“Crocodile” is the theme of Iron Gwazi. Did you know that? It is a steel-track hybrid roller coaster. This Iron Gwazi replaced the former Gwazi.
Let’s dive into the story of Iron Gwazi. It stands tall in Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The original Gwazi was a wooden dueling roller coaster. Busch Gardens announced it in July 1998. They built it on the former Anheuser-Busch brewery site. Great Coasters International built Gwazi. It featured two separate tracks. The ride got its name from a mythical creature. This creature had a tiger’s head and a lion’s body. The Lion and Tiger trains reached 105.4 feet high. They ran at a top speed of 51 mph.
Gwazi opened on June 18, 1999. It quickly gained popularity. But the wooden coaster became hard to maintain. The Tiger side closed in 2012. The Lion side followed in 2015 due to rising costs. The wooden structure remained unused for years. The park considered various replacements.
Then came 2019. Busch Gardens announced Iron Gwazi. It would be a steel-tracked coaster. Rocky Mountain Construction retrofitted the old layout. The opening was set for 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays. Iron Gwazi finally soft-opened on February 13, 2022. It opened to the public on March 11.
Iron Gwazi was marketed as North America’s tallest hybrid coaster. It is also the steepest and fastest. It stands 206 feet tall. Riders reach speeds of 76 mph. The track is 4,075 feet long. Iron Gwazi received positive reviews. It won the 2022 Best New Roller Coaster award. This award came from Amusement Today magazine.
The original Gwazi covered eight acres. It was GCI’s third project. Each wooden track was 3,508 feet long. The structure used 1.25 million board feet of lumber. It also used two million bolts. 4.4 million nails held it together. The wooden structure could withstand 100 mph winds without riders.
Iron Gwazi reuses parts of the original structure. Andrew Schaffer said about 25 percent of the wood was reused. 75 percent of the foundations were also reused. RMC added 375,000 board feet of lumber. They rebuilt the lift hill with steel. The steel track is now 4,075 feet long.
The crocodile theme includes educational elements. These elements focus on reptile conservation. The queue area features crocodile-themed art. Iron Gwazi uses two six-car RMC trains. Each train seats 24 riders. Lap bars keep riders safe. The lead car has a crocodile head. The trains are green, purple, and blue. The track is purple.
What’s the ride like? Iron Gwazi starts with a sharp left turn. Then comes a descending turn. This leads to the 206-foot lift hill. The train slows at the top. Then it drops 91 degrees. Riders hit 76 mph. The train climbs a hill and banks. It makes an outer-bank turn. Next is a barrel roll downdrop. Then an overbanked turn to the left. The train climbs above the station. It makes an extended wave turn. It goes through a zero-g stall. Finally, Iron Gwazi turns into the brake run. One ride cycle lasts about two minutes.
Gwazi had six fly-bys. These gave riders the illusion of colliding. One ride cycle lasted about two and a half minutes. The Lion train dipped into a U-turn. It climbed the 105.4-foot lift hill. It dropped 91.8 feet reaching 51 mph. The Tiger train followed a similar path.
Iron Gwazi ties with Zadra in Poland. Both are the tallest hybrid coasters worldwide. Iron Gwazi is a thrilling reinvention. It combines wood and steel. It offers a unique ride experience.