Having been a member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) for over thirty years, I've been afforded many chances to attend media day for new rides. That's the day when news anchors and other celebrities take their first rides with TV cameras aimed at them. They sit in the front row and we ACE members fill in the rest of the seats so it looks like a full trainload of people showed up to ride as well. It offers a chance for us to appear on TV and sometimes hobnob a bit with television personalities.
Recently, I attended media day for a new coaster out at my home park, Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia CA. For these media events with news feeds to all areas of the country, we need to be in place by 4:00am so that people in the Eastern time zone can see us at 7:00am local time. I was in my seat at 3:50am and ready to go. We all know that people are out riding roller coasters in the wee hours of the night or early morning. Perfectly...normal...
For whatever reason, I didn't take any photos or shoot any video of the ride in action and people riding it. We weren't allowed to photograph or shoot video aboard the ride without permission, so I played by the rules for once. I did get ahold of a video from the park, and the link to it is later in this post. On another note, I noticed that the ride warning sign said that "Guests with Diabetes should not ride." Interesting and a first for me, so I took a photo of it. I rode anyway, thus breaking a rule. I am a rebel.
Regarding this sign, I had a chance to speak with the park president, Neal Thurman. He said that any requirements found in the ride manufacturer's manual will be included on the sign in the park. But still...how would having diabetes affect a person's health or safety while riding a roller coaster? Maybe if it's a really sweet ride...
On a side note, I wasn't aware that diabetes was a proper disease, being that it was capitalized on that sign. Not a big deal, but when you're an officer on the Spelling and Grammar Police force, you notice these things. You just can't help it, and breaking a lifelong habit isn't easy.
West Coast Racers is the second coaster in the park built by Premier Rides, Inc. (The other one is Full Throttle, which opened in 2012. I was at that ride's media day event, too, though for some reason I never wrote about it.) Premier is an American company, but like many American companies, some of their products are manufactured overseas. Such was apparently the case for West Coast Racers. It is my understanding that the track was made in both China and Italy, making this ride something of an international collaboration. Six Flags announced West Coast Racers around Labor Day in 2018 and, like most attractions, it was expected to open Memorial Day weekend in 2019 along with the newly themed area of the park where it's located (formerly Cyclone Bay, now The Underground). A lot of rain early in 2019, delays of delivery of ride track, and other issues caused a six-month delay of the project.
The Underground and West Coast Racers are officially open as of this writing, so if you want to experience them, get out to the park. If you'd like a little preview before you actually climb aboard, click here. This video was provided by Six Flags Magic Mountain.
On a side note, I wasn't aware that diabetes was a proper disease, being that it was capitalized on that sign. Not a big deal, but when you're an officer on the Spelling and Grammar Police force, you notice these things. You just can't help it, and breaking a lifelong habit isn't easy.
West Coast Racers is the second coaster in the park built by Premier Rides, Inc. (The other one is Full Throttle, which opened in 2012. I was at that ride's media day event, too, though for some reason I never wrote about it.) Premier is an American company, but like many American companies, some of their products are manufactured overseas. Such was apparently the case for West Coast Racers. It is my understanding that the track was made in both China and Italy, making this ride something of an international collaboration. Six Flags announced West Coast Racers around Labor Day in 2018 and, like most attractions, it was expected to open Memorial Day weekend in 2019 along with the newly themed area of the park where it's located (formerly Cyclone Bay, now The Underground). A lot of rain early in 2019, delays of delivery of ride track, and other issues caused a six-month delay of the project.
The Underground and West Coast Racers are officially open as of this writing, so if you want to experience them, get out to the park. If you'd like a little preview before you actually climb aboard, click here. This video was provided by Six Flags Magic Mountain.
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