Raptor was introduced to the world in 1994, when Bolliger and Mabillard were at their designing peak, breaking three records, one for height, one for speed, and one for length. It is one of the best inverted (train connected directly under track, can go through inversions) roller coasters in existence, which is evidenced by its placement in Amusement Today's poll for America's favorite coaster, eighth in the world.
Raptor's trains are some of the most comfortable you can find, with the same chair quality as some recliners, and the restraints are just as plush, and another plus is that they don't allow your head (or cause it) to bang around, which unfortunately occurs on other roller coasters like Mean Streak. From the immediate drop from the station, the ride is non-stop action 'til the finish. The lift offers a wide view of the park, at least everything you can see without breaking your neck and craning it to see everything, especially stuff below you.
Upon reaching the top, the train does a little dip, and if you're in teh front seat the view from there is incredible, and in the back seat the first drop airtime is just as incredible. The first drop takes about five seconds to complete, and it is steep enough that it gives enough impression of a near miss with the ground when the train finally begins to pull out of the drop. Because this is an inverted coaster, unless the track is 150 or more feet in front of you, you can't see anything of where you're going, and the clothoid loop is a great example of this. It really gives an element of suspense!
Next, with the 0-g camelback flip, this inversion is so cool, because it takes the train perfectly straight up a normal camelback hill, but upon reaching the top the train quickly flips through a l o n g 360, and then drops into a straightaway before the cobra roll. During the straightaway it gives the riders just a few seconds to relax before the train is again jerked up into a half loop that inverts in a left-handed corkscrew type inversion, and then another half cork before exiting through another half loop. This inversion, obviously so, derives its name from the way it resembles a cobra's flared head.
From the cobra roll, the train takes about ten seconds to reach the next straight section of the ride, and the last before the end of the ride, the brakes. There is an extended spiral from an inclined hill that gradually becomes more banked as the track nears the brakes, essentially performing an uphill 270. The brakes are powerful if the train is heavy enough (yes, I think it actually matters how heavy the train is because with a lighter train if it's not completely full, you can hardly feel the brakes) and from the brakes is a long, I don't know like 210 downhill high-bank spiral, which leads into the first corkscrew (ouch!) which catches me by surprise every time and pops the train over some other track.
From here is what I like to consider the finale of the ride, because it is non-stop drops and high-G's! There is a high-bank long curve around the first loop which drops frighteningly close to the ground before swerving you into another corkscrew (another ouch!). Finally, i.e. the last element is a downhill 450 helix which pulls a max of 4.5 G's, which force all the blood that isn't already coursing through your veins into really quickly. Leaving the helix the train runs through the photo section and quickly pulls to the left in a high-bank into the final brakes.
This is one of the smoothest coasters of any type, and my only piece of advice is this- get out to Cedar Point and ride it, you won't be disappointed!
