West Coast Racers is a dueling steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California. Manufactured by Premier Rides, the ride is a collaboration between West Coast Customs and Six Flags that was promoted as the world's first launch version of a racing roller coaster. After multiple delays and missing the 2019 summer season, the ride eventually debuted on December 21, 2019, in a series of preview events spanning several weeks. It officially opened to the public on January 9, 2020.[1] West Coast Racers is located in a newly-themed section of the park named The Underground, which replaced the former Cyclone Bay.[2][3]
History
Six Flags Magic Mountain revealed West Coast Racers during a media event held at the park on August 29, 2018,[4] along with a press release the following day.[5] Park president Neal Thurman and West Coast Customs Founder and CEO Ryan Friedlinghaus announced their partnership in the design of the roller coaster, which was touted as having a record-breaking four magnetic launches.[4][5] It would also feature four inversions – three zero-g rolls and one zero-g stall – along with 30 train interactions, which includes 14 track crossings and one "high-five" element across two laps around the course.[4][5] The coaster would reach a maximum speed of 55 mph (89 km/h) and feature a number of airtime hills and overbanked turns that will occur side-by-side.[4][5] West Coast Racers was originally marketed as the park's 20th coaster, but with the planned removal of Green Lantern: First Flight after the 2019 season, the park's total number of coasters remained at 19.[6]
Construction began months behind schedule in May 2019 following a delayed delivery of finished track.[7] The first pieces arrived reportedly later than expected in February 2019.[7] Six Flags did not release an expected opening date, but Theme Park Insider estimated fall 2019 based on the delayed start.[7] A construction update in July 2019 showed a significant amount of work left to complete.[8] In October 2019, a writer for USA Today said, "Speaking of Magic Mountain, the Los Angeles-area park has not revealed anything new for 2020. It still has yet to debut West Coast Racers..."[9]
On December 12, 2019, it was announced West Coast Racers would operate during a series of preview events beginning on December 21, 2019.[1][10] Access was given first to guests with select membership status, and on December 23, 2019, access was given to season pass holders, along with guests who purchased either a West Coast Racers t-shirt or the park's flash pass.[1][10] The ride officially opened to the general public on January 9, 2020.[11][12]
Ride experience
A pair of two-car trains, each holding a total of 12 riders, launch simultaneously from the station. They interact over thirty times throughout the course of the track, reaching a maximum speed of 55 mph (89 km/h) as the two trains cross the finish line. One pulls back into the station, while the other pulls into a replica of the West Coast Customs shop to listen to a narration given by Ryan Friedlinghaus. Both cars launch again and repeat the course for a second time, producing a ride duration of approximately three minutes.[13] Each side is a different color, one being white and the other yellow, switching halfway through.
