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Kumba (roller coaster)

Kumba is a steel roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened in 1993. It stands 143 feet (44 m) tall and has a top speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).[1] Kumba features a total of seven inversions across the 3-minute ride. It is Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's oldest roller coaster that is still operating, following the closure of Scorpion in 2024.

Kumba
View of Kumba's track
Kumba was the first Bolliger and Mabillard coaster to feature interlocking corkscrews, and is one of only five in the world to feature a vertical loop around the lift hill.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
LocationBusch Gardens Tampa Bay
Park sectionCongo
Coordinates28°02′23″N 82°25′23″W / 28.03972°N 82.42306°W / 28.03972; -82.42306
StatusOperating
Opening dateApril 21, 1993 (1993-04-21)
General statistics
TypeSteel
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
DesignerWerner Stengel
ModelSitting Coaster
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height143 ft (44 m)
Drop135 ft (41 m)
Length3,978 ft (1,212 m)
Speed60 mph (97 km/h)
Inversions7
Duration2:54
Capacity1,700 riders per hour
G-force3.8
Height restriction54 in (137 cm)
Trains4(3 max. in use) trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Quick Queue available
Kumba at RCDB

History

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Kumba was officially announced in November 1992 as a record-breaking Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster set to become the park's signature attraction.[2] The ride officially opened to the public on April 21, 1993.[3][4] When Kumba opened, it featured the world's tallest vertical loop,[2] and was also the tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster in Florida.[5][6][7] In 1995, Kumba conceded the title of ride with the world's tallest vertical loop to Dragon Khan at PortAventura Park which features a 118-foot-tall (36 m) vertical loop.[8] In 1996, it conceded Florida's titles of tallest and longest roller coaster to Montu, a B&M inverted coaster in the Egypt section of the park.[5][7] In 1999, it conceded the fastest title to Islands of Adventure's The Incredible Hulk Coaster, yet another B&M sitdown coaster.[6]

Characteristics

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One of Kumba's trains exiting the second corkscrew

The 3,978-foot-long (1,212 m) Kumba stands 143 feet (44 m) tall and has a drop of 135 feet (41 m), with a top speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). The ride features seven inversions including a 114-foot-tall (35 m) vertical loop, a dive loop, a zero-g roll, a cobra roll and two interlocking corkscrews.[9] The vertical loop featured on Kumba wraps around the lift hill. This element was later seen on The Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Banshee at Kings Island.[10] Kumba was the first ride in the world to feature a number of now-common roller coaster elements, including interlocking corkscrews and a dive loop.[11][12] Riders of Kumba experience up to 3.8 times the force of gravity on the 3 minute ride.[9]

Kumba features four steel and fiberglass trains, each containing eight cars. Each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. The block sections only allow for three trains to be on the track at any one time, meaning the ride can still operate at full capacity when one train is undergoing maintenance. With all three trains operating, the ride can achieve a capacity of 1,700 riders per hour.[9]

The name Kumba was derived from the translation of the word "roar" in the African Kongo language.[1]

Ride experience

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The zero-g roll, where riders experience a feeling of weightlessness

The ride begins with a right-hand, 90-degree turn out of the station which then begins to climb the 143-foot-tall (44 m) chain lift hill. After reaching the peak, trains go through a small pre-drop. The ride then goes down a 135-foot (41 m) drop to the left into a 114-foot-tall (35 m) vertical loop that wraps around the lift hill. After leaving the vertical loop, the ride rises up into a diving loop, followed by a zero-g roll, where riders experience a feeling of weightlessness. A straight section of track and a small hill leads to a Cobra roll. After exiting the cobra roll, the trains rise up into the mid-course brake run. The exit from the brake run leads into a pair of interlocking corkscrews. The train then dives into a tunnel and exits into an upward clockwise helix. The train then hits the final brake run, before making a right hand turn and returning to the station.[9][13]

