Kennywood has 3 classic wooden coasters. This fact makes Kennywood into Kennywood. Of the 3, Racer was the second one built in its current form. I've already reviewed the first one (Jackrabbit).
Part 1: Appearance
Racer looks good, but not as good as the other wooden coasters at Kennywood. It is likely that they want to just focus on what you can easily see. The ride could look better, but it doesn't look bad. I'd give it an 8/10 for appearance.
Part 2: Trains
Racer uses trains provided by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters International. These trains, supplied in 1982, are very comfortable. Since they just use Buzz Bars and a seatbelt, I have to give the trains a 10/10.
Part 3: Airtime
People don't seem to talk about the airtime on Racer. You have to sit in a specific seat to get strong, fun airtime. Sit in the left seat in the back row for the best airtime. There is plenty of airtime throughout the ride. The strongest pop is at the final drop before you go into the brakes.
The airtime on the ride is great, overall, but not as good as some of the other rides. I'd give it an 8/10
Part 4: Smoothness
People often say that Kennywood's wooden coasters are very smooth for wooden coasters. Racer is the smoothest of the 3. Jackrabbit is rough in some areas and Thunderbolt is rough in general, but Racer is smooth in most areas. However, since it's a wooden coaster, I can only rank it so high in the smoothness category. I would give it an 8/10.
Part 5: Operations
When Coaster Studios did an operations video on Kennywood, Racer had horrible operations. That doesn't represent what Racer is usually like.
The operators really just make sure that the seatbelt is locked and the buzz bar is locked, but that's it. This allows you to have fun airtime.
The operations are usually fast. This is one of the most popular rides in the park, so it makes sense that they want to dispatch fast.
In total, I'd give it a 10/10 for operations. It isn't always perfect, but it usually has good operations.
Final: The final score is 8.8/10. I would give it a 9/10, in total.
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