In 2001, Six Flags Marine World added V2: Vertical Velocity, an Intamin Impulse Coaster.  Even though V2 stood around 186-feet tall, Six Flags claimed the ride only stood 150-feet in order to comply with the city's height limitations.  Somehow, the city became aware of this, and the park was forced to close and modify the ride.

The rear tower was shortened to 150-feet; but the park took a more extreme approach with the front tower.  The tower was changed from a 90 degree vertical tower to a 45 degree inclined tower.  When enthusiasts first became aware that the ride was undergoing these changes, they were less than enthused and many insisted that the ride had been 'ruined'.  But when the modified version re-opened, everyone's opinions changed.

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V2 is located next to Roar; the front tower extends over the park's entrance and can be seen from nearly anywhere in the park.  The queue and station are fairly simplistic; the ride does not carry any particular theme. Once you board the single seven-car train, you pull down your restraints and fasten your safety belt, which is located to the side.

Once the restraints are checked and the ride is cleared for dispatch, LIMs are used to catapult you out of the station and towards the inclined tower.  On the first launch, you make it a little less than halfway up the tower.  The twisted front tower, which completely inverts the train, is very disorienting.  Before you plummet back down towards the ground, you stall at the top for for about half a second; in certain seats, you are completely upside-down at this point.

After you fall back down the tower, you fly backwards through the station and are accelerated to even higher speeds as you approach the rear tower.  You nearly reach the top of the vertical tower, which forces you to lean into your restraints.  Very exhilarating.

Next, you drop back down and pass through the station once again, this time accelerating to the ride's top speed of 70 mph.  This time around, you pass through the entire twisted section of the front tower, inverting multiple times.  Once again, you fall back down the tower, inverting several more times as you pass through the twisted section backwards.  You then continue backwards through the station and head up the vertical tower for the second time, once again nearly reaching the top.

After the train plummets back towards the ground, riders pass through the station once more; this time around you are slowed down.  You then continue forward and head about 1/3 of the way up the front tower.  The train then falls back down, the brakes are applied, and you slowly return back into the station.

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The original version of V2 was an incredible ride that offered a very unique sensation.  I am happy to report that the new version is just as good, if not better.  The inclined tower is much more disorienting, and hanging upside-down is a blast.  The unique inclined tower also sets this Impulse apart from the rest.  The vertical tower is 30-feet shorter, but the height difference is less noticeable than you may expect.

Kudos to the park and Intamin for being able to decrease the height of the ride while increasing the level of excitement.

• Fun and Intense

• Very disorienting

• Short

• Tame launch

-Jeff B.