Does Racer count as one coaster or two? Like, if you're counting all the coasters at Kings Island, do you count Red Racer and Blue Racer, or just "Racer?"

The park counts it as one.

I say it is two. They can and do operate independently.

Just a single coaster, "The Racer", is the generally accepted answer (and what the park uses), but among coaster enthusiasts*, there is never a single answer.

I'd encourage you to go with whatever feels right to you.

*among the general public, the answer is often either "The Racers" or "bring back the Backward Racer!!!!!!!" Well, among enthusiasts that second one often comes out too.

Why DID they get rid of backwards Racer? 

Just a single coaster, "The Racer", is the generally accepted answer (and what the park uses), but among coaster enthusiasts*, there is never a single answer.

I'd encourage you to go with whatever feels right to you.

*among the general public, the answer is often either "The Racers" or "bring back the Backward Racer!!!!!!!" Well, among enthusiasts that second one often comes out too.

Madam, I am a park fanatic.

There is a huge difference.

Actually, I was writing my post and included the term "coaster enthusiasts" before I even saw your post See, among enthusiasts/fandoms, never a single answer even to what we each consider ourselves.

I don't think we'll ever know the full story behind the change, because KI isn't forthcoming with answers. The best explanation I've heard is that a newer Ohio law requires manufacturers' specifications to be followed in ride operations, and the trains were not specified by the manufacturers to to be run backward. I've also heard that adamantly denied as being the reason. Ask two people, you'll get three or more answers. My personal theory is Don Helbig only likes it forward. (that's actually a joke, don't take me seriously-if you don't get it, look him up in a search engine).

I consider them to be two. 

The Park's official answer as to why no backwards? "Nostalgia."

Technically, by the park it's counted as two rides. (On the website it's counted as one) But in the park it's two individual coasters. 

The typical way to find this out is just by looking at the wait times. It will say The Racer N (Blue Trains) The Racer S (Red Trains)

I'd consider it two rides. Yes they're the same thing, but do you count the Invertigo at Kings Island as the same Invertigo at another park? Nope. 

Which is an idiotic answer considering it ran backward for longer than it has been run forward before and after combined (more than twice as long before it was changed back). And if you got "nostalgic" for riding forward during the years of recaR, RIDE THE FORWARD SIDE! Criminy! It was always a much shorter line for forward, so clearly not many people were nostalgic for it.

Ok, I usually try to keep it under control, but I'm a little miffed about the change (and, particularly, the bullcrap "official answer"- you wanna see real nostalgia look at any social media post KI makes mentioning The Racer, or many that don't, and there are tons of comments expressing fond memories of the Backwards Racer).

I say two. The website coaster-count.com says it is two so that is good enough for me. 

A cool, awesome, but probably never to happen change would be an RMC of The Racers. WITH the return of Backwards Racer.

I could only see one side of Racer getting RMC treatment.

A cool, awesome, but probably never to happen change would be an RMC of The Racers. WITH the return of Backwards Racer.

 

 

 

No.

Amen.

Go to Kentucky Kingdom for that. Or Six Flags Great America, Six Flags New England, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Silver Dollar City...

Leave Racer be. Period.

For those wondering why Racer's backwardness was removed, one general thing I've heard was that the PTC trains were never meant to go backwards and not to be modified so that they could in any way.....

Don't let the destruction of wooden coasters spread to Cedar Fair. Let The Racer continue as a wood coaster. I feel like there are better candidates for an Iron Horse conversion in the Cedar Fair chain.

A cool, awesome, but probably never to happen change would be an RMC of The Racers. WITH the return of Backwards Racer.

 

No.

 

This is the best one-word post ever. No other words are necessary.

Don't let the destruction of wooden coasters spread to Cedar Fair. Let The Racer continue as a wood coaster. I feel like there are better candidates for an Iron Horse conversion in the Cedar Fair chain.

Better candidates? Maybe. Good candidates? No.

 

Well, MAYBE the KD Hurler. It's the only woodie in the Cedar Fair chain that I've ridden that I'd be hesitant to ride again.

I was definitely not thrilled when they made both sides of Racer go forward again.  This was mostly because I knew it meant they would also use it as a reason to only run 1 side during low attendance times.  My annoyance was increased by the non-answer the park gave as the reason for the change.  

 

However, now that it is years later, I can see why the park did it.  It seems clear that Cedar Fair has evaluated and re-evaluated rides in terms of their safety status and eliminated anything that could be considered questionable.  I wonder how much effort it would have been to reach out to PTC or whoever could give a full safety approval to recAR.

