SIX
FLAGS GREAT AMERICA ANNOUNCES PLANS TO ELEVATE THRILLS TO THE
ULTIMATE EXTREME
RECORD BREAKING ADDITION OF TWO NEW COASTERS WILL MAKE
HISTORY AT SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA
GURNEE, ILLINOIS, March 2001 - Six Flags Great America
stunned the theme park world today by unveiling plans to erect
an unprecedented two new monster roller coasters, that promise
to stretch the limits of thrills for the 2001 season. "Today's
announcement is record breaking and history making for Six Flags
Great America," said Jim Wintrode, vice president and general
manager. "Never before has Six Flags Great America added
two world-class roller coasters in the same season. The introduction
of these rides thrusts the park's coaster count to an astounding
12, launching the park into the stratosphere of thrill parks."
Headlining this year's unparalleled addition at Six Flags Great
America is one of the most innovative advancement in coaster thrills
of the past ten years - Vertical Velocity (V2). Powered by state-of-the-art
Linear Induction Motors (LIMs), V2 challenges conventional thrills
by boldly going higher and faster. Originally developed for use
by NASA, Vertical Velocity's LIMs harness magnetic power to provide
pure acceleration, launching riders at 70 M.P.H. in less than
four seconds. V2 rockets suspended riders through 630 feet of
U-shaped, twisted steel track over water. Once fired out of the
station, the vehicle rockets up a 185-foot spiral tower providing
the ultimate techno-twist.
After traversing the first peak, the guests swoop backward through
the station and up a second, 185-foot tower. The ride repeats
twice with riders going vertical three times to the front and
two times to the back of the track. At the completion of the powerful,
lightning-fast journey, guests have ridden over 2,700 feet of
steel, challenging the laws of physics and gravity with pure Vertical
Velocity.
Complementing V2 is yet another powerhouse thrill machine, Déjà
Vu, the first of its kind in the world. Déjà Vu
is a twin thrill machine with tight pulsating curves and inclines
that will turn the heads of even the most avid thrill seeker.
Suspended in a single ski-lift style train, guests climb a 178-foot
tower at a 90-degree angle using "cable-lift" technology.
Déjà Vu pulls passengers up the tower faster and
quieter than conventional chain lifts. Thrill seekers then plummet
straight down and face down at 65 M.P.H. through a 110-foot high
boomerang turn and over the outside of a vertical loop.
The train then lifts up a second 178-foot tower using the cable
lift system. Once the vehicle has reached the top, guests will
be released and then travel the entire course again - backwards.
"Déjà Vu features several unique elements that
are all rolled into one ride experience," said Wintrode.
"Déjà Vu delivers a unique ride experience,
unmatched in size, speed and scale that can't be duplicated on
another coaster."
Scheduled to open in early spring, both coasters are currently
under construction. "This year the thrills at Six Flags Great
America will be unmatched," Wintrode concluded. "In
celebration of Six Flags' historic 40th anniversary, it is only
fitting that we add two coasters on the cutting-edge of thrills
and technology. The Six Flags brand has always been known for
producing thrill rides that can't be beat. In 2001, Six Flags
Great America will take our guests farther and faster than ever
before in this grand Six Flags tradition."
Six Flags, Inc. is the world's largest regional theme park company
with a total of 40 parks in North America, Europe and Latin America.
Six Flags parks serve 20 of the 25 largest metropolitan areas
in the United States. The parks annually host more than 50 million
guests worldwide. A publicly held corporation with corporate offices
in New York City and Oklahoma City, the company's stock trades
on the NYSE under the symbol: PKS
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