Not sure if nitro racer already has a thread, but I didn't see one. Randomly decided to check Virginia 811 ticket search on WCUSA a minute ago and saw this. Could this mean anything significant?
News Water County USA Project 2024: Nitro Racers: Supercharged
- Thread starter rollercoastercoaster
- Start date
Put the coordinates into Google Maps and it looks like its right on top the nitro racer tower. Nitro racer has one of the old wooden slide tower, would a tower rebuild require soil testing?
Yeah, @Jahrules sent that over to me earlier today. We're trying to see if we can get any additional information.
Soil boring and testing essentially always means foundations. Question is, is this a new tower for Nitro Racer? Maybe it's a Nitro Racer replacement? We're watching very closely.
Soil boring and testing essentially always means foundations. Question is, is this a new tower for Nitro Racer? Maybe it's a Nitro Racer replacement? We're watching very closely.
I wouldn’t mind seeing nitro replaced with a more modem mat racer, maybe one with helixes?
No, no, no! They have got to stop just replacing rides with zero net gain. I'm more than happen to see a tower replacement, but stop cannibalizing the park for new rides. This isn't Aquatica Orlando where there isn't space to expand. They have 4 or 5 approved expansion zones they haven't even touched. I know it's early and just speculation, but 2024 swap out nitro, 2025 swap Malibu, 2026 swap jet scream, 2027 wild thang, 2028 big daddy and in a decade they didn't really "add" to the park. The last real "addition" was colossal. I know this sounds entitled, at least we get new/different rides and i know aging towers NEED to be replaced, looking at you Malibu. Best case is if they are taking this route as the cheaper route, no big expansion costs, they will put more money into other places, like cleaning up the decrepit theater that looks so bad and turning it into enclosed temp controlled seating, maybe even an indoor restaurant. Or maybe adding a conservation/animal product so that when they ask if a visit to WCUSA improves our understanding of conservation its possible to say yes!
Anyway, excited to see what happens, at least they still care about a seasonal/ regional water park! Great find to the original poster!
Anyway, excited to see what happens, at least they still care about a seasonal/ regional water park! Great find to the original poster!
Not even colossal was an addition. They removed atomic breakers to build it. Last addition was vanish point
The bore testing area seems really small for this to be a replacement even if it were to reuse much of the existing foundation I still think we would see a bigger area then 75 ft so I am thinking towrt replacement.
I don't disagree, but at the same time, I can't help but feel like it would be really silly to not take the opportunity to update the slide. Mat racers have come a long way since Nitro and, presumably, dropping in a replacement if you're already completely rebuilding the tower wouldn't cost much more at all.
Plus, with BGW seemingly not debuting new ride hardware in 2024, one hopes WCUSA does have a project?
Plus, with BGW seemingly not debuting new ride hardware in 2024, one hopes WCUSA does have a project?
I'm gonna preface this by saying I don't know what I'm talking about, so I could be wrong here, but riptide races soil tests were done in Feb 2021. At the time they intended to open it in 2022, so they were done over a year before it was intended to even open. If this were a full nitro racer removal and replacement, wouldn't they do the soil tests around a year in advance too? Late august seems really late to begin soil tests for a ride opening next year. I think horsesboy is probably right and it's just a tower rebuild.
Moreso than dry parks I'm ok with water parks replacing slides. In the case of a Nitro replacement, there's many more updated versions of a racer like that out there, and if you use an unused plot to do another one you just kill ridership on Nitro and it dies a slow death.
Additionally with the pumps, supports, and other infrastructure for water rides it could be just as costly as just replacing the ride all together. It makes sense to replace Nitro then with a new racer and save some of the expansion lot possibilities for something they don't have rather than the second of something they do have.
FWIW if this is getting replaced, I'd like to see something like Whitecap Racer from Hershey. It's a good bit of fun.
Additionally with the pumps, supports, and other infrastructure for water rides it could be just as costly as just replacing the ride all together. It makes sense to replace Nitro then with a new racer and save some of the expansion lot possibilities for something they don't have rather than the second of something they do have.
FWIW if this is getting replaced, I'd like to see something like Whitecap Racer from Hershey. It's a good bit of fun.
I don't want Nitro Racer to be replaced and would prefer a tower rebuild. I find Nitro Racer to be one of the most fun rides in the park. I get some fun airtime moment(s) and it's very thrilling speeding down the track. Almost always finish farther than anyone else. The only thing I'm not a huge fan of is the hike to get to the top, but what can you do about that?
Sounds like a straight tower replacement project. "If it ain't broke," I guess?
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I think WCUSA’s end goal is to get all their slide towers that aren’t already steel, converted to steel. For the sake of prolonging the slides’ lifespans. I do wish Nitro racer was just a little more thrilling though, sometimes.
I guess that if they get a steel tower in, they may want to replace the rest at some point down the line and reuse the new tower. Makes it an even more compelling investment probably.
I much prefer the steel towers, so I won't complain. Those wood ones are getting a bit scary.
One of my favorite things about Nitro Racer, and this might be for pure nostalgia reasons, is that long, winding, peaceful queue through the woods. It’s legitimately totally secluded in the forest and you can’t even see or hear anyone or anything else in the park.
For some reason, I have strong memories of that mini nature walk that is Nitro Racer’s queue. I hope they don’t disturb it with this renovation.
For some reason, I have strong memories of that mini nature walk that is Nitro Racer’s queue. I hope they don’t disturb it with this renovation.
From the United Parks & Resorts earnings release:
"Nitro Racer (Water Country USA): Challenge your friends to a bodysurfing battle across a six-lane superhighway and see who wins the bragging rights. An updated and enhanced 320-foot 6-person high-speed racing slide with new elements including a timer to race against friends and family."
"Nitro Racer (Water Country USA): Challenge your friends to a bodysurfing battle across a six-lane superhighway and see who wins the bragging rights. An updated and enhanced 320-foot 6-person high-speed racing slide with new elements including a timer to race against friends and family."