 

More baffling to me are their policies on the Arrow suspended coasters.  (Add seat belts!  Take seat belts off!  Change Iron Dragon height requirement to 48" after 27 years...)

 

Don't let the destruction of wooden coasters spread to Cedar Fair. Let The Racer continue as a wood coaster. I feel like there are better candidates for an Iron Horse conversion in the Cedar Fair chain.

Better candidates? Maybe. Good candidates? No.

 

Well, MAYBE the KD Hurler. It's the only woodie in the Cedar Fair chain that I've ridden that I'd be hesitant to ride again.

 

Oh come on guys! Wouldn't an RMC conversion of The Beast be fantastic?!? 

 

 

Don't let the destruction of wooden coasters spread to Cedar Fair. Let The Racer continue as a wood coaster. I feel like there are better candidates for an Iron Horse conversion in the Cedar Fair chain.

Better candidates? Maybe. Good candidates? No.

 

Well, MAYBE the KD Hurler. It's the only woodie in the Cedar Fair chain that I've ridden that I'd be hesitant to ride again.

 

Oh come on guys! Wouldn't an RMC conversion of The Beast be fantastic?!? 

 

 

Yes, yes it would. In fact I could see that easily becoming a top 5-10 coaster in the minds of many. Doesn't mean I want to see it happen though. 

An RMC copy/clone would be super cool, but not at the expense of losing The Beast.

Don't let the destruction of wooden coasters spread to Cedar Fair. Let The Racer continue as a wood coaster. I feel like there are better candidates for an Iron Horse conversion in the Cedar Fair chain.

Better candidates? Maybe. Good candidates? No.

Well, MAYBE the KD Hurler. It's the only woodie in the Cedar Fair chain that I've ridden that I'd be hesitant to ride again.

Don't forget the streak in Sandusky that's mean on your body

Don't let the destruction of wooden coasters spread to Cedar Fair. Let The Racer continue as a wood coaster. I feel like there are better candidates for an Iron Horse conversion in the Cedar Fair chain.

Better candidates? Maybe. Good candidates? No.

Well, MAYBE the KD Hurler. It's the only woodie in the Cedar Fair chain that I've ridden that I'd be hesitant to ride again.

Don't forget the streak in Sandusky that's mean on your body

You mean my second favorite woodie in Ohio?

They can leave that coaster well alone.

Don't let the destruction of wooden coasters spread to Cedar Fair. Let The Racer continue as a wood coaster. I feel like there are better candidates for an Iron Horse conversion in the Cedar Fair chain.

Better candidates? Maybe. Good candidates? No.

Well, MAYBE the KD Hurler. It's the only woodie in the Cedar Fair chain that I've ridden that I'd be hesitant to ride again.

Don't forget the streak in Sandusky that's mean on your body

You mean my second favorite woodie in Ohio?

They can leave that coaster well alone.

I applaud your courage. You're a better man than me

I like Dinns... I'm weird like that. Predator at Darien Lake is another of my favorite woodies.

Plus, the worst ride I've ever had on Mean Streak was infinitely less rough than my worst rides on Beast. Beast has on more than one occasion left me unable to get out of bed comfortably the following day. Mean Streak has never done that. Granted, I've taken A LOT more rides on Beast than Mean Streak.

Nothing can beat the beating I took on Mantis last year. That was the worst coaster at Cedar Point.

I like Dinns... I'm weird like that. Predator at Darien Lake is another of my favorite woodies.

Plus, the worst ride I've ever had on Mean Streak was infinitely less rough than my worst rides on Beast. Beast has on more than one occasion left me unable to get out of bed comfortably the following day. Mean Streak has never done that. Granted, I've taken A LOT more rides on Beast than Mean Streak.

I've only ridden Mean Streak once. I did not really find it all that rough, it just wasn't all that fun. Maybe its just perception being that it looks like such an awesome ride and then underwhelms, much like old SOB. 

I say two. The website coaster-count.com says it is two so that is good enough for me. 

Coaster-count.com also says that the Kennywood Racer is two coasters. It is definitely NOT. Of course, you are welcome to classify KI's Racer however you want, and I know many people on both sides of that argument, but coaster-count (and by extension, RCDB, since that's where their data comes from) is not the be-all and end-all of coaster classification.

 

I mean, neither of them count Devil's Den at Conneaut Lake Park or Haunted House at Camden Park as coasters, and they definitely are by every definition of a roller coaster.