World Record Riding Coasters

[Terentius]

As I write this Richard Rodriguez is still riding coasters in Germany for the longest continues rollercoaster ride. Breaking the previous record of 35 hours he is now at 70 hours and still going strong.
Every 8 hours he is entitled to a 15 minute break and he changes to a smaller coaster at night so he can get some sleep.

Anybody able to find out what rides he's riding? I assume it's expedition Geforce but the smaller one?

Google results in his previous attempts and the park's site is slooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwww

[Xzentrificenceo]

Umm isn't his record 2000 hours? He set that back in umm the year 2000. David Ellis had the privlige of riding with him for a couple of days.

[Terentius]

Not continuously, he only did about 10 hours a day back then

[Xzentrificenceo]

No I believe that is was continuios. I now give you a quote from Mr. Ellis as posted in the David Ellis forum at the URCT.


"Well done again! Your research is pretty good!
I actually rode with Richard for 2000 minutes (best part of two days and nights) as a mini-marathon, when he rode for 2000 hours (nearly 3 months). This was all day and all night, continuous!

For a bit of fun, can you guess how many miles Richard clocked-up on that marathon? I will post the answer in a couple of days, if it hasn't been guessed.

David."



See I was right. NANANA

[T_5]

Hi Xzentrificeo!

I just read this and I have to say, I agree with Terentius, check the URCT for more details!

[Spam_POLICE]

It seems that you two need halp with the answer, any one seen David Ellis lately? I think he would be able to clear the question.

[T_5]

Ananova (http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_800015.html)

[David Ellis]

Hello there,

I am a bit puzzled by the latest record. Under the Guinness Book of Records rules a rider can take 5 minutes rest per hour (which is what Richard did in 2000 when he rode for 2000 hours). Effectively he rode for 22 hours a day.

This new record only allows 15 minutes break in 8 hours (23 hours 15 minutes per day), which is completely different to the Guinness rules. I am none the wiser as to why there are so many rules and records out there!

The smaller coaster is probably the Superwirbel, a Vekoma Corkscrew. I believe Richard did a looping record-setting marathon in his earlier years on the same coaster.

David.

[T_5]

It was under the Guinness rules apparently.

Unfortunately, the Guinness site leaves much to be desired in that area.

Are you in contact with him in any way? Maybe convince him to post here :)

[bambi eyes]
P-p-p-p-pllllllllllllleassssse?
[/bambi-eyes]

[David Ellis]

I did have an email address for Richard but I think he has changed it, as the last few mails I have sent him have bounced back.

Rumour has it that he will be back in Blackpool next year to extend his Big Dipper Marathon Record (currently 2000 hours).

David.

[Harpo]

Does anyone know what the record is for the largest number of unique coasters ridden? (I'd love to challenge for that record, but I'm sure I'm a LOOOOOOONG ways off! But, knowing the current number would give me something to shoot for, so if anyone knows it, I'd be most appreciative if you'd post it!)

[Squid2]

Largest number I've heard is over 500, for the editor of Rollercoaster Magazine... so, we both have a long way to go! Besides, there's an estimated 2000 coasters in the world, I believe... so he's got a 1/4 of them covered.

Squid2

[Harpo]

I'm not sure how accurate their data is, but RCDB indicates a worldwide coaster count of 1696.

I know I've seen some folks with over 500 coasters, but I've not yet seen anyone with over 600.

[David Ellis]

I know someone in ACE who has ridden over 800 coasters. I don't know the exact number though.

David.

[Squid2]

Okay, make it about a 1/3 of them covered. :D I thought the rcdb database had around 2000. Guess I was off in my estimate.

Squid2

[6000000flags]

Originally posted by Squid2
Okay, make it about a 1/3 of them covered. :D I thought the rcdb database had around 2000. Guess I was off in my estimate.

Squid2
At least its a estimate

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[Squid2]

Digging up really, really old topics, are we now? :D

Squid2

[Hyde244]

Well, I remember I saw this guy on the news once for his record, and I remember one of the many things he would do while riding coasters was to read a newspaper.

[leonardofury]

Coincidentally how many coasters are you and Harpo each on Squid?

I think I've ridden less than 20!

[Squid2]

Roughly, 14 or so for me.

