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The Racer or The Beast


IndyGuy4KI
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Even though The Beast is my favorite coaster, I have to go with The Racer on this one. It was the success of The Racer that lead to the second coaster boom in the early 70's. If The Racer wasn't the success that it was, we probably don't get The Beast or any of the coasters today.

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51 minutes ago, Kyle100991 said:

Even though The Beast is my favorite coaster, I have to go with The Racer on this one. It was the success of The Racer that lead to the second coaster boom in the early 70's. If The Racer wasn't the success that it was, we probably don't get The Beast or any of the coasters today.

I  agree with you.

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My humble vote goes to The Beast.

I am a big fan of The Racer.  Without it, The Beast would not likely exist, and I would love to see The Racer restored to its red, white, blue, smooth, racing, and backwards glory.

The Racer absolutely helped the public fall in love with wooden coasters again.  It was "just" a bigger version of what riders were familiar with (Shooting Star).

But The Beast defined how a coaster could be huge, "epic", and have a personality.  A story.  An immersive experience before, during, and after.

Much of this is due to the hidden setting that had to be ridden to be known, and even the logo.  Just look at this logo.  It looks like a poster for a great horror movie. Riding The Beast, especially at night, was like experiencing that movie.

We are so lucky to have both Beast and Racer in one park!

 

The Beast.jpg

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I have to go with The Beast on this one.  The trip through the terrain, especially on a clear, moonlit night, is a an experience that can't be equaled by anything or anywhere else.  Even during the day, The Beast give you the sense that you really are running through the forest trying to get away from something.  And with nothing but trees around you, that experience has worked incredible well for over 40 years.

Don't get me wrong.  The Racer is a historic, classic ride.  It's a throwback to an classic coaster era that we will probably never see again.  As others have pointed out, it spawned a number of great woodies of the era including two of my personal faves: Screamin' Eagle at SFSTL (also designed by Allen and, like The Beast, runs through some terrain) and the American Eagle at SFGAm (not designed by Allen, but a coaster 100% inspired by The Racer). 

We are fortunate KI continues to maintain these two historic rides.  And love it or hate it, I would have put Vortex in that historic ride category.  Let's hope neither The Beast nor The Racer ever meet the same fate.

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On 10/17/2020 at 11:39 AM, Buckeye Brad said:

But The Beast defined how a coaster could be huge, "epic", and have a personality. 

I would have initially voted for The Racer, for most of the reasons listed in this thread, but this point about The Beast is what makes it the winner. for me  The Beast made KI a destination, in the sense that people from around the country (world?) who otherwise wouldn't have been to KI, had to get there to check out The Beast.  I'm not the historian many others on here are, especially when it comes to other parks.  But how many other parks at the time had a ride as grandiose and magnificent as The Beast?  What other parks/attractions would people have said "I have to visit this park just so I can experience this ride?"  I'm sure there were others, but not many.  KI dreamed big, took a huge swing, and built something most people wouldn't have ever conceived in their own imaginations.  Doing it almost completely in-house just makes it even more impressive.  I think it ultimately influenced how other parks thought about coasters.  It changed the perception of what a coaster could be, in a way that led to bigger, faster, and more epic thrill rides.

I'm biased, because I grew up as a kid in the 80s and early 90s, and The Beast always just had this aura.  You could see the lift hills from various points in the park, and the paw prints leading you there meant The Beast was always in the back of your mind, whenever you were in the park.  I still get chills and butterflies when I approach the queue to ride The Beast.  So maybe those feelings warp my view of it.  But I still think objectively, you can't deny the impact it had, simply due to its magnitude and uniqueness.

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17 minutes ago, wabashcr said:

I would have initially voted for The Racer, for most of the reasons listed in this thread, but this point about The Beast is what makes it the winner. for me  The Beast made KI a destination, in the sense that people from around the country (world?) who otherwise wouldn't have been to KI, had to get there to check out The Beast.  I'm not the historian many others on here are, especially when it comes to other parks.  But how many other parks at the time had a ride as grandiose and magnificent as The Beast?  What other parks/attractions would people have said "I have to visit this park just so I can experience this ride?"  I'm sure there were others, but not many.  KI dreamed big, took a huge swing, and built something most people wouldn't have ever conceived in their own imaginations.  Doing it almost completely in-house just makes it even more impressive.  I think it ultimately influenced how other parks thought about coasters.  It changed the perception of what a coaster could be, in a way that led to bigger, faster, and more epic thrill rides.

I'm biased, because I grew up as a kid in the 80s and early 90s, and The Beast always just had this aura.  You could see the lift hills from various points in the park, and the paw prints leading you there meant The Beast was always in the back of your mind, whenever you were in the park.  I still get chills and butterflies when I approach the queue to ride The Beast.  So maybe those feelings warp my view of it.  But I still think objectively, you can't deny the impact it had, simply due to its magnitude and uniqueness.

I agree with this so much! Regarding wooden coasters, I don't know any other coaster that has been around for this long while remaining ever so popular. Especially compared with other coasters from the era, no other wooden coaster still draws in as much of a crowd at 41 years old other than The Beast. Sure there's El Toro, Lightning Rod,  The Voyage, etc, but none of those have been around for nearly as long, and Beast stands out as something different. Instead of focusing on elements, it really feels as if it's an experience unlike no other, especially during a night ride.

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 The Beast wouldn't exist without The Racer since it probably wouldn't have been built if Kings Island wasn't as successful as it was in the early seventies. However, I have to go with The Beast here. The question is asking which had the most significance and, while The Racer was the start of the coaster boom, The Beast was the one who got it rolling by making parks strive for bigger and better. I don't think there was any coaster before The Beast that people had such a strong loyalty to, but now that designers are striving to create more unique and intense experiences there is a mountain of coasters with a huge fan bases and are renowned around the world.  It's truly impressive how, even 40 years later, The Beast is gathering more and more loyal fans. Honestly I am one of them. The Beast is one of my favorite coasters. It's setting and temperament makes it one of the most memorable coaster I've ever ridden. Every ride has a different feel each time because every little thing can change the experience( the time of day, the time of year, the whether, if there is a breeze or not, how much you feel the trims, etc..). It's truly a special ride.  

Basically what I'm trying to say is, The Racer is a classic that helped kick started the modern coaster industry but The Beast is a legend that changed the industry forever.    

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17 hours ago, Honorarius said:

I think if you're going off of 'significance on the amusement and theme park industry' I'd have to go with The Racer... I think a lot of people are answering different questions though...

I agree with what you are saying. Racer started a new boom of Wood coasters and we may not have the amount of wood coasters across the globe without it. 

I think The Beast ignited a spark to the industry of what a wood coaster can do besides just being an out and back.

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