Knott's New Thrill Ride Shoots off in Time for Christmas '04; Theme Park Adds Major Coaster to Soar Above The Action

Business Wire,  Dec 1, 2003  

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Entertainment Editors/Lifestyle Editors/Calendar Editors

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BUENA PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 2003

Cowboys in Ghost Town, Native Americans in Indian Trails and a brand new Silver Bullet flying above it all. Knott's Berry Farm expands its arsenal of thrill rides with the addition of Silver Bullet, the western themed roller coaster set to debut on Christmas Eve 2004. The high-flying $16 million coaster shoots onto the Ghost Town scene, soaring into Fiesta Village and back over Indian Trails. Chrome plated and floorless, Silver Bullet promises to be a blast.

While suspended below the track, Silver Bullet will send riders climbing to a height of 146 feet and soaring back down an initial drop of 109 feet. Riders will spiral, corkscrew, fly into a cobra roll, and experience overbanked curves. Overall, riders will find themselves upside down six times including one vertical loop of 105 feet. With two trains and a capacity of 32 people per train, Silver Bullet will send 1,300 guests per hour head over heels on a 2.5-minute high-speed tour. The trains, each with 8 cars, will move riders under 3,125 feet of track.

The new attraction, designed and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B & M) of Monthey, Switzerland, continues Knott's Berry Farm's transformation into Southern California's leading thrill ride adventure park. Since its acquisition of Knott's in December 1997, Cedar Fair L.P. has made an ongoing commitment to adding world-class thrill attractions. As the seventh roller coaster to be added to Knott's, "Silver Bullet gives thrill seekers yet another world-class ride to add to their list of all-time favorites," proclaimed Jack Falfas, General Manager and Vice President of West Coast Operations for Cedar Fair, L.P. Knott's will also add RipTide, another high-flying spinning thrill ride with "720 degrees of attitude" to the Boardwalk area in the Spring of 2004.

Xcelerator, Supreme Scream, Perilous Plunge and GhostRider have set attraction records with GhostRider recently voted one of the world's best wooden roller coasters by coaster enthusiasts.

Knott's Berry Farm is owned and operated by Cedar Fair, L.P., a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FUN." In addition to Knott's Berry Farm, Cedar Fair owns and operates five other amusement parks and five water parks, and operates a seventh amusement park under a management contract. For media information, please call Knott's Public Relations at 714-220-5130.

                       SILVER BULLET FACT SHEET

PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS

Total Track Length:         3,125 ft.
Lift Height:                146 ft.
Initial Drop:               109 ft.
Vertical Loop:              105 ft.
Number of Inversions:       6
Features:                   Outside Loop
                            Overbanked Curve
                            Cobra Roll
                            Zero-G Roll
                            Elevated Spiral
                            Corkscrew
                            Double Spiral

DESIGN ELEMENTS
Model                       Inverted, outside-looping coaster
Structure:                  Steel, tubular track

VEHICLES
Number of Trains:           2
Design:                     Single ski lift-style seating with
                            shoulder harnesses and lap belts
Cars per Train:             8
Passengers per Train:       32

CAPACITY                    Approx. 1,300 per hour

SPEED                       55 MPH

RIDE CYCLE TIME             2.5 minutes

RIDER HEIGHT REQUIREMENT    54 inches

INVESTMENT                  $16 million

MANUFACTURER                Bolliger & Mabillard (B & M), Monthey,
                            Switzerland

OPENING DATE                December 24, 2004

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