Busch Gardens says...
Tigris will catapult riders through an exhilarating array of looping twists with forward and backward motion, breath-taking drops, a 150-foot skyward surge, and an inverted heartline roll, all at more than 60 miles per hour. Tigris will race riders along more than 1,800 feet of steel track designed to mimic the awe-inspiring agility of the world’s largest and most powerful cat –the tiger.
As Tigris only opened on 19th April 2019 I had not ridden it before. So did it live up to the expectations?
Tigris has a single train with 3 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 18 riders per train. Due to the compact design of the track it cannot run more than one car at a time. But as the ride is pretty quick it should see a good turnover per hour.
Tigris launches out of the station up into a partial twist. The train then falls back through the station, where it is accelerated backwards into another twist.
The train goes forwards into the station and riders are accelerated to a top speed of 62 miles per hour.
It then travels up to a height of 150 feet where it completes a non-inverting half-loop, a heartline roll (ranking it among the tallest inversions in the world) before exiting in a second non-inverting half-loop. It then enters a full non-inverting loop before returning to the station with a drop of 135 feet.
A heartline roll? What on earth is a heartline roll?
A heartline roll, also known as a barrel roll, is a roller coaster inversion in which the rider performs a 360-degree roll. The center of the train rotates on one axis. Rotating, pivoting around where your heart is. The track changes in elevation to keep the train moving around that same point.
The acceleration is smooth and controlled, not like some launch coasters that want to stick your head back into the middle of last week!
The heartline roll was a deliberately slow rotation so you know you are upside down. Just make sure you don't have anything loose on you or you won't see it again.
It is a quick ride. Over in about a minute. But it is a great feeling and doesn't come with the suspense or trepidation of some other rides at Busch Gardens like Sheikra or Falcons Fury.
Next time you visit Busch Gardens you must ride Tigris. You won't be disappointed.