Gwazi Closing February 1st.

[johde]

In additional cost cutting news. According to Screamscape, Gwazi Lion will be giving it's last ride on February 1st. Gwazi Tiger has already been SBNO (standing but not operating) for the last 2 years. At this time, there is not word what will happen to the fastest wooden coaster in Florida. This will bring the number of operating wooden coasters in Florida to 2. Coastersaurus at Legoland and White Lightening at Funspot Orlando.

Unfortunately Florida weather doesn't seem to be kind to wooden coasters.

 

[DOOM1001]

I made a point to ride it on my last trip about 10 days ago cause I knew the rumor was out there for the last couple of months that it was closing.Without a doubt the roughest ride I've had on it since it opened like 15 years ago.I really liked this coaster when it was new,I would ride it multiple times in a row,then it started getting rough as the original trains just killed the track.About 4 years ago they changed the trains to the millennium flyers and I rode it almost right after they were installed and I still got a wild but much more tame ride,ten days ago I felt like I had been in a car accident after riding it.As much as its a cost cutting move they had to shut it down,just too violent.I'm all for them to do a RMC topper track modification to it but I doubt it.They'll probably tear it down in a year or two for a new coaster or Darkcastle type dark ride when its in the budget.

 

[johde]

I was trying to remember, I think it's been about 6 years since I've been to Busch Gardens. I've not had a chance to ride one of their remodeled coasters but I've heard good things about RMC. Here in Ohio, a lot of coaster people with Mean Streak would get some RMC love. I'll probably take one more spin on Gwazi during my trip here in a couple of weeks. I may need to research the least bad place in the trains to sit. Before it closed, I would ride Son of Beast. Another infamously rough wooden coaster. But, I'd only ride it in one particular row that I knew gave a decent ride.

Supposedly the ride improved with the Millennium Flyers trains installed in 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzDq6KVu2lA . I'm wondering then if prior budget problems have led to a lack of maintenance on the ride and now it's early demise.

 

[DOOM1001]

I rode Mean Streak several times between 2003 and 2006 as I visited Cedar Point 3 of those 4 years and I remember Mean Streak was rough but nothing close to what I experienced riding Gwazi about 2 weeks ago.But like I said Gwazi wasn't always like that as I would ride it 3,4,5 times in a row in the early 2000's when it was new.I always wanted to ride Son of Beast with the loop but I never made it out there.