- Desperado (roller coaster)
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Desperado 
Location Primm Valley Resorts Park section Old Western Times Coordinates type:landmark source:dewiki 35°36′51″N 115°23′04″W / 35.61417°N 115.38444°WCoordinates: type:landmark source:dewiki 35°36′51″N 115°23′04″W / 35.61417°N 115.38444°W Status Operating Opened May 14, 1994 Cost $30,000,000 Type Steel - Hypercoaster Manufacturer Arrow Dynamics Designer Ron Toomer Model Hypercoaster Track layout Ron Toomer Lift/launch system Chain Height 209 ft (64 m) Drop 225 ft (69 m) Length 5,843 ft (1,781 m) Max speed 80 mph (130 km/h) Inversions 0 Duration 2:43 Max vertical angle 60° Capacity 1700 riders per hour Max G force 4 Height restriction 4 ft 0 in (122 cm) Desperado at RCDB Pictures of Desperado at RCDB 
Amusement Parks PortalDesperado is a hypercoaster located in Primm, Nevada at the Buffalo Bill's Hotel and Casino a part of the Primm Valley Resorts complex.
According to the roller coaster database, Desperado was one of the tallest roller coasters in the world at the time of being built. It features a 60-degree, 225-foot (69 m) drop; a 209-foot (64 m) lift hill; and top speeds around 80 mph. On the 2 minute, 43 second ride, riders will experience almost 4 Gs.[1] A portion of the ride runs through the interior of the casino. The coaster was listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest roller coaster in 1996.[2]
History
At its opening, the coaster tied the record for longest drop and steepest roller coaster. However, the top speed of 80 mph was slightly slower than the Steel Phantom at Kennywood which had a top speed of 82 mph. There was much discussion when the ride opened that questioned if it's 209' lift height was higher than The Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England. The Big One opened in May 1994, with a top speed of 75 mph and an advertised height of 235', but many claimed that number was above sea level which was 34' lower than The Big One's base. Later measurements showed The Big One as being 213' high.
For his Top Secret special that first aired on February 24, 1999, magician Lance Burton staged a death-defying escape in a stunt where he was tied to the roller coaster's track and had to break out of handcuffs in order to escape.[3]
References
- ^ Desperado's page on www.rcdb.com
- ^ "Desperado Roller Coaster Fact Sheet" (Press release). August 13, 2001. http://www.primmvalleyresorts.com/pages/pressroom_pressrelease.asp?PressID=8. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
- ^ "Lance Burton's Escape On The Desperado To Air Next Wednesday". http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/news/archives/february99/news_feb99.shtml. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
External links
Preceded by
Magnum XL-200World's Tallest Complete Circuit Roller Coaster
May 1994Succeeded by
Pepsi Max Big OneCategories:- Roller coasters introduced in 1994
- Steel roller coasters
- Hypercoaster roller coasters
- Arrow Dynamics roller coasters
- Megacoasters
- Buildings and structures in Primm, Nevada
- MGM Resorts International
- Roller coasters in the Las Vegas metropolitan area
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