Patriot (California's Great America)

Patriot
Previously known as Vortex 1991-2016
California's Great America
Park section	Celebration Plaza
Coordinates	37°23′48.11″N 121°58′23.61″W
Status	Under construction
Opening date	April 1, 2017 (2017-04-01)
California's Great America
Name	Vortex
Status	Removed
Opening date	March 9, 1991 (1991-03-09)
Closing date	September 5, 2016 (2016-09-05)
Replaced by	Patriot
General statistics
Type	Steel – Floorless Coaster
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Floorless Coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	91 ft (28 m)
Length	1,920 ft (590 m)
Speed	40 mph (64 km/h)
Inversions	2
Duration	2:14
Capacity	1200 riders per hour
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Patriot at RCDB

Patriot (/ˈpeɪtriət/, /ˈpeɪtriɑːt/) is a steel, floorless roller coaster (conversion) located in Celebration Plaza at the California's Great America amusement park in Santa Clara, California, United States. The roller coaster originally opened as Vortex, a steel, stand-up roller coaster designed by Werner Stengel and produced by Bolliger & Mabillard, on March 9, 1991. On August 19, 2016, however, the park announced Vortex would be converted to Patriot for the 2017 season, officially retiring Vortex on September 5, 2016.

The park opened on Saturday, March 25 for the 2017 season, with Patriot opening to the public the following Saturday on April 1. The inspiration for the coaster’s name was taken from the fact that the ride is nestled adjacent to All American Corners within a park whose name celebrates America.

In celebration of the opening (and name) of the coaster, the park offered free entry to all current and past military service members through Memorial Day (May 29, 2017) weekend with up to 6 of their guests being offered discount tickets. Season pass holder previews were announced to start on March 31, 2017, a day before the official opening of the ride.

History

Vortex 1991–2016

Vortex was a stand-up roller coaster at California's Great America. It had a different layout but is generally the same size as Vortex at Carowinds. It was Bolliger & Mabillard's second coaster after Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America and officially opened on March 9, 1991. As the ride had gotten rough with age and wasn't particularly smooth anymore, it made a good conversion candidate to improve the experience in the space constrained park. At the time of closing, on September 5, 2016, the coaster had a paint scheme of purple track with yellow rails and gray supports.

Patriot 2017–present

On August 18, 2016, the park announced Vortex would be converted to Patriot for the 2017 season, including new Bolliger & Mabillard floorless trains and a new color scheme consisting of (repainted) blue track and white supports. Although this is the first floorless coaster in the park’s 41-year history it is the second floorless conversion in the Cedar Fair chain, following Mantis turning into Rougarou at Cedar Point back in 2015.

"Patriot will be an outstanding addition to our family of roller coasters and we’re honored to provide active and past military service members free admission through Memorial Day (March 25 - May 29, 2017) weekend."

California’s Great America Vice President and General Manager Raul Rehnborg

The park opened on Saturday, March 25 for the 2017 season, with Patriot opening to the public the following Saturday on April 1. In celebration of the opening (and name) of the coaster, the park offered free entry to all current and past military service members through Memorial Day (May 29, 2017) weekend with up to 6 of their guests being offered discount tickets. Season pass holder previews were announced to start on March 31, 2017, a day before the official opening of the ride.

Ride Experience

Track elements

• Loop
• Corkscrew

The coaster takes riders to a 91-foot height after which it makes an initial left hand drop into its first loop. It then executes a left turnaround to travel into another left turnaround through its loop. The train then travels to the other end of its layout into the corkscrew element and another left turnaround after which it enters into the final brake run.
The course used to cross over the park train's railroad tracks by the corkscrew. The coaster's lift hill stands parallel to the footers of the former Tidal Wave looping shuttle coaster.