UPDATE – 4/02/10 Intimidator 305′s open! Watch a POV video and leave or read a review here: Kings Dominion’s Intimidator 305 Reviews & POV Video
Intimidator 305 To Tower over Kings Dominion in 2010
Today, Kings Dominion (Doswell, VA) finally revealed the details of their 2010 roller coaster. It will be called Intimidator 305. It’s a fitting name because it will be more than 30 stories tall at 305′. Furthermore, the Intimidator 305 name reflects the ride’s NASCAR theming as its name is borrowed from “the most beloved and tenacious driver,” Dale Earnhardt Sr. The ride’s red steel track will change the skyline of Kings Dominion with a lift hill taller than the 275′ observation deck of the park’s Eiffel Tower replica. Intimidator 305 will feature:
The trains, fashioned after Dale Earnhardt’s signature black car, will roar through six airtime humps plus three high-speed turns and the experience will have guests screaming for another lap around the track.
The $25 million roller coaster will open in April of 2010. Visit Kings Dominion’s Intimidator 305 site for more information. Also, check out this video of Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion. Nice how the camera pans up from the now dwarfed Anaconda lift hill.:
Go here for pictures & images of Intimidator 305.
Coaster Geek Analyis: Intimidator is Millennium Force’s New Kid Brother
Cedar Fair decided to leave their flagship park, Cedar Point, with the tallest and fastest Giga Coaster in the U.S. They stopped within 5′ of Millennium Force’s peak when designing Intimidator. The 300′ drops are the same height, 
but Intimidator’s will be 5 degrees steeper. After that, the similarities end. Millennium Force was the world’s first giga coaster (roller coasters 300 to 399 feet tall) when it opened in 2000. It’s a fan favorite mainly for its height and speed. Read my full Millennium Force review.
Intimidator’s Layout
Packed with high speed, heavily banked turns, Intimidator looks to mimic those steep turns found on some NASCAR tracks. It’s a neat way to reference the theming, but I’d prefer airtime hills. According to the press release, Intimidator promises six airtime hills, with the last one ending with the magnetic brakes right before the station. I hope that they really do have some airtime, but I’m skeptical after my airless ride’s on Millennium Force. As long as half of them offer a brief pop of air, I’ll be happy.
Overall, Intimidator’s layout is a good 1,500 feet shorter than Millennium Force’s but it’s used pretty well. I am a sucker for tunnels, but that wouldn’t really go with the them. I would have like to have seen a long straight away at some point. The first hill could have dropped into a long straight away where you really feel the speed and then it could have thrown you into that first banked turn. But these are minor gripes. The layout doesn’t blow me away, but if you’re going to build a 5,100 long NASCAR-themed giga coaster that’s about the best you can do.
UPDATE – Over-the-Shoulder Straps = Good News!!
So ScreamScape has gotten to the bottom of the over-the-shoulder-restraint controversy. Early pictures and animations showed what everyone believed to be dreaded over-the-shoulder restraints. Lance called John Pagel from Kings Dominion and Pagel described the restraints as “over the shoulder straps”. Here’s a screen capture (to the left) of the straps restraints on Intamin’s Tornado at Bakken. It’s a pretty new system so I can see why there was so much confusion. I don’t think these will be half as bad as real over the shoulder restraints. The main issue with those is of course the head banging. That doesn’t look possible with these straps. Lance also speculated a while back that using a different restraint system than Millennium Force’s lap bars may allow for more larger riders. No one likes to be turned away from a roller coaster. Especially after facing the insanely long waits Intimidator will likely have.
Looking for information on Carowinds’ Intimidator? Visit my post here.
What’s Your Take?
What do you think of Kings Dominion’s new 305′ monster? Leave a comment below.
August 20, 2009 at 08:37
Looks great! It mixes Millenium Forces first drop and speed with the lowness and quick turns of maverick…looks like it will be great! Only thing I couldnt tell…were those OTS restraints in the video?
August 20, 2009 at 08:40
Yep…OTS lap restraints, like on Kingda Ka…great. Thats going to ruin the fun, the reasons why millenium force and TTD are SO great is because the lap bar is smaller than a roll of paper towels. Not to say I don't want to go on it, looks great, but still.
Oh, and whats with the chevy logo on the front? ….
April 9, 2010 at 08:45
The roller coaster is dedicated to Dale Earnhardt, the famous Nascar racer who died about 6 years ago, and that was on the front of his car, and with these new restraints, don't worry about banging your head, you only get to bang up your neck instead and get extreme whiplash on the turns, how exciting!
August 20, 2009 at 10:33
not worth all the hype… whens the carowinds thingy?
August 20, 2009 at 10:56
I was expecting way more than this…Diamondback is longer and better than this.
August 20, 2009 at 11:08
This reminds me more of big Maverick than a small Millennium. OH and the chevy logo on the front is because the trains are themed to Dale Earnhardt's car.
August 20, 2009 at 11:10
Oh and by the way, coaster critic, the page for carowinds that you redirected the last chat to isn't working.
August 20, 2009 at 11:18
it is so not better than the millenium force!
August 20, 2009 at 11:22
it is slower than millie shorter than millie and way less amout of track too..my fav ride is millie at cp it also looks like is going to KILL MY NECK LIKE THAT STUPID RIDE MAVRICK……..ITS GOOD IN ALL BUT ITS HURTS ME!!!
WELL THIS NEW COASTER IS A BUMMMMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 20, 2009 at 11:47
^ all the stats of new coaster 2010>>>……..
