Afterburn is the Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster at Carowinds. The layout has a lot of
similarities to Montu, and anytime you can be compared with America’s best invert,
that’s a great sign. This coaster may be overshadowed by two other B&Ms at Carowinds,
but Afterburn is still a really good ride on its own. Find out why in this review.
Carowinds currently has one of the strongest coaster lineups out there,
but that’s primarily because of the investments Cedar Fair has made over the past decade.
Back in the late-1990s when Paramount owned the park, Carowinds had a much
weaker coaster lineup. The park was filled with notoriously rough wood and steel coasters.
That all changed in 1999. After seeing the success of the B&M inverts across the country, Carowinds
added Top Gun- The Jet Coaster for $10.5 million. While this was a seamless theme for an invert, the
ride was almost themed to Godzilla. However, those plans were scrapped after 1998’s Godzilla movie
bombed. So Carowinds quickly used the Top Gun IP that had been well-received at their other parks.
Top Gun was placed in the back corner of the park on a wooded hill. This is a great
location. Not only do the inversions whiz past trees, but the ride interacts with pathways and
the park’s rarely used South Gate. It creates a lot of energy in this back section of the park.
I also love how this coaster looks. The silver track and blue supports look beautiful.
And the ride has some airplane theming. The station is designed to look like an
airplane hanger and there’s a model plane towering above the midway.
After Cedar Fair purchased all the Paramount parks in 2006, all four Top Gun coasters were
renamed. They all kept the airplane theming, but three of them got generic names in Flight Deck.
Thankfully Carowinds gave their invert a unique and awesome name in Afterburn.
Afterburn has a short wait most days. That’s because of its secluded location and high
capacity. Afterburn runs two trains, each seating up to 32 riders across 8 rows. And dispatches are
pretty quick since the restraints are easy to check. Like most B&M inverts, Afterburn has
over-the-shoulder harnesses. The padding isn’t the softest, but the ride experience is very
comfortable since the trackwork is smooth. The front typically has a longer line,
but I prefer this coaster in the back where the inversions have more whip and power.
Once dispatched, you ascend the 113 foot or 34 meter tall lift hill.
At the top, you get a view the massive parking lot and then you twist 90 degrees down a curving drop.
If you’re in the back, you’re forcefully pulled down this plunge.
You then cruise through the first of six inversions, an excellent vertical loop.
This one combines strong positive Gs with a strong whip over the top.
You then dive into a trench, feeling every bit of this coaster’s 62 mph or 100 kph top speed.
You then climb towards the sky and navigate an Immelmann like a fighter pilot. The positive
Gs climbing into the element are solid and the back gets some whip over the top. This is a fun
inversion, but it is the weakest one of the ride. Next is a zero-G roll. Considering how snappy the
other inversions are on Afterburn and the time when this coaster was built, it’s surprising the
zero-G roll isn’t more aggressive. The older B&M inverts rotated through their zero-G rolls faster
and usually had more laterals. Afterburn’s is nice and floaty like the nicer B&M
inverts. I don’t mind that since it juxtaposes the rest of the ride’s forces.
Next is the batwing. And I really wish more inverts included this element. The back gets
insane whip on the first inversion while the front gets their abrupt snap on the second inversion.
Then everyone is subjected to leg-numbing positive Gs as you dive into the trench
between inversions. I think Montu’s batwing is more aggressive, but Afterburn’s is great too.
Then the train navigates a camelback over the lift hill. While this element
is devoid of airtime, you do get an awesome leg-chopper with the ride’s lift motor.
You then zip through the ride’s final inversion, an incredibly quick corkscrew.
It’s hidden just enough by trees on-ride that you can’t really see it coming.
The transition into this element is the one spot on the coaster that can cause some headbanging,
but I ultimately love how wild this corkscrew is. Afterburn then spirals upwards into the brake run,
delivering some nice positive Gs along the way. You then hit the brake run, ending the 2956 foot
or 901 meter long coaster. It’s not one of the longest inverts in terms of track length,
but it gives a fast-paced and satisfying ride with plenty of action.
So what would I rate Afterburn? I would give this invert a 9 out of 10. This is the best invert
in the Cedar Fair chain and one of the best in America. This is among the best sequenced inverts.
The only somewhat weak element on this ride is the camelback, but everything else is great.
Afterburn is a no-nonsense coaster subjecting riders to 6 inversions in rapid-fire succession.
And along with all that power, Afterburn manages to deliver a smooth ride experience.
So those are my thoughts on Afterburn at Carowinds.
What are your thoughts on this B&M invert? Do you agree it’s one of the stronger ones?
Let me know your thoughts down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it
if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a lot more roller
coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!