The Rapterra roller coaster is on track to open for Kings Dominion’s 2025 season. (Photo by Mark Newton)
Rising from the ashes of Volcano: The Blast Coaster, Rapterra is on track to break records and excite thrill-seekers at Kings Dominion theme park in Doswell this spring.
At 145 feet high and 3,086 feet long, Rapterra will be the world’s tallest and longest launched wing coaster, says Geoffrey Zindren, director of public relations and communications at Kings Dominion. The 89-second ride, manufactured by Bollinger & Mabillard of Switzerland, starts by launching riders from 0 to 65 miles per hour, then propels them through a corkscrew and a 360-degree “raptor roll.” As a winged coaster, Zindren says, “the seats are actually on the right and left sides of the track, as opposed to you sitting in a car directly above or below a track like you would in a traditional roller coaster.” An estimated 1,140 guests can ride Rapterra each hour.
The final piece of the roller coaster’s track was placed this fall. Installation of the two passenger trains comes next, followed by testing. This puts Rapterra on track to open at the start of Kings Dominion’s 2025 season, which had not been set as of press time but is typically in March or April.
Rapterra is built where the Volcano stood until 2018 and utilizes some of its infrastructure, paying homage to the former ride and thematically fitting the new one into the Jungle X-Pedition area. “When it’s fully built,” Zindren says, “you’re actually going to see some really creative, fun nods to the ride that was previously here when you are standing in line.”
“It’s one of a kind,” he adds, “and it’s going to be just as fun to watch, because we’re building in viewing areas around the park, around the ride. So it’s one of those ones that, even if you’re not riding it, it’s going to be fun to sit there and watch.”
