Ultimate (roller coaster)

Infobox roller coaster
name=Ultimate


caption=
location=Lightwater Valley
section=
type=Steel
type2=
type3=
status=Operating
opened=July 17 1991
manufacturer=Big Country Motioneering
designer=Tom Kluberton
model=
track=Terrain
lift=Two chain lift hills
height=107
drop=
length=7442
speed=50
inversions=0
duration=
angle=
capacity=
cost=
acceleration=
gforce=
restriction=
rcdb_number=779

The Ultimate is a steel roller coaster at Lightwater Valley amusement park, near the small Cathedral city of Ripon, in North Yorkshire England. It is currently the 3rd longest roller coaster in the world, after Steel Dragon 2000 and Daidarasaurus. It was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records for being the world’s longest roller coaster for ten consecutive years from 1991 to 2001.

Set within 44 acres (178,000 m²) of woodland, "The Ultimate" takes passengers on a 5minute 50second ride along 7542 ft (2.3 km) of tubular steel track, with two lift hills of 102 and 107 ft respectively, which rest on Canadian redwood trestles.

While "The Ultimate" was designed by "Big Country Motioneering", they were not involved with the completion of the project. Lightwater Valley's owner got engineers from British Rail to oversee the construction. A few sections of track on the second half of the ride were redesigned to change their banking. The track was made by "Tubular Engineering".

"The Ultimate" represented an investment of £5.2million and was designed by the park’s original owner, Robert Staveley. Construction work began in early 1990 and took eighteen months to complete before the opening to the public on 17 July 1991.

The Ultimate in popular culture

*The Ultimate was recreated in the "Katie's Dreamland" scenario in Rollercoaster Tycoon