What is: Cheetah Hunt
Cheetah hunt is a steel roller coaster, located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, in Florida, USA.
The ride features three distinct launches, each of which propel riders to a different
high speed, allowing them to complete the interesting, agile and long circuit.
Cheetah Hunt opened to the public on the 27th of May 2011.
In conjunction with the rides debut, Busch Gardens constructed Cheetah Run, an exhibit
in which guests can watch Cheetah’s through large observation windows.
At the exhibit, guests can learn more about the intriguing animal, as well as watch them
sprint across the wide plains in conducted daily exercises.
To best match the name and theme of the attraction, the ride’s manufacturer, Intamin, has produced
a layout adhering to a Cheetahs main talents.
Aside from the three launches, the 20 million Dollar roller coaster features a singular
inversion, as well as many quick twists and turns.
A ride on Cheetah Hunt begins with guests boarding one of five trains, each of which
are comprised of 4 cars, seating 16 riders.
This fact, coupled with the multitude of launches, allows for the attraction to have a large
capacity of 1370 riders per hour.
Once guests have boarded the attraction, their experience begins with a brief launch out
of the station.
This is quickly followed by a banked turn to the left, and a quick descent into the
rides second, and most powerful launch.
The trains are swiftly accelerated to 97kmh/60mph, before climbing a 31m(102ft) structure.
Riders then complete a slow figure 8 element, providing fantastic panoramic views of the
park.
This is followed by a sudden 40m/130ft drop into a large trench.
Guests continue their experience by navigating a twisted airtime hill, a banked drop under
a pedestrian bridge, and a upward turn into the coasters only inversion, a heartline roll.
The trains pass through a mid-course brake run, and begin to navigate a series of low
to the ground banked turns between an artificial canyon, simulating the fast paced near misses
a cheetah would experience during a high speed run.
This is quickly followed by the 3rd and final LSM launch.
The last part of the rides layout concludes with a series of normal, and twisted airtime
hills, leading to the attractions final brake run.
All of this takes place within approximately 84 seconds of exciting ride time.
At multiple points during the ride’s 1350m long circuit, guests interact with other attractions
at the park.
The most notable of these being the sky ride, which transports it’s riders from one themed
area to another.
Interestingly, Cheetah Hunt remains the longest roller coaster in the park, measuring over
100m longer than its closest competitor, Montu.
On top of this, and to further the ride’s immersive Cheetah like experience, Intamin
have produced numerous Cheetah themed cars.
Each train resembles the quick animal, by featuring spot decals and a Cheetah-like front
car.
Overall, Cheetah Hunt provides a fantastic and diverse ride experience.
Even though the attraction isn’t the most intense Intamin multi-launch coaster, it provides
its guests with a fun ride, packed with quick transitions and airtime.
As a result, Cheetah Hunt has become a well recognised favourite of enthusiasts, and the
general public, alike.
As of 2018, the ride remains one of only two Intamin multi-launch coasters in the United
States, despite their popularity.
Would you like to see more Cheetah-Hunt-like roller coasters be constructed in the near
future?
What’s your opinion?