Reception

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Kumba has generally been well received. Robb Alvey of Theme Park Review stated Kumba was his favorite ride in the Florida area, describing it as "an old-school, intense ride" that he has been on hundreds of times.[14] Dewayne Bevil of the Orlando Sentinel gives Kumba ratings of 4 out of 5 for both thrill and theming.[15][16] Keith Kohn, also of the Sentinel, described the ride as "an amazing experience".[17]

The opening of Kumba had a significant impact on park attendance figures. In its debut year, park attendance increased approximately 15% to an estimated 3.8 million visitors.[18][19] The park expected that trend to continue into 1994.[19] In 1995, Joe Fincher, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's general manager, described Kumba as a "superstar roller coaster" that "has been terrific for us".[20]

In Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, Kumba has consistently ranked highly. It is also one of only seven roller coasters to appear in the top 50 every year since the award's inception in 1998. It debuted at position 4 in 1998,[21] before dropping to a low of 31 in 2011 and rising to 23 the following year.[22][23]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Ranking 4[21] 5[24] 7[25] 13[26] 19[27] 22[28] 22[29] 22[30] 21[31] 21[32] 27[33] 27[34] 24 (tie)[35] 31[22] 23[23] 27[36] 36[37] 38[38] 42 (tie)[39] 41 (tie)[40] 37[41] 40[42]

References

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  1. ^ a b Strengle, Bernice (November 11, 1992). "Thrill of 'Kumba' to roar into park". St. Petersburg Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Vaughan, Vicki (November 16, 1992). "Kumba Coasting To Busch Gardens". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  3. ^ Lammers, Dirk (November 11, 1992). "Busch Gardens plans to build Southeast's biggest roller coaster". The Tampa Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved August 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Jackson, Tom (April 21, 1993). "A scream come true". The Tampa Tribune. p. 2. Retrieved August 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Tallest roller coasters in Florida)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  6. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Fastest roller coasters in Florida)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  7. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Longest roller coasters in Florida)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  8. ^ Marden, Duane. "Dragon Khan  (PortAventura Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  9. ^ a b c d Marden, Duane. "Kumba  (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  10. ^ Stilwell, Andrew (March 17, 2014). "A-Z Coaster of the Week: Kumba". Coaster101. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  11. ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results  (Interlocking Corkscrews)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  12. ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results  (Dive Loop)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  13. ^ Alvey, Robb (November 10, 2011). "Kumba Roller Coaster POV Front Seat Amazing 1080p HD Footage Busch Gardens Tampa FL". Theme Park Review. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  14. ^ Boedeker, Hal (June 6, 2013). "Orlando expert travels world in 'Coaster Wars'". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  15. ^ Bevil, Dewayne (May 31, 2013). "Central Florida Roller Coaster Guide". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  16. ^ Bevil, Dewayne. "Kumba, Busch Gardens". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  17. ^ Kohn, Keith W. (June 17, 2004). "Fans Eager To Loop And Twist At Gardens". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  18. ^ Cronan, Carl (August 2, 1996). "Busch Gardens coasts into summer with Egypt". Ocala Star-Banner. Halifax Media Group. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  19. ^ a b O'Brien, Tim (February 1994). "Kumba's marketing momentum to carry Busch Gardens Tampa into '94 season". Amusement Business. 106 (8): 18.
  20. ^ Doolittle, Leslie (May 11, 1995). "New Roller Coaster Planned In 1996 As Busch Gardens Goes Egyptian". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  21. ^ a b "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1998.
  22. ^ a b "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  23. ^ a b "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012.
  24. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1999.
  25. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000.
  26. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  27. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  28. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  29. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007.
  30. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  31. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  32. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  33. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  34. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  35. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  36. ^ "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.
  37. ^ "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 46–47. September 2014.
  38. ^ "2015 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 49–50. September 2015.
  39. ^ "2016 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016.
  40. ^ "2017 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017.
  41. ^ "2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018.
  42. ^ "2019 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019.
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Preceded by
unknown
 World's Tallest Vertical Loop
April 1993–May 1995 		Succeeded by
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