Construction on Six Flags Magic Mountain’s newest roller coaster has been moving forward as they work to lay some of the 4,000 feet of track that will make up West Coast Racers.
This coaster will not only be the world’s first racing launch coaster, but will also allow Magic Mountain to take back the world record of having the most roller coasters, according to park President Neal Thurman.
The new racing coaster will feature two side-by-side tracks with four separate high-speed launches, the first of its kind, Thurman said.
Riders will go two laps while racing the cars on the other track, complete with a “pit stop experience” between laps, while reaching speeds of up to 55 mph during the 3-minute ride, according to Director Tim Dofflow.
Dofflow also confirmed that the winner of each race will not be predetermined, as a lot of that will be based on the weight put in each car, which is what he said makes the coaster so unique.
One of the biggest challenges in building this coaster has been coordinating shipping as the columns were made in both Lancaster and China while the track was made in Italy, Thurman said.
“The section over the go carts is one of the most complex ever built on a roller coaster, so complex that they put it together in the shop in China to make sure everything fit together well, then took it apart and put on the truck to send this way,” Thurman added. “They don’t usually do that.”
This coaster has been produced in partnership with West Coast Customs, an automobile repair shop that focuses on vehicle customization, with the entrance modeled to look exactly like their headquarters in Corona.
The area surrounding the coaster has also been renovated and will be L.A.-themed, including a new street taco restaurant, an open space for events, such as car shows, as well as the return of the Coaster Candy Co.
Apocalypse, a wooden coaster, has also been re-tracked during the renovations and the Go Karts will reopen under the track of the new coaster, which Thurman said will make them even more exciting to ride.
“It’s going to be full of life and full of activity,” Thurman said. “In the entire area, the coaster wraps all around you, so there’s action going on all around you.”
The ride will even use the park’s wash that has already been in place to appear as if the coaster is going through parts of the L.A. River, which is a classic scene depicted in a lot of racing movies.
“We’ve utilized all the property we absolutely can, including the wash,” Dofflow said. “The idea behind this is racing, and that element lives here in Southern California — everybody loves it.”
An official opening day for the new coaster has not yet been determined, but Dofflow confirmed that it will be opened later this year.
