Lightning Racer

Lightning Racer is by far my favorite racing roller coaster in the world. Somehow this ride manages to not only race, but also duel the other track for the whole ride.Lightning Racer is smooth and comfortable, the two tracks are just different enough that it warrants riding both, and you can never tell whos winning until the very end, which makes winning a race that much more triumphant.The helixes spiral around one another, the drops and hills sync up and dive over and under each other, and the tracks thread through each others structures, leading to moments of side-by-side racing and collision course dueling. Its incredibly exciting, and the nature of it being a wooden coaster makes it feel that much faster and gives me even more adrenaline. Of all the wooden coasters at Hersheypark, this one HAS to be my favorite. Theres no question about it.

Rode this on a trip to Hershey this August. Very fun coaster. I love the curved drops! They give a whole different experience than a straight drop. This was my favorite coaster that we went on. A nice wooden coaster experience.

Seriously one of my favorite wooden coasters. Still great after all these years. Special treat to ride in the last hour of Hersheypark in the Dark and ride without lights on. Hands up all the way around!

Excellent wooden rollercoaster. Two rollercoasters racing each other (thunder and lightning) is a great idea for a ride.Always a short line due to it being essentially two rollercoasters at once. There are always four active trains at a time. Two loading and two racing.Hope this ride sticks around for a while longer.

Great time. Wooden coaster with some shakes! Like Gemini at cedar point. Will be back for more fun!

Great coaster international. did a wonderful job building this racing coaster.

Fun ride. Barely ever has a line! It somehow pulls 3.6 GS which I dont understand. It is pretty forceless, which is my only problem with this ride. No airtime! Airtime isnt everything, and I honestly enjoyed this ride every time. Its a fun GCI that opened in 2000. Now, the best part of the rollercoaster: Hersheypark. I know what youre thinking, and thats that doesnt make sense! Now hear me out. If this was at a six flags park, it would barely ever race. Hershey does an AMAZING job at keeping the trains racing. The only t8e Ive ever seen it not race was in a video. Hershey runs this thing to its fullest potential. Props to Hershey for doing such a great job at keeping it racing. It hits 51.1 mph, which is pretty fast considering its drop, which is 90ft. The height is pretry average for a wooden coaster. and if youre like me and count credits, this is two if you ride both sides. I know that it is controversial, but if clones count we new credits, why shouldnt twin racing coasters count as well? Anyway, this rollercoaster gets a 9/10 which is solely for the fact that it races. Otherwise, its basically forceless.

This was actually a great ride, you race the other roller coaster and it is a very intricate track too

Great coaster for little kids cuz it does not go upside-down

Best wooden coaster at the park! My personal favorite side is thunder. This coaster is ALWAYS a walk on for me. Its very smooth with the woodie shake, which is a great thing. Thats what makes it a great wooden coaster! When i ride the coaster, usually Thunder wins, but sometimes you can really feel the harsh breaks if your train is being forced to lose. Still amazing!

The kids and Is favorite wooden coaster at the park. Its at the far back of the park and is typically pretty easy to get on, even on a busy day in the park. Lightning seems to be the winner on most occasions (not always, but often). And hopefully you can either catch this coaster right after a rain or during one, making it an even funner (and faster) experience to see who will win. Smooth fun coaster for most all age groups compared to some of the other wooden coasters in the park. Good luck and have a blast!

Very fun racing roller coaster! The lines move fast as there are two lines for two different trains. It is a lot of fun while riding to see who the winner will be. Wooden coaster but rides pretty smooth. Great fun!

Awesome racing coaster! Very fun ride with great airtime!! Very fun racing friends and family!!

Great coaster must ride ! All around good roller coaster if you love wooden coasters youre gonna love this one

Great coaster worth the wait

A little rough but i really liked it

A nice dueling GCI wooden coaster. The lines move quickly and the ride is quite smooth. My only complaint is that the chain lift is much louder than most. The curving drop is a good feature as well.

Great ride and attendants were awesome

Fun and different type of roller coaster. Its even more fun if it is not crowded so you can get on opposite cars at the same time as your friends

Fun coaster! But not too wild!

Very fun! The line was big but moved fast. It was fun, but the lighting roller coaster wasnt open due to shortage on staff, so we were not racing anyone. It was worth the wait I recommend ridding it at night the light look really cool.

