Maverick (roller coaster)

Maverick is a steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Manufactured by Intamin at a cost of $21 million, it was the 500th roller coaster designed by German engineer Werner Stengel and the first to feature a twisted horseshoe roll element. There are two launch points along the track that utilize linear synchronous motors (LSM). Maverick features a beyond-vertical drop of 95 degrees and reaches a maximum speed of . Maverick was originally scheduled to open on May 12, 2007, but the opening was delayed after testing revealed that its heartline roll element, which followed the second launch, was too intense and placed excessive stress on the trains. It was replaced in favor of an s-curve element that joins two banked turns, and the coaster opened to public on May 26, 2007. The slogan used in the ride's promotion was "The Old West Was Never This Wild." Maverick sits on the former site of White Water Landing. After White Water Landing closed on October 30, 2005, construction on Maverick began. On January 24, 2006, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company filed a trademark for the name Maverick. The project became known officially and colloquially as "Project 2007" until the announcement on September 7, 2006. After the closure of the 2005 season in October, the White Water Landing log flume ride was retired. Although the ride was disassembled, the station was left intact and now serves as Maverick's on-ride photo booth and queue. Beginning in February 2006, concrete footers were poured on the former White Water Landing site, as well as in the pond that once housed Cedar Point's Swan Boat ride. In May 2006, track segments arrived in a fenced area near the park's off-site hotel, formerly named Breakers Express renamed Express Hotel. Initially, Cedar Point covered track segments with blue tarps. On July 16, 2006, the first steel supports were erected. On the week of August 16, 2006, the first track segments were installed. On September 11, 2006, the crest of the lift hill was added, thereby topping off the ride.