A children's coaster at my grade school fair.
Georgia Cyclone
Dahlonega Mine Train
Dahlonega Mini Mine Train
Great American Scream Machine
Superman: Ultimate Flight
Viper
Mindbender
Wild Lightning
Wacky Worm
Cannonball
Apollo's Chariot
Big Bad Wolf
Wild Maus
Loch Ness Monster

Squid2

[RCT2head]

:p I beat you!!!
23:
All rides @ BGW,
All rides @ BGT,
All rides @ King's Dominion,
And Whatever Disney World had in about '95

[Frito]

Anaconda, Grizzly, Hurler, Scooby Doo Ghost Coaster, Volcano, Hypersonic XLC, Richochet, Rebel Yell, Shockwave, Galaxie (gone now), Flight of Fear, Avalance = 12 @ PKD

Beast, Son of Beast, Vortex, Racer, Face Off, Top Gun, Adventure Express. I'll go ahead and count King Cobra and Flight of Fear, even though they PKD has the same coasters) = 10 @ PKI

Apollos Chariot, Big Bad Wolf, Alpengeist, Loch Ness Monster. Also, Drachen Fire and Wild Maus, both of which are, sadly, no longer at BGW. = 6 @ BGW

Blue Streak, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Corkscrew, Disaster Transport, Gemini, Iron Dragon, Magnum XL-200, Mantis, Millenium Force, Raptor, Wicked Twister, Wildcat = 12 @ Cedar Point. Would've been 13 had TTD not snapped its cable the day before I went to CP, dang it.

Batman the Ride, Dahloenga Mine Train, Georgia Cyclone, Georgia Scorcher, Great American Scream Machine, Mind Bender, Superman - Ultimate Flight = 7 @ SFoG. Would've been 9, but they had Ninja and Deja Vu closed the entire day I was there.

Batwing, Joker's Jinx, Mind Eraser, Roar, Superman - Ride of Steel, Wild One = 5 @ SFA.

Total Coaster count for me is 52. I'm not even going to try to guess the number of rides I've taken, but I would say that's well over 1000. I'll be going to 4 parks I've never been to before this summer. I can't wait for June to get here already. :D

[leonardofury]

I've worked out that I've ridden 23 coasters now, and if alton towers haven't closed Spinball Whizzer when I go again later this year (like they did when I went the first time this year) I will make it 24.

[Harpo]

Originally posted by leonardofury
Coincidentally how many coasters are you and Harpo each on Squid?

I think I've ridden less than 20!

Actually, I'm pretty sure I've never ridden on Squid. I think I'd remember that, as it would be quite uncharacteristic of me. :D

As of Sunday, May 2, 2004, since I started keeping track (no pun intended) in 2000, I've been on 426 different roller coasters.

Lifetime, I've actually been on more than that, but I don't have exact numbers since I didn't keep a log before 2000. However, it would have included coasters at the defunct parks of Boblo Island, Boardwalk & Baseball, and MGM Grand Adventure. It also would have included Oaks Park, Enchanted Forest, Thrill-Ville USA, Puyallup Fairgrounds, the area near the Space Needle in Seattle, Disneyland Paris, and Galaxyland at the West Edmonton Mall.

Not a bad start, eh? Keep in mind, I was terrified of coasters until I was 15 years old. I suspect I may have overcome that fear! ;)

[leonardofury]

Amazing how much comedy my bad grammer can cause isn't it :D .
426 is a lot. Now I have a target!

[Harpo]

I'm glad I can help in providing a target. Of course, that target keeps moving. If you'd asked me last week, the answer would have been 418. Ask me at the end of this summer, and the number should be quite a bit higher, although I'll surprise myself if I'm able to reach 500 this year, but I would very much like to. I would guess that somewhere in the 480's is somewhat probable, if my summer coaster cruise through the western U.S. goes as I hope it will. However, health issues might prevent me from doing it at all, but I'm hoping that won't be the case. Opening Weekend at Cedar Point should help me determine if I can manage a big trip in June.

If the trip covers all my planned parks, it should include about 26 to 28 parks during 2 weeks. I anticipate the opportunity to ride 47 adult coasters that are not on my current list. I believe the parks also have 17 junior/family coasters, some of which I should be able to add, depending on the park policies. Right now, I know that I can ride the junior coaster at Castles 'n' Coasters in Phoenix, but I don't know about any of the others. (The trip should also include visits to some L.A.-area parks that I've visited before, so I can't add the repeat coasters to my total list, although they will be added to my 2004 list.)