Best wooden roller coaster at Hershey

Probably the best coaster in Hersheypark. It is so much fun how the two coasters race each other and weave in and out of each others tracks. Plus the wait is always short. Highly recommended!

This is my favorite wooden coaster! I love the racing aspect and its a decently long ride. Theres rarely a long line...and if there is, it goes quickly. Its definitely worth the walk to the back of the park!

This one is super fun! It is never long, even when it is “long” it goes super quick! In my opinion the thunder side is smoother than the lightning side, i recommend this ride because it is fun!

It can travel the same duration as Wodan Timbur Coaster.

Really good racing coaster

Great wooden roller coaster

Since the ride is deeper in the park, it is usually not that crowded. There are two coasters at this ride, so the line goes fast. It also lasts a bit longer than other rides in the park. Has to be one of my favorites

Great wooden coaster! The line is never long as they can move people thru fairly quickly. The dueling feature just adds to the fun even if its a lot of math about the weight of the coaster each run. Only suggestions raise the volume of the speakers and add another pair to the coaster staging area so that you can actually hear the winner!

Such a fantastic ride with little to no wait almost* everyday! Smoother than Wildcat, but you know, its still a wooden coaster at the end of the day.(*If they are running all 4 trains, 2 on each track.)

Awesome coaster!

Great wooden coaster!! Probably the best one Ive ridden ever. Super fun not rough.

By far one of my favorite rides at Hershey. The racing aspect makes it even more fun. One of the greatest wooden coasters around!!

This is our favorite ride at Hershey Park. The line (if it has one) moves very fast, due to there being 2 trains that race each other. The turns are gentle enough that our head and necks dont get whipped around, but the hills (and drops) are exciting to balance everything out. And the length of the ride is the best. We always ride multiple times, sometimes back to back.

We love this ride! We go every year with a group of familes and we try to race each other. You can see the other train at various places and we always make faces and such at each other.

The Lighting Racer is fast and speedy! It has all the protection you need to have a safe and fun time.

One of the best coasters ever. The racing format makes this one great! With a 90ft drop, this coaster will be a great thrill!Just like every ride at Hershey, the staff is great, they always make sure you have your buckle and that the bar is locked and the line moves quickly.If you come to Hershey, this is a must ride!Fun for all ages

It is a very good rollercoaster the lines are pretty fast since there are many carts running. Also you are racing the cart next door so it is great to split up and race your friends

Really fun concept. I love how it throws me around. I wanted to win more, though.

Fun coaster for the whole family. A little friendly competition between the 2 coasters was great.

While Lightening Racer is fun, it is far from smooth. You will definitely feel this ride later!

Always a good ride!!!

This coaster has some fun drops and its always exciting to see which coaster wins in the end. Because its a wood coaster, it shakes around a lot, which makes the experience more fun.

Always a great coaster, but a bit bumpy/rough since its wooden. Also, the coaster I was on started smoking, so we had to get off and they had to stop the ride

Lightning Racer is my second favorite ride at Hershey Park, behind Storm Runner. It is not extremely intense and is the smoothest wooden roller coaster I have been on. There is a great amount of air time, and the racing element makes it all the more enjoyable. It’s similar to the Comet, but smoother and more fun. I was not afraid of putting my hands up, unlike on Wildcat.

Fast wooden coaster

My favorite. Long and fun. If you not use to wooden coasters prepare for a slight headache in the back of your head

If the park is crowded this is the fastest line for a good coaster

This is a most ride my 6 year old loves it

Was fast and high. Very good.

It was my 1st coaster ride in 3 years or more. Great Fun.

Awesome wooden rollercoasters they race each other thunder and lighting

One of my favorite wooden roller coasters!

So much fun. Never really a long wait time. Wooden rollercoasters are the best!

Was fun and of course had to ride thunder to win

Always a great time - Classic

Really good ride is you have a competitive side.

Its nice to have a coaster where you can race all your friends. Overall a good experience.

A good dualing coaster. Great coaster to start off your day!

