovery in 2006.
[7]
[8]
The five Premier LIM catapult coasters share a similar layout and have the same technical specifications.
Premier Rides gave the
trains
an overhaul in 2002 and replaced the restraints with lap bars.
[9]
Ride Elements
[
edit
]
Awards
[
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]
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster
|
Year
|
2000
|
2001
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
Ranking
|
137
|
134
|
143
|
115
|
113
|
121
|
150
|
Incidents
[
edit
]
On April 13, 2017, a train stalled 100 feet (30 m) off the ground at a 30-degree angle stranding 24 riders. They were evacuated safely, and there were no reported injuries.
[10]
[11]
The roller coaster was stuck in the same position it was in when a similar incident occurred in 2014, where it took more than four hours to evacuate the stranded riders.
[12]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Kraft, Randy (July 4, 1999).
"SUPERMAN RIDE OF STEEL MUSCLES ITS WAY ON SCENE"
. The Morning Call.
- ^
"Amusement"
. Intermountain Lift, Inc. July 30, 2011. Archived from
the original
on November 8, 2014
. Retrieved
September 5,
2014
.
- ^
"Track Spotted At Adventure World"
. Ultimate Rollercoaster.
- ^
"New Rides Announced For The New Six Flags Parks"
. Ultimate Rollercoaster.
- ^
Stilwell, Andrew (September 16, 2019).
"19 for '99: Joker's Jinx at Six Flags America"
. Coaster101
. Retrieved
November 27,
2020
.
- ^
"Joker's Jinx"
. Baynum Painting Inc
. Retrieved
February 14,
2021
.
- ^
Marden, Duane.
"Mad Cobra (Suzuka Circuit)"
.
Roller Coaster DataBase
. Retrieved
9 July
2011
.
- ^
Marden, Duane.
"Mad Cobra (Discoveryland)"
.
Roller Coaster DataBase
. Retrieved
9 July
2011
.
- ^
Marden, Duane.
"Joker's Jinx (Six Flags America)"
.
Roller Coaster DataBase
. Retrieved
9 July
2011
.
- ^
"Officials rescue over a dozen people stuck on Six Flags roller coaster in Maryland"
. Fox News. April 13, 2017
. Retrieved
April 16,
2017
.
- ^
Menza, Kaitlin (April 16, 2017).
"These People Trapped on a Roller Coaster Are Living Your Nightmare"
. Seventeen
. Retrieved
April 16,
2017
.
- ^
Boyette, Chris (April 13, 2017).
"For two dozen, getting stuck on Six Flags ride no joking matter"
. CNN
. Retrieved
April 16,
2017
.
External links
[
edit
]
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