Iron Gwazi

In October 1995, Anheuser-Busch announced the closure of its Tampa brewery, which had operated in the middle of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay since the park's inaugural year, 1959. The brewery closed in December and was demolished afterwards. To replace the brewery, the park chose a wooden roller coaster rather than one made of steel due to growing preferences for older-style attractions. The park wanted to differentiate itself from other Florida theme parks, which had modern ride technology. Mark Rose, the park's vice president for planning and design, chose the builder for the wooden roller coaster after touring several amusement parks over 17 days. Washington University in St. Louis helped research the new roller coaster name, Anheuser-Busch selecting Gwazi. By mid-month, park owner Busch Entertainment filed a trademark for the name "Gwazi" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Busch Gardens announced its plan to add a pair of dueling wooden roller coasters named Gwazi on July 15, with groundbreaking taking place that day. The announcement also revealed that GCI would be building the roller coaster. The Tampa Tribune ran pictures of the hills under construction in November. Gwazi was reported to have been re-designed several times during construction. and testing began in May. Operation To promote the opening of Gwazi, park officials sold "first ride" tickets for the preview event in June 1999; of the 5,700 tickets sold, 3,500 went to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay passholders. Approximately 500 members of American Coaster Enthusiasts were in attendance. Construction of the roller coaster's theming and removal of excess wood were ongoing during the preview event. and the first wooden roller coaster at any Busch Entertainment park. Busch Gardens promoted the attraction as the largest and fastest dueling wooden roller coaster in the southeastern United States. Gwazi developed a reputation for delivering a rough ride over time despite regular maintenance. The Lion's track was replaced with new wood in 2009, and the Tiger side re-tracked the following year. After both tracks were refurbished, the last part of the renovation included the installation of four GCI-designed Millennium Flyer trains in 2011 to replace the trains originally supplied by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC). Even with re-tracking and new trains, the wooden roller coaster remained difficult to maintain, and ridership continued to decrease. The closure of the Tiger side prompted rumors from amusement park enthusiasts that Gwazi's operation would be terminated in the near future. Gwazi's last train dispatched in February 2015. The trains were relocated and used on rides at other SeaWorld park locations, including InvadR at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Texas Stingray at SeaWorld San Antonio. SeaWorld Entertainment repurposed wooden planks from the structure within the same park and at other properties, including SeaWorld Orlando. Refurbishment and relaunch Rose, vice president of park services, stated there were no plans for the Gwazi site after its closure, although the park was considering possible replacement attractions. A park spokesperson added that engineers discussed adding new elements, manufacturing steel parts, or completely demolishing the structure. In the three years after the closure, rumors circulated about a possible replacement of the wooden structure, speculating it could be a remodeled roller coaster, a new attraction, or an amphitheater. During a September 2018 news conference announcing the park's ninth roller coaster, Tigris, officials said there were construction plans for Gwazi in 2020. The same day, SeaWorld Entertainment applied to trademark the name "Iron Gwazi". An internal SeaWorld Entertainment presentation was leaked online to the public in October 2018, which showcased several projects under development across its parks, including a replacement ride for Gwazi as a "high-thrill hybrid roller coaster". Later in the same month, Busch Gardens filed a demolition permit with the city of Tampa for parts of the Gwazi site. Site preparation and construction started in late 2018 for an attraction code-named "BGT 2020". In March 2019, the park announced Gwazi's replacement with a hybrid roller coaster conversion by RMC. Busch Gardens promoted the attraction as North America's steepest, fastest, and tallest hybrid roller coaster. By August 2019, the placement of the roller coaster's track had begun. Busch Gardens revealed the following month that the roller coaster would be named "Iron Gwazi" and that it would be tall with a 91-degree drop and a maximum speed of . During the 2019 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Exposition in November, RMC unveiled the trains for Iron Gwazi. RMC completed track work on March 8, 2020, and testing began the next day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the initial opening date was missed, and testing halted after a week. RMC filed a lien against SeaWorld in May 2020 for $3.5 million of the $9 million the company said it was owed for work on Iron Gwazi, delaying further construction. As a result of the pandemic, SeaWorld Entertainment's preliminary second-quarter results for 2020 incorporated several approaches to reorganize its assets, one plan being to postpone the opening of all 2020 attractions to the following year. The park said in September that it scheduled to open Iron Gwazi in 2021, and it released a point-of-view video of the roller coaster two months later. In August 2021, Busch Gardens postponed Iron Gwazi's launch date a second time, to 2022. In January 2022, the park specified a final launch date in March of that year. The park hosted a media preview for Iron Gwazi in February. The roller coaster soft opened for passholders on February 13, and it opened to the general public on March 11. Iron Gwazi debuted as the tallest hybrid roller coaster in North America, as well as the fastest and steepest hybrid roller coaster in the world. Iron Gwazi and Zadra at Energylandia, another RMC-built roller coaster located in Poland, are tied as the tallest hybrid roller coasters worldwide. == Ride experiences ==

