Inverted roller coaster

An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but swings via a pivoting bar attached to the wheel carriage. The coaster type's inverted orientation distinguishes it from a traditional roller coaster, where the passengers' legs rather than arms are exposed.

The inverted coaster was pioneered by the Swiss roller coaster designers Bolliger & Mabillard in the early 1990s. The first installation came at Six Flags Great America in 1992. Batman: The Ride opened to much fanfare and was "cloned" many times at other parks. The inverted coaster quickly became an industry favorite with custom designs installed nearly every year. The tallest and fastest inverted coaster is Wicked Twister at Cedar Point towering 215 feet (66 m) and reaching speeds up to 72 miles per hour (116 km/h). The longest inverted coaster is Banshee at Kings Island which travels along 4,124 feet (1,257 m) of track.

Other roller coaster manufacturers followed in the footsteps of Bolliger & Mabillard and began working on their own inverted coaster designs, including Vekoma, Intamin and other smaller companies. Intamin has few designs classified as inverted coasters, although they do install inverted coaster trains on some of their launched designs. Vekoma, on the other hand, usually mass-produces the same design (SLC (689m Standard)) with 41 identical coasters – and a few variations of that design – installed around the world. Also, in recent years, Vekoma has become the first manufacturer to install a family-friendly inverted roller coaster. Giovanola also has a single inverted coaster operating.

The inversions usually include vertical loops, zero gravity rolls, Immelmann loops, cobra rolls, and corkscrews.