Kumba



Kumba is a Bolliger & Mabillard sit down roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa, in Tampa, Florida. Opened in 1993, it stands 143 feet (44 m) tall and has a top speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Kumba features a total of seven inversions across the 3-minute ride.

History
Kumba was officially announced in November 1992 as a record-breaking Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster set to become the park's signature attraction. The ride officially opened to the public on April 20, 1993. When Kumba opened, it featured the world's tallest vertical loop, and was also the tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster in Florida. In 1995, Kumba conceded the title of ride with the world's tallest vertical loop to Dragon Khan at PortAventura which features a 118-foot-tall (36 m) vertical loop. In 1996, it conceded Florida's titles of tallest and longest roller coaster to Montu, a Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster in the Egypt section of the park. In 1999, it conceded the fastest title to Islands of Adventure's The Incredible Hulk, yet another Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster.

Characteristics
The 3,978-foot-long (1,212 m) Kumba stands 143 feet (44 m) tall. With a top speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), the ride features seven inversions including a 114-foot-tall (35 m) vertical loop, a dive loop, a zero-g roll, a cobra roll and two interlocking corkscrews. The vertical loop featured on Kumba wraps around the lift hill. Kumba was the first ride in the world to feature a number of now-common roller coaster elements, including interlocking corkscrews and a dive loop. Riders of Kumba experience up to 3.8 times the force of gravity on the 3 minute ride.

Kumba features four steel and fiberglass trains, each containing eight cars. Each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. The block sections only allow for three trains to be on the track at any one time, meaning the ride can still operate at full capacity when one train is receiving maintenance. Under three train operation, the ride caters for 1,700 riders per hour.

The name Kumba was derived from the translation of "Roar" in the African Kongo Language. This is a nod to the loud roaring sound of the trains running on the track, which does not have sand to dampen the noise.

Ride experience
The ride begins with a right-hand, 90-degree turn out of the station which leads into the 143-foot-tall (44 m) chain lift hill. After reaching the peak, trains go through a small pre-drop. The ride then goes down a 135-foot (41 m) drop to the left into a 114-foot-tall (35 m) vertical loop that wraps around the lift hill. After leaving the vertical loop, the ride rises up into a diving loop, followed by a zero-g roll, where riders experience a feeling of weightlessness. A straight section of track and a small hill leads to a Cobra roll. After exiting the cobra roll, the trains rise up into the mid-course brake run. The exit from the brake run leads into a pair of interlocking corkscrews. The train then dives into a tunnel, and exits into an upward clockwise helix. The train then hits the final brake run, before making a right hand turn and returning to the station.