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Racer runs backwards?


CP&LERR Fan
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Yes, one side of The Racer was turned backwards in 1982 to compensate with the excessive downtime and closures that The Bat faced.

It ran backwards from that time until it was turned forward again in 2008. One person who knows more about The Racer than anyone on here is Mr. Racer himself, Don Helbig.

Originally thought it was done in 2007, so The Racer ran backwards for the first full year of Cedar Fair ownership.

Edited by Andrew
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I think one of the most popular questions for people who are season pass holders is if The Racer will ever run backwards again. It's probably not going to happen again. But who knows maybe next year it will. Only time will tell.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Does anyone else feel old since it felt like just yesterday that they announced that they were going to run both sides forward, and we're already getting, "Is it true that one side used to be backward?" topics? :)

Then again, I met an employee at the first KIC Day who was shocked to hear that Paramount once owned the park.

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Tis all up to PTC.

Unless'n there's a train change.

I don't see that happening!

Actually it is Ohio state law that is keeping the coaster from going backwards. I believe it is all rides must run as they are recommended and originally built to do without modification. Basically PTC, while allowing their trains to be run backwards, recommends all their trains be run forwards.

The stupid factor on this whole debacle is through the roof!

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Here is what I don't get, and the stupidity in laws sometimes. Kings Island has roughly 2 decades of data about the effects of running the Race backwards. I don't recall any serious injuries, nor any specifically harmful effects on the track, but before the web, that kind of information wasn't as readily available as it is today (imagine if black friday were to happen today, rather than a time before everyone was "logged on")

I loved the backwards racer, I loved the front/back seat, seeing where I've been, not where I was going, not being able to as acurately gauge when the next air time was coming, when we were about to bank left and turn back around. I understand the intent of the law, and its certainly there for good reason, but 20 years of solid data trumps any manufacturers recommendations in my book. If Cedar Fair/Kings Island wanted to run The Racer backwards again (and pehaps there are good reasons beyond the legal/insurability aspect of this issue that they don't), I think that 20 years should be good enough to have a waiver granted.

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