Lightning Racer is a family-favorite at Hershey Park. This coaster never has a wait time of more then 10 minutes making it a coaster you can ride anytime in the day without worrying about getting a long wait. This coaster is a perfect coaster to get your child into roller coasters. Its a fast-paced ride but not too intense. It has many twists and turns and other aspects that make it truely a must ride at Hersheypark.

One of my favorite rides and the lines are almost always short!

The drop on this beautiful ride is great, minimal air time a little bit bumpy. I cant find a ride that is so fun but the line so short, the line certainly moves fast.

Great ride, wood rollercoasters are a throwback and a lot of fun

It was awesome I went about 12 times

Excellent Wooden Coaster! Great Park!

Eventhough i got a headache from the shaking. still a good choice

Easily one of the best roller coasters in the park for this 50+ lady

A very good racing wooden roller coaster in the back end of Hershey Park... A nice decent ride and a nice change of pace from the other extreme rides in the park... A nice ride for younger kids. A good starter wooden coaster. Not usually a big line so you can ride it multiple times...

This wooden roller coaster is actually good unlike wildcat

I loved the intense racing aspect more than the actual ride. It really gave the impression that we were running a steeplechase. In our case, Team Thunder won because Team Lightnings train wasnt as full

Fun but hurt my head

Fun fun fun!!

One of my favourite rides and coasters. you race against the thunder coaster.

Smoothest wooden coaster Ive ever been on

It was ok. Got stuck pulling into the station after our ride. 15 minutes with 3 boys stuck in seatbelts & lap bars didnt help my ratings at all. IJS

Smooth for wooden coasters and a long ride

This thing is amazing! Very intense, very smooth for a wooden coaster, and its very long. I rode this for the first time a couple months ago, and it was really fun.

Really great rollercoaster, momentarily helped me take my mind off the horrible boating accident that robbed me if everything Ive loved...

I mean, I lost but still liked it

We lost, trash mechanics, patch out false start glitch that lightning can use if frame perfect.

Lightning racer is a great wooden coaster. It definitely adds to that factor because it duels. It is actually two roller coasters that race each other. I wouldnt say it is the best GCI but it is certainly in the top 10. You go over some good airtime and cool banked turns as well. However I have one main problem with this ride. The layout seems a bit repetitive. It goes out, does a few airtime hills, turns around with the two coasters ending up close to each other, then goes the other way, does a couple airtime his and banked turns, turns around with the two coasters ending up close to each other, etc. It does that until it hits the brakes. Now that being said, it is still a great ride. Both sides deliver really fun experiences. it is a little bumpy but I could look past that and just focus on how much of a great ride it is. No matter which side your on, you will always play this in your mind, telling yourself to come back to it some day.

Fun for everyone great place

A classic and very entertaining traditional wooden roller coaster. Two trains (Lightning vs Thunder) go head to head to race to the finish. Some people say its rigged but of course weight distribution and mass can change the outcome. It does seem like Lightning wins more though.The drop after the initial climb is great. I sometimes get that gut feeling that makes me wanna scream my head off but thats inconsistent and Im not sure why but overall the coaster is a great thrill. Its really fun to see the two coasters race but then split off and do their own thing but come together. The line is surprisingly usually pretty low.

Fun, but green always wins!

Very fast, good rollercoaster for beginners.

Awsome wooden coaster!

A little shaky. But very secure and fun!

Lightning Racer is a great stepping-stone coaster for families at Hersheypark. Disappointingly for me, this ride doesn’t offer any airtime or G forces. The only thrill comes from the racing aspect, a rarity among modern wooden roller coasters. It’s not rough or painful, not making it a bad ride, but it just isn’t very exciting for me. The ride experence is very bland and repetetive, unlike Thunderhead at Dollywood— an amazing wooden coaster made by the same people that built Lightning Racer. Overall, not terrible but could be loads better than it actually is.

Great wooden coaster! Super fun to race family and friends on!

Fun family coasterand lighting won all 6 times we were on it.

Such a fun wooden coaster

Super fun with friends!

A little bumpy, but a fun competition. Better than Wildcat! Thunder won!

If you lose you get kicked out of the park

Fun wooden coaster!

Two rollercoasters that race each other and pretty smooth

The best bang for your buck ride in the park. No line ever and the competition aspect is so fun.

I love this attraction

Always a favorite at Hershey Park!