Sometime this year, I'm also hoping to revisit the Wisconsin Dells, ValleyFair, Mall of America, and Paramount's Canada's Wonderland in order to ride the new coasters at each of those locations.

Only time will tell!

[RCT2head]

man,
if i only had the money, transportation, and time, I'd try my hardest to beat your record. You probably now are one of the best rating advisors by riding all of those rides!!!;)

[Harpo]

Well, I don't know about "one of the best" ratings advisor, but I believe I see what makes a good versus a bad park. I also know what I prefer in a coaster, and I can understand what other people like in coasters that differ from what I like. For example, I have a preference for tight, twisting coasters, where the elements are close together and are fairly small. For example, Cedar Point's Raptor (tied for my favorite coaster) is smaller than Busch Gardens' Montu. When it was built, Montu claimed to have the biggest loops for an inverted coaster. Well, to me, that's not a good selling point. Raptor's loop is tighter (as are the other elements), and, in my opinion, that makes it more fun. As a result, I definitely prefer Raptor over Montu. But, other people prefer larger elements, hence they'll like Montu better than Raptor.

I also like high speeds, the feeling of rapid acceleration, and "violent" air time, hence making Millennium Force, Top Thrill Dragster, and Magnum XL-200 (all at Cedar Point) good fits for my tastes. I have not yet found one coaster that I feel does an excellent job of mixing all of those preferences. (I've been on some that have tried to mix multiples of my preferences, but they usually come across like California Adventure's California Screamin' -- an OK coaster, but one that feels like it tries to be all things to all people, hence misses the mark on all preferences.)

Anyhow, when someone comments about their favorite rides, it's often useful to find out what their ride preference tends to be. Do they prefer twister styles? Out-and-backs? Lots of air time? Gentle vs violent air time (i.e. does the feeling of floating sneak up on you, or do you feel like you're being thrown out of the ride)? How important is the smoothness of the ride? How important is the harness type? (Some people simply can't stand horse collar harnesses, no matter how good the ride. Others don't really care. Still others feel safer with a horse collar than with a lap bar.)

Overall, my philosophy is: There's no such thing as a bad ride. Some are just better than others.

[leonardofury]

Originally posted by Harpo
I'm glad I can help in providing a target. Of course, that target keeps moving. If you'd asked me last week, the answer would have been 418. Ask me at the end of this summer, and the number should be quite a bit higher, although I'll surprise myself if I'm able to reach 500 this year, but I would very much like to. I would guess that somewhere in the 480's is somewhat probable, if my summer coaster cruise through the western U.S. goes as I hope it will. However, health issues might prevent me from doing it at all, but I'm hoping that won't be the case. Opening Weekend at Cedar Point should help me determine if I can manage a big trip in June.

If the trip covers all my planned parks, it should include about 26 to 28 parks during 2 weeks. I anticipate the opportunity to ride 47 adult coasters that are not on my current list. I believe the parks also have 17 junior/family coasters, some of which I should be able to add, depending on the park policies. Right now, I know that I can ride the junior coaster at Castles 'n' Coasters in Phoenix, but I don't know about any of the others. (The trip should also include visits to some L.A.-area parks that I've visited before, so I can't add the repeat coasters to my total list, although they will be added to my 2004 list.)

Sometime this year, I'm also hoping to revisit the Wisconsin Dells, ValleyFair, Mall of America, and Paramount's Canada's Wonderland in order to ride the new coasters at each of those locations.

Only time will tell!

A moving target! Right pass me the rifle :D ! Seriously though you keep going, Harpo, and remember to come to Britian at some point. then you can compare ah coasters to yours.

[Harpo]

I'm not sure how well it'll work out, and I've only just started giving it a bit of thought, but I'm thinking about the possibility of 2 weeks in the U.K. next year, spending approximately 1 week riding coasters, and 1 week doing other sightseeing. The thought is based upon the American Coaster Enthusiast trip to Europe -- I didn't go on that trip, but, if I remember correctly, 1 week was spent in the U.K. and one week was spent on the continent. So, if a fairly large group with (based upon my experience last weekend) a bit of a tendency to dilly-dally, can manage to cover the parks of the U.K. in one week, I figure I should be able to do so, as well, then leave the rest of the time for seeing other things.