August 20, 2009 at 12:04
THE LATEST
Kings Dominion to Introduce $25 Million Steel Giga-Coaster In 2010
Intimidator 305 will be the Biggest, Baddest and Meanest on the East Coast
Doswell, VA. (Aug. 20, 2009) – The most exciting ride in Kings Dominion’s 35-year history will debut in the spring of 2010, as the amusement park introduces a mammoth 5,100-foot long steel Giga-coaster. Intimidator 305 takes its name from one of stock car racing’s most beloved and tenacious drivers, Dale Earnhardt, “the Intimidator™” along with the height of the coaster’s lift hill, 305 feet.
Intimidator 305, only the second Giga-coaster ever built in North America, will be the tallest and fastest roller coaster of its type on the East Coast. The lift hill will stand a towering 305 feet at its highest peak; descend 300 feet at an 85 degree-angle and thunder along the track at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour during its three minute race to the finish. The trains, fashioned after Dale Earnhardt’s signature black car, will roar through six airtime humps plus three high-speed turns and the experience will have guests screaming for another lap around the track.
“Intimidator 305 will break records as the single largest capital investment in the history of Kings Dominion,” said Pat Jones, Kings Dominion’s vice president and general manager. “The numbers speak for themselves, at a cost of $25 million, a lift hill and first drop close to the height of the park’s landmark Eiffel Tower; you’ll have to see it to believe it.” Intimidator 305 will be located in the park’s Congo section and becomes Kings Dominion’s 15th world-class roller coaster.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. will partner with Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, owner of Kings Dominion, to bring the massive coaster to life. “We’re excited to see this new roller coaster celebrate the speed and intensity of the legendary career of Dale Earnhardt,” said Jeff Steiner, executive vice president and general manager of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. “There are millions of fans that still honor their racing hero and this is a very real way for them to connect with the spirit and passion of the Intimidator™.”
Guests will have the opportunity to see the ride being built from the ground up during the remainder of the park’s 2009 season, as well as follow its progress by watching the online webcam, set up to overlook the entire work site. Those who cannot wait until 2010 may take a virtual ride on Intimidator 305, access exclusive updates, features, virtual renderings, ride statistics, and more at http://www.intimidator305.com.
Intamin AG of Wollerau, Switzerland, a recognized industry leader in roller coaster development, designed Intimidator 305. The ride is scheduled to open in the spring of 2010.
Kings Dominion is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Kings Dominion, Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, six waterparks, one indoor waterpark resort, and five hotels. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, Calif. under a management contract.
August 20, 2009 at 14:45
Anything else?
OSTRs are a TERRIBLE thing, but thats that.
What I think about the layout-
-First Drop- That will be the best drop EVER!!!!!!
-First Turn- Probably forceless
-Next Hill- Probably airless
-Odd bunny hop- Not sure what to make of it
-Bunch of turns- Those transitions could be pretty nasty…
-Two hills- Possible floater
Non-inverting corkscrew and rise onto brakes- Air, but could hurt.
This coaster could be TOGO 2, or Superm- I mean Bizzaro 2.
Hard to tell.
August 20, 2009 at 15:49
That's enough 'Cedar Point Critic'. I think you've met your quota for the month. I just deleted about 10 of your comments. Here are some tips for you. Please only post if you're furthering the discussion. Also, try to say the 4 or 5 things you want to say in ONE comment.
Everyone else is fine. Please comment away.
JaMeS, the Carowinds thingy is next Wednesday, August 26th. I got an invite to the media event, but I won't be able to make it. I'll have a post up about it soon that afternoon though.
August 20, 2009 at 17:34
Well coaster critic since you can't go maybe you could redirect your invite to me and then mail a plane ticket to me too
August 20, 2009 at 18:17
Michael, I'd send you if I could. Can't afford the plane ticket though.
And thanks for point out the broken link guys. I fixed it.
August 20, 2009 at 19:09
aww bummer. and your welcome about the link
August 20, 2009 at 19:18
I've done "Superman" at DC's 6 flags; "Magnum" at Cedar Point 10 yrs ago (prior to Mill Force); and did "Apollo's Chariot" at Busch Garden's this summer–2009. What I liked about A.Chariot, is that it is a simply lap bar that lets you move and look around. I'm afraid that this stupid OTS is going to RUIN this massive $25 Million rollercoaster. I mean, I'll still ride it, BUT IF cedar/Kings was smart, they'd redesign and place just lap bars on this giga coaster. Is it too late to start a petition and tell them? LOL
August 20, 2009 at 21:24
One of the best reasons WHY MF and TTD scare you is due to the lack of restraints. The ones on millie are SO SMALL! IT FEELS GREAT! THIS IS SUCH A STUPID IDEA!
August 21, 2009 at 05:48
UGH. This roller coaster looks great and all, but they wasted a lot of good airtime opps. The airtime hills look ALRIGHT, but of course the shoulder harnesses will mess it up too. Nothing does airtime like the backseat of El Toro.
But Kings Dominion really did need a big coaster like this, for a while there they were kind of dying with "Dominator", my least favorite B&M, and only a few good coasters. Hopefully this will put them on the map more.
August 21, 2009 at 06:32
Kings Dominion has so much freakin space, that I think I would have let the first hill have some MORE fun, like Appollo's Chariot, with a "straight away" for a while, instead of having it jerk you to the right into a turn directly after this mega hill. There's something about riding it straight for awhile instead of going directly into a right turn. What do you guys think?
August 21, 2009 at 15:38
The Intimidator could put Kings Dominion as a close second to Cedar Point in terms of rides… but really, shoulder restraints?
August 21, 2009 at 17:27
And to think the PG rated talk is no longer applied to any of us, even though its still there…