Date Ridden: Summer of 2008. Times Ridden: 2 with the best ride being in the very front seat for Guy's 100th coaster.
What the heck is a "Jo-Jo Roll"?
In preparing for our Summer of 2008 trip, I focused on a number of the newer rides as well as some of the more famous older ones. However, I did not pay much attention to what I thought was a small, compact floorless coaster located in Dorney Park and overshadowed by the likes of Talon, Steel Force and Voodoo. Hydra was that coaster.
First, let's have a little history lesson. Years ago, Dorney Park had a wooden coaster named Hercules at the exact location in which Hydra now stands. Hercules was a wooden coaster known more for its roughness than anything else. Many coaster enthusiasts enjoyed it but it was a little uncomfortable for the average park goer based on ride reviews I have read. I never had the chance to ride it. The coaster was demolished and replaced with a coaster named after the creature that Hercules destroyed in the Greek myths: The Hyrda. Hence the name, Hydra - The Revenge.
Now that we have the history lesson over, let's talk about the rides' signature element: that Jo-Jo roll. The only way to understand it is to simply see it. To the best of my knowledge there is not another inversion like this in the world. Dropping out of the station into the slow moving inversion with the absolute best hang-time of any ride ever is a different experience. After that, the journey up the lift hill, the first drop, and the other inversions are taken with that typical B and M smoothness despite the compact lay-out of the ride.
I liked Hyrda but the coaster still falls a little short of both Talon and Steel Force hence the lower rating. It is well above average and offers a unique experience for even the most seasoned coaster enthusiasts. Don't miss it when you visit Dorney Park.
Overall Rating: 8
Ride Hydra below.
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