Montu (roller coaster)

Montu is an inverted roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa in Tampa, Florida. Built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, it is the park's second roller coaster designed by that company following the success of Kumba, which opened 3 years prior.[1][2] When the ride opened on May 16, 1996, it was the world's tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster, a title it has since conceded to Alpengeist at sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg. The ride stands 150 feet (46 m) tall and reaches speeds of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).

Montu
An overview of Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
LocationBusch Gardens Tampa Bay
Park sectionEgypt
Coordinates28°02′05″N 82°25′03″W
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 16, 1996 (1996-05-16)
CostUS$20,000,000
General statistics
TypeSteel – Inverted
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
DesignerWerner Stengel
ModelInverted Coaster – Custom
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height150 ft (46 m)
Drop128 ft (39 m)
Length3,983 ft (1,214 m)
Speed60 mph (97 km/h)
Inversions7
Duration3 minutes
Max vertical angle50°
Capacity1,710 riders per hour
G-force3.8
Height restriction54 in (137 cm)
Trains3 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Quick Queue available
Montu at RCDB
Pictures of Montu at RCDB

History

The concept of an inverted roller coaster with inversions was developed by Jim Wintrode, the general manager of Six Flags Great America, in the early 1990s.[3][4] To develop the idea, Wintrode worked with Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard – from Swiss roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard – and engineer Robert Mampe to develop Batman: The Ride which opened in May 1992.[3][5]

In early 1995, planning began for Montu, fourteen months prior to the ride opening to the public.[1] The owners of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Busch Entertainment (since renamed SeaWorld Entertainment), entered into an agreement with Bolliger and Mabillard which would see them add Montu to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 1996, followed in 1997 by the additions of Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and The Great White at SeaWorld San Antonio.[6]

On August 24, 1995, Busch Gardens Tampa announced that they would be getting a new Egypt section. The area would cover 7 acres (2.8 ha) of land and feature a few attractions, including Tut's Tomb and the centerpiece being a new Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster as the area's centerpiece attraction. It would be the first inverted roller coaster to feature seven inversions, as well as being the first roller coaster to feature an Immelmann loop. Besides this, the ride would be the first Bolliger & Mabillard coaster to feature a boomerang element, which debuted on Orient Express at Worlds of Fun in 1980. The Egypt section would be the largest and most expensive investment in Busch Gardens Tampa's history.[7] On October 30, the park announced that they would be naming their new coaster Montu.[8] On May 16, 1996, Montu officially opened to the public.[9] At the time of its opening to the public, the ride was the tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster in the world.[10][11]

Characteristics
One of Montu's trains exiting the Immelmann loop

The 3,983-foot-long (1,214 m) Montu stands 150 feet (46 m) tall. With a top speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), the ride features seven inversions including two vertical loops measuring 104 and 60 feet (32 and 18 m), respectively, an Immelmann loop, a zero-g roll, a batwing and a corkscrew. Riders experience up to 3.8 times the force of gravity on the 3 minute ride. Montu operates with three steel and fiberglass trains, each containing eight cars, each sitting 4 riders in per row for a total of 32 riders per train.[9]

Montu was launched alongside Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's Egypt section of the park, which reportedly cost approximately US$20 million.[1][12] With an overall theme around Egyptian mythology, the ride is named after the god of war Montu, a man depicted with the head of a hawk.[9] When the ride was first launched, a Nile crocodile exhibit was located underneath the first turn out of the station.[9] These animals were later relocated to the park's main animal habitat.[9]

Ride experience

Queue

Guests enter an Egyptian temple, where the queue takes place. The queue begins with a large area with multiple pathways and a viewing area of the ride. Following this, guests navigate through a corridor. They enter another area containing Egyptian paintings on the walls. Guests then enter the station where they board the ride.[13]

Layout

The ride begins with the floor retracting which leads to the front gate opening. The trains leaves the station with a small dip and turnaround out of the station tracking towards the 150-foot-tall (46 m) chain lift hill. Once at the top, riders twist down a 128-foot-tall (39 m) left-handed drop and into a 104-foot-tall (32 m) vertical loop, reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Following the vertical loop, the track passes through a tunnel and zooms into a 90-foot-tall (27 m) tall Immelmann loop, providing a footchopper element with the pylon.[14] After completing the Immelmann, the train goes through a zero-g roll, where riders experience a feeling of weightlessness. Following the zero-g roll, the track hits a batwing, entering a trench at the valley between the two inversions. Leaving the batwing, the track rises up in to the mid-course brake run. Following the second brake run, the track makes a dive to the right into a trench where it hits a 60-foot-tall (18 m) vertical loop. The track then exits the trench, making a three-quarter clockwise turn. After passing under the zero-g roll, the track makes a left hand turn over the first vertical loop's exit and dives into another trench to hit a corkscrew, before making another right turn onto the final brake run.[9][15]

