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Westh2o
An amazing encounter with a Humpback Whale in Moorea, French Polynesia
John@westh2o.com
John@westh2o.com
updated 12 years ago
John@westh2o.com
Tangerine.
Dragon Challenge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dragon Challenge
Previously known as Dueling Dragons
Islands of Adventure
Park section The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade
Coordinates 28°28′25″N 81°28′24″WCoordinates: 28°28′25″N 81°28′24″W
Status Removed
Opening date May 28, 1999
Closing date September 4, 2017
Replaced by Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure[1]
General Statistics
Type Steel – Inverted – Dueling
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer Werner Stengel
Model Inverted Coaster
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Chinese Fireball Hungarian Horntail
Height 125 ft (38.1 m) 125 ft (38.1 m)
Drop 115 ft (35.1 m) 95 ft (29.0 m)
Length 3,200 ft (975.4 m) 3,200 ft (975.4 m)
Speed 60 mph (96.6 km/h) 55 mph (88.5 km/h)
Inversions 5 5
Duration 2:25 2:25
Height restriction 54 in (137 cm)
Trains Several trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Universal Express available
Dragon Challenge at RCDB
Pictures of Dragon Challenge at RCDB
Dragon Challenge (known as Dueling Dragons from 1999 to 2010) was a pair of intertwined, inverted roller coasters in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area of Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida, United States. The ride was themed to two chasing dragons, one side being a Chinese Fireball and the other a Hungarian Horntail. It featured a layout in which the two trains shared adjacent lift hills but traversed two unique courses. The ride was designed by Bolliger & Mabillard of Switzerland. The Chinese Fireball dragon reached a top speed of 60 mph, and the Hungarian Horntail dragon reached a top speed of 55 mph. Both versions featured five inversions and a total ride time of 2 minutes and 25 seconds.
When Islands of Adventure opened on May 28, 1999, the ride was called Dueling Dragons and was located in The Lost Continent area with the two trains named Fire and Ice. During much of the ride's history, the trains were dispatched simultaneously, providing three near-miss encounters along the courses. However, after two injuries related to loose objects hitting riders on the other coaster, the roller coasters were dispatched separately. After a renovation period, the attraction reopened in mid-March 2010, and was officially renamed as Dragon Challenge with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter grand opening on June 18, 2010.
In July 2017, Universal Orlando officials announced that Dragon Challenge would close on September 4, 2017. The coasters had reached the end of their service life, and the park demolished the two coasters to make way for a new attraction, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, which opened on June 13, 2019.