Goliath (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)

Goliath is an inverted roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, a Swiss manufacturer, and Werner Stengel, Goliath has thrilled visitors all the way back to 1995 in Japan.

The roller coaster, located at the front of the park, rises to a height of 105 ft and reaches top speeds of 50 mph through multiple inversions.

History
Goliath originally opened in 1995 at Thrill Valley, formerly a theme park in Japan. The roller coaster operated as Gambit until the ride closed on May 6, 2002, along with the park. When Thrill Valley closed, Six Flags purchased several rides from the closed park and transported them to several of their parks, including Gambit. Gambit went to Six Flags' newest acquired theme park in eastern New Orleans. Already committed to enhancing the former Jazzland amusement park, Six Flags expanded the bounds of the park to make room for rides like Gambit. Upon arrival, Gambit was called Goliath and themed to DC Comics. To fit with the theme and surrounding attractions, Goliath was named Batman: The Ride and the roller coaster opened on April 12, 2003.

In 2005, Six Flags closed down their New Orleans theme park mid-season to prepare for Hurricane Katrina, which had entered the Gulf of Mexico and was heading towards Louisiana. Due to substantial flooding, many of the park's rides were damaged beyond repair, and the park remained closed until the floods retrieved. Many of the park rides were destroyed as the park's drainage system failed and were submerged in water for a long period of time after the hurricane. Anything in the park that was still in working condition was moved to other parks in the country, as Six Flags had no plans on reopening the New Orleans theme park. Batman: The Ride survived, mainly because of its elevated station and corrosion-resistant support structure.

Goliath was announced at its new home in San Antonio on September 27, 2007. Goliath was transported to the park and was made over with a new color scheme. Goliath opened on April 18, 2008.

Ride experience
After departing from the station, the train immediately begins to climb the 105 ft chain lift hill. Once at the top, the train makes a sharp 80 ft downward right turn into the roller coasters first element, a vertical loop, reaching a top speed of approximately 50 mph. After exiting the loop, the train then goes through a zero-g roll before entering a second loop. The train then goes up a rightward helix before backing a downward left turn into a corkscrew. After a sharp left turn, the train enters another corkscrew. Upon exiting the corkscrew, the train makes a right turn into the brake run which leads directly back to the station where the current riders unload and the next load. One cycle of the ride lasts about 2 minutes.

Track
Goliath has a track length of about 2693 ft and reaches a top height of 105 ft. The track colours of the roller coaster when it was known as Gambit at Thrill Valley are not known. When it was known as Batman: The Ride at Six Flags News Orleans the track featured black and orange track with grey supports. Today, at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, the ride has blue track and yellow supports. Friction brakes are used to control the speed of the train at the end of the ride. The track was manufactured by Clermont Steel Fabricators located in Batavia, Ohio.

Goliath is a clone of the Bolliger & Mabillard's Batman model. The original was introduced 1992 and became a huge success where multiple parks introduced the same model to their lineup. The Batman model can be found all over the world. Goliath is different then the rest as the roller coaster mirrored from the other clones. Goliath is not the only Batman model in San Antonio as SeaWorld had introduced one first in 1997.

Trains
Goliath operates with two generic steel and fiberglass trains with seven cars each. Each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train. The supports for the seats are orange, the actual seats are black with a yellow over-the-shoulder restraint connected to each one, and the coverings for the wheels are orange, blue, and yellow.