Racer vs. Thunderbolt at Kennywood

Thunderbolt and Racer are 2 of the 3 Classic Wooden Coasters at Kennywood. I have ridden these both plenty of times, and I wanted to give a comparison article to see which of these is the better coaster.

For this, I want to look at the things I look for in a Wooden Coaster: Smoothness, Laterals, Restraints, and Airtime. Also, because of what these 2 coasters focus on, I am also going to include the Interactivity Element, since Racer duels and Thunderbolt interacts with Phantom's Revenge.

Part 1: Smoothness

Both of these rides are considered to be smooth for wooden coasters. Racer is the smoother ride, though, so I'm giving this point to Racer.

Part 2: Laterals

While Racer does have some Lateral Moments, the laterals aren't too strong. Thunderbolt has an over 600 foot long helix that has multiple wraps around a certain area. These will throw the person on the right into the person on the left unless the person on the right has a strong grip on the Buzz Bar. Thunderbolt easily gets this point.

Part 3: Restraints

This point is very close. These both have Seatbelts and Buzz Bars. I personally prefer the PTC Restraints over the NAD Restraints. The Buzz Bars are basically the same, but the PTC Trains have individual Seat Belts and Dividers. You can more easily get room with the individual seatbelts and the Seat Dividers prevent you from getting thrown into the other person. I give Racer this point.

Part 4: Airtime

Racer easily gets this point. Thunderbolt has zero airtime. Racer has a few good floater pops and one ejector pop at the end. Racer easily can get this.

Part 5: Interactivity

Racer gets this point, but only for consistency. Racer always has great dueling, but Thunderbolt also dives under Phantom's Revenge. I have ridden Thunderbolt once when Phantom had a train going in the second drop. They were perfectly synced when I rode once, which is very rare, and it was an amazing head-chopper effect. That is almost as good as Racer's Dueling. Racer still gets this point.

Final Scores:

At the end, Racer gets 3 points and Thunderbolt gets 2 points. I do prefer Racer over Thunderbolt. Racer is better rounded and I have loved Racer for a long time. Overall, Racer is the better ride. Thunderbolt is still very fun, just I think Racer is the better ride.