As a rule, I've found that I can cover an entire park with the basis of alloting 1 hour per adult coaster for that park. On average, that basis works out quite well. There are times when I wish I had a bit more time at a park, and there are times when 1 hour per adult coaster is too much time, but it usually comes out to being about right, allowing me time to experience the coasters and all unique rides offered by the park.

Any thoughts on the probability of riding all the U.K. coasters within a 1 week time period?

Thanks!

[jonnyrocks]

depends when you go
thorpe park and alton towers can get VERY busy during the holidays in england so you want to go on a off peak day
also i think bryains parks have less coasters than others so if you are doing tp and just want to do the coasters - thats X no way out, colousus, nemesis inferno and a baby one flying fish thats 4 hours max so you might have time to go to chessington, which is near by, has dragons fury, vampire, rattlesnake (i think) so if you are doing just coasters you could get two parks done in a day

also there are quite a few parks with just one major coaster o you might not want to go to all of them. Not sure on all the parks in britain but i would say 2 weeks but i would spend a whole day at a park

[leonardofury]

Well I usually spend the day at Alton Towers. Once they have my £25 entry fee they're not getting me out until the rides are shut.
Alton Towers has 4 Adult Coasters (Nemisis, Air, Corkscrew, Oblivion) with unconfirmed rumours of a woodie next year (Alton Towers has want one for a couple of years but the locals keep protesting). So thats a possible 5. Then you have 3 family coasters (Runaway Mine Train, Spinball Whizzer and Black Hole) and finally The Beastie Junior Coaster. My plan is usually get to the X sector which is quiet during the morning as everyone goes to the Forbidden Valley. There you get on Oblivion which is ok as there is no queue really at that time. Then I recommend either going to the Forbidden Valley and getting Fasttrack tickets for Nemisis and Air or going on Black Hole and Corkscrew then getting Fasttrack tickets if it is less busy. Considering you will probebly want to ride a lot of the other rides in the Park (Duel and the rapids are quite fun for the queue length usually) I reckon a day for Alton Towers isn't bad. Going when it is raining often reduces queue times as well. Blackpool has 15 coaster I think of varying types, about 11 would probebly be considered adult. I think a day for Blackpool is also not unreasonable. most of the other parks in Britian are wildly scattered. North of Manchester between Blackpool and Alton Towers is Camelot though that is rumoured to be closing soon and for the coasters there probebly is worth missing if you only have a week. There is also Pleasureland Southport which has some good looking coasters. I can't really comment on that as I have not visited it yet but plan to later this year. Drayton Manor is also meant to be fairly good and is near Alton Towers, though I think that is more a half day park due to number of Coasters. Being as you will be near London anyway for site seeing Thorpe Park and Chessington World of adventure are probably worth a visit though I haven't been so I can't comment. Ligh****er Valley has the second longest coaster in the world, The Ultimate although the opinion I was given of the park by my friend who has been is that, "It's ok when you're 10". Feel free to draw your own conclusions. I can't thing of any major park other than the one's I've mentioned. Oakwood Park in Pembrey, South Wales is meant to have a good woodie and the area is very nice so I would have that as a maybe if you have time. Also Dreamland at Margate has one of the few snenic railways left in the world so that could be worth a visit, although check out the news item on www.rcdb.com about saving the scenic railway first. If anyone else has any comment please post them.

[Harpo]

On my coaster trips, it's very common for me to visit 2 or 3 parks in a day. It's even happened where I've visited 4, and, one time, I managed 5. Of course, they were small parks, fairly close together, with only 1 or 2 coasters each. 4 of those parks were on Long Island in New York, 3 of them at Coney Island. The 5th park was in northern New Jersey, which isn't too far from the New York City area. (Well, technically, at Coney Island, 2 of them were parks, and one was an independently-owned roller coaster located at Coney Island. That coaster is gone now. From what I understand, it was sent to Russia.)

But, like I said, the formula of 1 hour per coaster is usually enough to do everything of interest in the park, including water rides, train rides, monorails, sky rides, unique dark rides, and unique or rare spin-n-go-puke rides, plus pay a visit to a gift shop or two, and grab a quick bite to eat. What can I say? When I visit a park, I'm efficient!