Reception
One of Montu's trains entering the zero-g roll

Montu has generally been well received. Tom Buckingham of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune commended the ride, giving kudos to the park "for designing its monster rides so that wait times put Disney to shame". He stated "you'll generally be on the ride and screaming" before riders get a chance to change their mind.[16] Sabrina Rojas Weiss of the Lakeland Ledger stated "the way this ride twisted my body upside-down and sideways seriously confused my senses".[17] The Los Angeles Times put the ride on their "high rollers" list of new roller coasters for 1996.[18] In 2012, Montu was featured on the Travel Channel TV series Insane Coaster Wars in the "Hang 'em High" category. Although the ride lost out to Aftershock at Silverwood Theme Park, Theme Park Review's Robb Alvey believed Montu would beat the competition which also included SeaWorld Orlando's Manta and Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Alpengeist.[19]

In Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, Montu has consistently ranked highly. Montu is also one of only seven roller coasters to appear in the top 50 for all 15 years. It debuted at position 3 in 1998,[20] before rising to position 2 the following year.[21]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Ranking 3[20]2[21]4[22]5[23]9[24]12[25]9[26]10[27]8[28]10[29]10[30]11[31]12[32]14[33]14[34]18[35]22[36]24[37]22[38]27[39]28[40]30 (tie)[41]

References
  1. Cronan, Carl (August 2, 1996). "Busch Gardens coasts into summer with Egypt". Ocala Star-Banner. Halifax Media Group. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  2. Marden, Duane. "Kumba  (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  3. "Coaster Landmark Award - Batman: The Ride". American Coaster Enthusiasts. June 20, 2005. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  4. O'Brien, Tim (March 24, 2003). "In my office: Jim Wintrode". Amusement Business. 115 (12).
  5. Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride  (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  6. Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results  (Inverted Coasters)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  7. Albright, Mark (August 24, 1995). "Coaster tops Busch Gardens expansion". Tampa Bay Times. Times Staff Writer. Retrieved November 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Busch Coaster Will Be Montu". Tampa Bay Times. October 31, 1995. Retrieved November 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Marden, Duane. "Montu  (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  10. Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Statistic: Height, Type: Steel, Design: Inverted)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  11. Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Statistic: Speed, Type: Steel, Design: Inverted)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  12. "Montu Inverted Roller Coaster". Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  13. "Montu Queue Area Busch Gardens Tampa". Last Rat Standing Productions. YouTube. March 24, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  14. "BUILT TO THRILL - Tampa Bay Times".
  15. Alvey, Robb (November 21, 2011). "Montu Roller Coaster Front Seat POV Busch Gardens Tampa Florida Awesome 1080p HD Video Footage B&M". Theme Park Review. YouTube. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  16. Buckingham, Tom (June 25, 1996). "Montu turns Tampa upside down". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Halifax Media Group. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  17. Weiss, Sabrina Rojas (July 5, 1996). "Six coasters reign supreme in Central Florida... or do they?". Lakeland Ledger. Halifax Media Group. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  18. "High Rollers". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. June 16, 1996. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  19. MacDonald, Brady (June 26, 2012). "Top thrill rides compete in Travel Channel's 'Insane Coaster Wars'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  20. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1998. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  21. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1999. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  22. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  23. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  24. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  25. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  26. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  27. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  28. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  29. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  30. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  31. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  32. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  33. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  34. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  35. "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  36. "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 46–47. September 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  37. "2015 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 49–50. September 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  38. "2016 top 50 steel roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  39. "2017 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  40. "2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  41. "2019 Top Steel". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
Preceded by
Raptor		 World's tallest inverted roller coaster
May 1996–March 1997		 Succeeded by
Alpengeist
Preceded by
Raptor		 World's fastest inverted roller coaster
May 1996–March 1997		 Succeeded by
Alpengeist
Preceded by
Raptor		 World's longest inverted roller coaster
May 1996– 1997		 Succeeded by
Pyrenees
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