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.
October 24, 2009 at 15:44
nice its nice to have a big coster around my area i live in the va area in manassas a good drive but its still great.
November 4, 2009 at 18:17
looks like it`s got some realy good G`s..CFC you are SO lucky! how many people get to ride front seat in before anyone else on a gigacoaster!
PS-didn`t you say it was your dream job to work as a Desinger for B&M, or was that someone else.
November 5, 2009 at 13:49
Yeah, that was me. I know it's a Swiss company, but based on their rides, I really want to be a part of their designing team.
PS- QB3, are you going to be their when I305 opens next year? I can't wait to tell everyone about it!
November 6, 2009 at 04:02
sorry, i cant make it, i live in new york and that`s 7 hours away, plus since it`s openning day, the lines will be packed, no to mention the fact that theyre recieving I305 on he same day. above i said i cpouldn`t wait to ride it, but that`s beacause i may stop by all the cedar fair parks nearby soon.
November 6, 2009 at 22:25
That's too bad. I'll tell you what. It's a few months until opening, and I may forget, but if I can remember to, I'll email Coaster Critic on my ride experience so he can post it up here. I'm also starting a review page on my site, and I305 will be one of my first entries.
November 18, 2009 at 13:58
You know, those OTS straps look a lot like the new straps on Carolina Cobra. You think that they're copying Carowinds on this, because those straps and the Carolina Cobra straps look exactly alike.
November 18, 2009 at 14:25
Actually the Carolina cobra has a real ots behind the straps and if you look at a picture of these they are just straps not real ots restraints.
November 19, 2009 at 02:39
CFC, Cariwons is your home park right, so will you be able to ride I323?
November 19, 2009 at 14:28
It's I232, and yes, I will be able to ride it, that is if I can afford a ticket or season pass.
January 11, 2010 at 12:54
To answer that question, Quil, I just ran into a stroke of good luck. My uncle and cousins gave me an e-ticket for a Carowinds season pass next year! With my other uncle getting me on I305 on Opening Day at KD, I may get to ride both within two days of their openings! This is gonna be SWEET!
January 11, 2010 at 13:29
Lucky. Just kidding! But seriously, you are lucky, First Ride for Both!
April 24, 2010 at 08:13
the reason they have the OTS restraints is becuase after the first hill, the first turn has 5Gs…I greyed out…and alot of people blacked out. If your body goes limp from blacking out you could be seriously injured if you just have a lap bar and your body is unreponsive…so personally I appreciate the safety thoughts. You still get plenty of airtime on the first drop as well as the smaller hills even with the OTS bars.
June 22, 2010 at 15:46
This ride was awsome. It was the first coaster that I nearly blacked out on. The first drop is gnarly and all the turns are sweet too. Shoulder restraints weren't too bad but the air people are talking about isn't all that. El Toro in NJ was ALOT more air. I kinda feel like Toro is the wooden version of this ride. Intimidator was pretty darn good. Went on 20 coasters from OC to K.Dominion to 6 Flags in the last week and was for sure my 2nd fav. Love kings dominion atleast when we went because there were like NO LINES. can't beat waiting 10 minutes for a brand new coaster. Looking forward to Cedar Point in the next month or so…..Will compare after M. Force is conquered.
August 9, 2010 at 17:39
Incredible ride. Those were the first over-the-shoulder restraints that didn't cause head trauma. Ingenious design with the soft straps instead of the brutal plastic-covered metal. I believe they were needed considering the speed and intensity of this coaster, especially with the airtime on those camel humps. The ride itself defies adequate description. That was the biggest and best endorphin/adrenaline rush I've ever experienced on any of the hundreds of coasters I've ridden.
Bravo, Intamin!