Great Coasters International

Great Coasters International
Industry Manufacturing
Founded 1994
Headquarters
Sunbury, Pennsylvania
,
U.S.
Area served
 Worldwide
Products Wooden roller coasters
Website greatcoasters.com

Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI or GCII) is a Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based roller coaster manufacturer which has created several award-winning rides since its formation in 1994. Starting in 2006 with Thunderbird at PowerPark in Finland, the company expanded beyond the United States and began building coasters in Europe and Asia. Günter Engelhardt GmbH handles the company's marketing rights in Europe. In addition to building new roller coasters, GCI also refurbishes and re-tracks existing roller coasters, regardless of manufacturer.

Since its founding in 2014, American company Skyline Attractions has provided its design and engineering services to GCI and now designs and engineers all of GCI's roller coasters. The coasters are known for their often curved drops, twisted layouts, and perception of high speed. Exciting elements such as the station fly-by and station fly-through have been incorporated in many of their layouts.

History

GCI was founded in 1994 by Mike Boodley and Clair Hain, Jr. Boodley was a coaster designer previously with Custom Coasters International and Hain had gained a reputation throughout the industry as a master coaster builder. In 1996, the firm opened Wildcat at Hersheypark which contained many of the signature elements the firm would soon become known for: tight sweeping curves, reminiscent of designs from the turn of the century by such noted coaster designers as Fred Church and Harry Traver. In 2005, Boodley retired and assigned Jeff Pike with the responsibility as lead designer for the firm. The first coaster that Pike is credited with is the Kentucky Rumbler at Beech Bend Park near Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Though GCI is capable of re-tracking roller coasters, they have not conducted many re-tracking projects. One of their most notable re-trackings was in 2016 for GhostRider at Knott's Berry Farm.

In November 2019 at an after party during the IAAPA convention, the company revealed a steel track prototype. The track is designed and engineered by Skyline Attractions and was later named Titan Track. The first installation of the track was a test section on White Lightning at Fun Spot America in September 2020.

Millennium Flyer trains

Troy at Toverland is one of GCI's roller coasters that runs Millennium Flyer trains

Most GCI-designed roller coasters run with in-house–designed articulated Millennium Flyer trains. The only exception is Roar at Six Flags America, which runs with Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters–designed trains. Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and GCI's first roller coaster, Wildcat at Hersheypark, also operated with PTC trains when they first opened, but both coasters were later modified to run with the Millennium Flyer trains. In 2016, when GCI retracked GhostRider, a Custom Coasters International wooden coaster at Knott's Berry Farm, they provided new Millennium Flyer trains. The following year, Wildcat at Lake Compounce also received Millennium Flyer trains, even though the coaster was made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters or PTC.

These trains are known for their cushioned seats, allowing riders to be comfortable during rides. These trains also contain individual lap bars which automatically lower and lock into a position to accommodate the rider, allowing quicker dispatch times. With their easily identified open, gate-like fronts, usually customized with the logo for the respective ride on which they are running, Millennium Flyer trains are styled similarly to trains seen during the golden age of rollercoasters.

GCI unveiled a new train design, the Infinity Flyer, at the 2018 IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida. The new train design was designed and engineered by Skyline Attractions and is capable of performing inversions and other elements.

List of roller coasters

As of 2019, Great Coasters International has built 29 roller coasters around the world.

Name Model Park Country Opened Status Ref
Wildcat Wood Support Structure Hersheypark United States 1996 Converted
Now known as Wildcat's Revenge
Roar Wood Support Structure Six Flags America United States 1998 Operating
Roar Wood Support Structure Six Flags Discovery Kingdom United States 1999 Converted
Now known as The Joker
Gwazi Wood Support Structure Busch Gardens Tampa United States 1999 Converted
Now known as Iron Gwazi
Lightning Racer Wood Support Structure Hersheypark United States 2000 Operating
Ozark Wildcat Wood Support Structure Celebration City United States 2003 Removed
Thunderhead Wood Support Structure Dollywood United States 2004 Operating
Thunderbird Wood Support Structure PowerPark Finland 2006 Operating
Kentucky Rumbler Wood Support Structure Beech Bend United States 2006 Operating
Renegade Wood Support Structure Valleyfair United States 2007 Operating
Troy Wood Support Structure Toverland Netherlands 2007 Operating
American Thunder
Formerly Evel Knievel 		Wood Support Structure Six Flags St. Louis United States 2008 Operating
El Toro Wood Support Structure Freizeitpark Plohn Germany 2009 Operating
Prowler Wood Support Structure Worlds of Fun United States 2009 Operating
Apocalypse The Ride
Formerly Terminator Salvation: The Ride 		Wood Support Structure Six Flags Magic Mountain United States 2009 Operating
Joris en de Draak Wood Support Structure Efteling Netherlands 2010 Operating
Wood Coaster Wood Support Structure Knight Valley China 2011 Operating
Wodan Timbur Coaster Wood Support Structure Europa Park Germany 2012 Operating
White Lightning Steel Support Structure Fun Spot America Orlando United States 2013 Operating
Gold Striker Wood Support Structure California's Great America United States 2013 Operating
Python in Bamboo Forest Wood Support Structure Nanchang Sunac Land China 2016 Operating
Jungle Dragon Wood Support Structure Happy Valley Chongqing China 2017 Operating
Heidi: The Ride Wood Support Structure Plopsaland Belgium 2017 Operating
InvadR Steel Support Structure Busch Gardens Williamsburg United States 2017 Operating
Mystic Timbers Wood Support Structure Kings Island United States 2017 Operating
Great Desert-Rally Wood Support Structure Happy Valley Chengdu China 2017 Operating
Wicker Man Wood Support Structure Alton Towers United Kingdom 2018 Operating
Wilkołak Wood Support Structure Majaland Kownaty Poland 2019 Operating
Texas Stingray Steel Support Structure SeaWorld San Antonio United States 2020 Operating
Bombay Express Steel Support Structure Bollywood Parks Dubai United Arab Emirates 2020 SBNO
Roaring Timbers Wood Support Structure Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park Vietnam 2022 Operating
The Anger of Yeti Steel Support Structure Fantasy Valley China 2023 Under Construction
Zambezi Zinger Steel Support Structure Worlds of Fun United States 2023 Operating
Colossus Steel Support Structure Six Flags Qiddiya Saudi Arabia TBD Under Construction

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