Chupacabra

Chupacabra is the current name of an inverted roller coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas. The attraction was designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard and engineer Werner Stengel, and it is part of the Batman: The Ride family of cloned inverted coasters. Although the ride operates today as Chupacabra, its physical history spans three amusement parks and three previous names. The coaster first opened in 1995 as Gambit at Odakyu Gotemba Family Land in Japan, a park later known as Thrill Valley. When that park closed on May 6, 2002, Six Flags acquired Gambit along with several other rides and relocated the attraction to Six Flags New Orleans. After refurbishment and a repaint, it reopened there on April 12, 2003, as Batman: The Ride, using the DC Comics identity associated with several Six Flags attractions. The ride's New Orleans operation ended after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. Flooding severely affected Six Flags New Orleans, which was subsequently abandoned and permanently closed. The coaster was considered salvageable, in part because its elevated structure and corrosion-resistant supports helped limit damage. Six Flags moved it to Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, where it was refurbished, repainted, and reopened on April 18, 2008, under the name Goliath. In December 2024, Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced that the attraction would be renamed Chupacabra. The new name refers to the legendary creature associated with folklore in parts of the Americas and gives the ride a regional identity distinct from the DC Comics branding used at its previous New Orleans location. The ride's track was also repainted orange while its supports remained yellow. Chupacabra is 105 feet (32 meters) tall and has a 2,693-foot (821-meter) track. It reaches approximately 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour) and includes five inversions: two vertical loops, a zero-g roll, and two corkscrews. The train climbs directly from the station before entering a descending turn and the first vertical loop. A typical cycle lasts about two minutes. The attraction uses two steel and fiberglass trains, each with seven cars and four seats per car, for a nominal capacity of 28 riders per train. Its design is a mirror image of Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America.

Chupacabra's history begins in Japan rather than Texas. The inverted coaster opened in 1995 at Odakyu Gotemba Family Land under the name Gambit. The amusement park was later known as Thrill Valley. The attraction was built to the Bolliger & Mabillard inverted-coaster design, with engineering by Werner Stengel. Its layout belongs to the same broad family as Batman: The Ride installations found at several Six Flags parks, although Chupacabra is specifically described as a mirror image of the Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America. Thrill Valley closed on May 6, 2002. Six Flags purchased several rides from the former Japanese park and distributed them among its properties. Gambit was sent to Six Flags New Orleans, where it underwent refurbishment, repainting, and a name change. It reopened on April 12, 2003, as Batman: The Ride. The new identity matched Six Flags' use of DC Comics branding and the Batman-themed names applied to comparable inverted coasters in its portfolio. The New Orleans chapter ended after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Flooding caused by the storm's impact and the failure of the park's drainage system submerged many rides at Six Flags New Orleans. Batman: The Ride was not considered substantially damaged, partly because its elevated position and corrosion-resistant support structure reduced its exposure to some effects of the floodwater. Six Flags New Orleans was later abandoned and permanently closed, while rides that could be recovered were moved to other parks. Six Flags relocated Batman: The Ride to Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. There, the coaster was refurbished and repainted before reopening on April 18, 2008, as Goliath. At Fiesta Texas, the attraction operated with a blue track and yellow supports for many years. In fall 2024, the track color was changed to orange while the supports remained yellow, and in December 2024 the park announced the new Chupacabra name. The Chupacabra identity connects the attraction to a legendary creature associated with folklore in parts of the Americas. It replaced the Goliath name and moved the ride away from both its earlier generic Japanese identity and its Batman-themed New Orleans branding. The physical ride remained an inverted steel coaster with a 105-foot lift hill, a 2,693-foot layout, a maximum speed of about 50 miles per hour, and five inversions. The ride begins with a climb from the station on a chain lift. It then enters a sharp descending turn and a vertical loop, followed by a zero-g roll and a second vertical loop. An upward helix and descending turn lead into two corkscrew inversions before the train reaches the brake run and returns to the station. Two seven-car steel and fiberglass trains serve the attraction; each car has a single row of four seats, giving each train 28 seats. Friction brakes regulate the train's speed. The track was manufactured by Clermont Steel Fabricators in Batavia, Ohio.

• 2024

  Renamed Chupacabra

  [1]Chupacabra (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced the new Chupacabra identity in December, with the track also repainted orange during fall 2024.

• 2008

  Reopened at Six Flags Fiesta Texas as Goliath

  [1]Chupacabra (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  The relocated and refurbished coaster reopened in San Antonio on April 18 under the name Goliath.

• 2005

  Six Flags New Orleans closed after Hurricane Katrina

  [1]Chupacabra (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Hurricane Katrina caused extensive flooding at the park. The attraction was salvaged while the park was ultimately abandoned and permanently closed.

• 2003

  Reopened as Batman: The Ride

  [1]Chupacabra (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Following refurbishment and repainting, the attraction reopened at Six Flags New Orleans on April 12 as Batman: The Ride.

• 2002

  Relocated after Thrill Valley closure

  [1]Chupacabra (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  After Thrill Valley closed on May 6, Six Flags acquired Gambit and moved it to Six Flags New Orleans.

• 1995

  Opened as Gambit in Japan

  [1]Chupacabra (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  The inverted coaster opened at Odakyu Gotemba Family Land, later known as Thrill Valley, under the name Gambit.

A high-intensity, regionally themed inverted coaster combining a well-known Bolliger & Mabillard ride layout with a Chupacabra identity associated with folklore from the Americas.

• Inverted roller coaster · 2024

  Chupacabra

  The current attraction at Six Flags Fiesta Texas is a 105-foot inverted coaster with a 2,693-foot track, a top speed of approximately 50 mph, and five inversions. Its course includes two vertical loops, a zero-g roll, two corkscrews, a helix, and a brake run. It operates with steel and fiberglass trains seating four riders per car in seven-car configurations.

• 2024

  Adoption of the Chupacabra identityStrategy

  Background

  The coaster had operated at Fiesta Texas as Goliath since 2008, while its earlier names included Gambit and Batman: The Ride.

  Action taken

  Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced that the attraction would be renamed Chupacabra, using a folklore-based identity associated with the Americas. The track was repainted orange while the supports remained yellow.

  Aftermath

  The ride continued operating at Six Flags Fiesta Texas under its new name.

  Source

• 2024

  Six Flags Fiesta Texas announces the Chupacabra name for its inverted coaster[1]Chupacabra (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product generation

  Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced that the coaster formerly operating as Goliath would be renamed Chupacabra, adopting a name inspired by a legendary creature in folklore from parts of the Americas.

1. 1Chupacabra (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org