Six Flags Great America President John Krajnak is promising amusement park patrons, “the world’s steepest drop with the most inversions on any dive coaster,” when the demonic-named “Wrath of Rakshasa” opens next spring.
“This is why we’ve earned our name as the ‘Thrill capital of the Midwest.’ This project proves it,” Krajnak said during an early morning press conference Aug. 14 before the park’s daily opening. “We’ve been working on this idea since before last season, and now we’re ready to start construction.”
Wrath of Rakshasa, the latter term being a moniker describing an ancient Hindu demon, will be positioned adjacent to the Demon looped rollercoaster, which was one of the signature non-traditional rollercoasters unveiled with the 300-acre amusement park when it opened in 1976 at Marriott’s Great America.
Krajnak described Wrath of Rakshasa as, “a towering, massive 180-feet-tall dive coaster, with a cliffhanger hold to suspend riders as they face straight down a 96-degree, beyond-vertical drop and then plummet 171 feet.
“The three-car sections are designed as three rows of seven seats, for a total of 21 riders in each of the car sections,” he said. “This dive coaster moves at 67 mph.”
Construction of the new attraction — the price tag for the project was not revealed — begins next month on the repurposed area in the “County Fair” themed area which once housed the Buccaneer water ride that opened in 2009 and closed during the 2021 season.
The firm Bolliger & Mabillard is a rollercoaster design company based in Monthey, Switzerland, which is leading the project.
Krajnak, who began his role as president in 2022, has been with Six Flags Great America and said Wednesday’s announcement for the new dive coaster ranks as the property’s most exciting news for fans and families of the theme park since the new DC Universe section opened two years ago.
“We think it’s time that the Demon had another demon just next door for company, and that’s how Wrath of Rakshasa came to be created,” he said. “As our guests know, we always want to push our limits to create a thrill experience that breaks all the records.”