Gwazi The ride experience of both the Lion and Tiger sides of Gwazi followed similar paths to each other when dueling. The park promoted Gwazi as the first dueling coaster with six "fly-bys", in which the two roller coaster trains passed each other in opposite directions at high speeds, giving the false impression they would collide. The Tiger train departed the station, moved forward into a slight right turn, then dipped into a U-turn to the left to pass the other train. It climbed slightly to the left to ascend the lift hill. Iron Gwazi Iron Gwazi begins with a sharp left-hand turn, followed by a descending turn leading to the lift hill. returning downward in a left-hand turn and upwards to the right. Reaching the apex of the hill, the train navigates through a barrel roll downdrop, followed by an overbanked turn to the left. The train continues to climb a series of left-curved hills, transitioning into a zero-g stall. == Characteristics ==

Wooden roller coaster in 2006|alt=Gwazi as captured from the park's transportation Skyride with the full layout. A Lion train can be seen descending its initial drop. Gwazi covered previously occupied by the brewery. Gwazi was Great Coasters International (GCI)'s third project. The individual wooden tracks were long, and the maximum height of each side was . The wooden structure could withstand winds without riders. Gwazi was given a sealant coat, instead of traditionally being painted, to blend in with the park's African theme. Andrew Schaffer, the park's director of design and engineering, stated, "about 25 percent of the original wooden structure has been re-utilized, and 75 percent of the foundations". RMC added another of lumber for structural support and reconstructed the entire lift hill with steel rather than reusing the wooden structure. The steel track reaches a total length of , adding from its predecessor. The queue area has educational elements about the reptile and their conservation, with crocodile-themed graphics painted throughout. Iron Gwazi operates with two six-car RMC trains. Each car has two seats in two rows, accommodating up to 24 riders per train. Riders are secured with lap-bar restraints. The lead car features the rendition of a crocodile's head; its trains are green, purple, and blue. The track has a purple color scheme. Comparison == Reception and legacy ==

Gwazi received generally positive reviews upon its debut in 1999. In a St. Petersburg Times report, guest reactions to the roller coaster were positive, many commenting on its twists and turns, air time, and smoothness. In writing for The Tampa Tribune, Levin Walker noted among guests that Gwazi was praised for its speed and initial drop; some riders positively commented on the partial rattle typical of wooden roller coasters. An editor for Park World, Paul Ruben, stated that Gwazi had "everything a good coaster should have", adding "it never slows down". Gwazi was one of several wooden roller coasters that opened in North America during a resurgence of interest in vintage-style attractions. Gwazi opened one month after the steel dueling roller coaster Dueling Dragons. Dueling Dragons and Gwazi were frequently compared because of their dueling feature. The rebuilt Iron Gwazi garnered positive reviews by critics on its debut in 2022. Writing for the Tampa Bay Times, Sharon Kennedy Wynne described it as "glass-smooth" and noted its many air time moments. == Incidents ==

In 2006, a 52-year-old Palm Harbor man collapsed after riding Gwazi. He was rushed to a local hospital where he later died. It was determined that the roller coaster, which was functioning properly, had aggravated his high blood pressure. In 2022, a guest riding Iron Gwazi during its preview hit their hand on a beam, but declined medical treatment after the ride. The incident prompted Busch Gardens to remove two beams where the incident took place. == See also ==