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Lightning Racer is a fantastic coaster, but simply didnt live up to the standards I expected it to and so many others believe it reaches. This was my first ride of the day (on Lightning) and I was able to ride Thunder once and Lightning another time. I know that this is not one of my top few woodens because after 3 rides I was never truly amazed by what LR had to offer. It was very fun, and just so incredibly smooth. It was much smoother than its twisted neighbor, Wildcat, however Im not sure if thats a good thing because I actually liked Wildcat a little more. The one thing I liked about LR much more than Wildcat was the fact that the restraints didnt seem to go down as far resulting in a more comfortable ride. The dueling aspect seems a bit overrated, although I never did get the front seat. They were much better than the duels on Twisted Twins, as the LR duels seemed spontaneous, natural, and quick, while the duels on Twisted Twins seemed set-up and you could see them coming from a mile away! However, the whole twin/racing/dueling thing just didnt make that big of a difference for me. The ride itself was fun, and fairly well-paced. The first drop was good and smooth, but not as intense as Wildcats amazing twisted drop. Then, Lightning Racer seemed to maneuver through its second element (a curved hill) a bit slow, which was kind of a let-down! However, LR picked up some great speed after that and the middle was by far the best part of the ride. It was fast and even a bit intense. The speed and smoothness of the ride is great, and there were laterals on many of the turns. There was a little bit of airtime; however, sometimes there were bunny hops that should have had air that didnt. The most disappointing part was the end: the final "race to the finish" composed of two or three bunny-hops taken side by side that were completely void of airtime for me! Lightning Racer was pretty good, just after three rides I never walked away with a "that was amazing" feeling! The ride needs more intensity, and then it would be really sweet. However, if you want a fun ride that is super smooth, has a great layout with a few lateral and negative G forces mixed in, you cant go wrong with Lightning Racer.
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