Whizzer

Was this anybody else’s first real roller coaster? (Dragon Wagon doesn’t count)
I know I’m not alone in feeling distinctly nostalgic about one of the oldest and most treasured coasters at Chicago’s Six Flags. The in-​line seating arrangement is unique to this Schwarzkopf «speedracer» model coaster, which is a perfect excuse to have your date sit IN your lap (not just on it). It’s also worth mentioning that the spiral lift hill is one of the last remaining of its kind in the world!
During SFGAm’s annual Fright Fest, the loveable Whizzer undergoes a name/​theme change, intended to look like a radioactive spill. For a month, it becomes ‘Biohazzard’, utilizing the double Z’s of the ride sign, a clever twist. The elements of nuclear waste fallout (e.g. floating oil drums in the bog) lend a distinctly eerie feel to this otherwise tame coaster.
Outside of the month of October, the venerable Whizzer delivers medium-​sized scares to families and young thrillseekers. When it came time to erect Superman: The Ultimate Disappointment (sorry fanboys), Six Flags ALMOST demolished our beloved Whizzer, but the general public and coaster nerds cried out, so it was spared. It was either tear down this, or scrap Shock Wave, and I’m glad it was the latter (although I miss Shock Wave at times).
Fun fact: this coaster originally operated without any restraints whatsoever. That’s some nutty sh*t right there. Ahhh the 80’s, decade of decadence and lack of safety standards. Only later were seatbelts added so your ass doesn’t fall out of the ride.
Whizz on, O revered one.

This ride is great for kids and families. The drops are not steep. That’s what I call a Six Flags classic! The only sad thing is that I almost lost my cap a few years ago. It was before the final brake run. The unique part of this cool Schwarzkopf Speedracer coaster is that it has a spiral lift hill. After a few major drops, there is a hill that goes around the spiral lift hill. Then there are some drops near beautiful scenery! Then the final big turn comes and you go back up to the final brake run. The station and front sign looks like old-​school Six Flags.
By the way, I have a special «family tradition» for the Whizzer. During the ride, my family does a leaf grabbing contest! When my family is very close to the trees, we grab the leaves off the trees. It’s fun, but a relative of mine is undefeated at the contest! It’s a fun contest in my opinion!
I’ll be coming back on this ride pretty soon!

WILLARD’S WHIZZER
This ride was originally built by Anton Schwarzkopf and is classified as a «speedracer» roller coaster. The manufacture originally made two identical versions of this coaster for the Marriott corporation one for the Gurnee location & the other for California. The rides made their debuted at the opening of the parks in 1976. These were the last two speedracer coasters ever built by Anton Schwarzkopf. The Gurnee one is still running and the California one was dismantled in 1988.
This coaster was originally named «Willard’s Whizzer» and it was named to honor J. Willard Marriott who was the founder of the Marriott Corporation, original owner of the park prior to Six Flags. It is a family friendly roller coaster and has been my little ones favorite for years. It is amazing to think I’ve been riding this ride for 40 years and it is still very exciting for the whole family.
The coaster is powered by an electric motor underneath the train cars. In fact, you can hear this motor turn on as the four train cars are powered up the winding spiral track. Once you reach the top of the spiral track the motor shuts off and gravity does the rest pushing your train through 3,100 feet of steel track containing twists, turns and drops. But make sure you hold on tight because this baby gets up to 45 miles per hour. All riders sit tandem style with the smaller rider sitting in the front. It is amazing to think at one time I sat in the front with my Dad in back and now my little girl rides with me and she sits in the front. I guess we call that the circle of coasters.
One thing that has changed on this ride in 40 years and it’s lawsuits. People sue and lawyers fight, so insurance companies made Six Flags install seat belts. FUN! NOT! Everywhere scientists are crying because the simple laws of nature are being challenged. I never fell out of the ride as a child. Why am I forced to seatbelt myself in now! Damn lawsuits!!! I always tell my little girl about how we didn’t have all these seat belts in the old days. She loves hearing these stories and finds it amazing how dangerously we lived back then.
This ride went through a dark period. There was a problem with the braking system from 1976 to 1979 resulting in the collision of trains at the loading station. In fact, a total of 31 Gurnee riders were injured over that time not including the accidents at the California location. Unfortunately a 14 year old teen lost his life in such a station collision at the California location. This prompted the coaster to be reconfigured with a new braking system plus trains were reduced from 5 trains to only 3. These new changes fixed the ride making it safer for everyone today. Don’t let me be a Debbie Downer and scare you away. I truly believe the Whizzer is incredibly safe and I have ridden it probably 1000+ times in my lifetime.
My little one really loves this ride. When she was only four we rode this coaster about 30 straight times in two hours. It was a coasters after hours event and no one was riding the Whizzer. Everyone was riding the big kid coasters, so we took advantage of this and kept going on it again and again. That is why I love this coaster because it is great for young children and adults. It still thrills me after all of these years.
This ride was almost taken down in 2001 because of the high cost of repairs. In fact, the management at the park warned riders to get their rides in because the ride was going to be removed. Many of the loyal riders protested this move and through their vocal uproar forced Six Flags to reconsider. I’m so glad that everyone fought to keep this historical landmark alive and thrilling riders. The Whizzer was also recognized as an ACE Coaster Landmark & received a plaque honoring this achievement on August 10, 2012.
So next time your riding on this ride don’t forget J. Willard Marriott. This ride was named after him and I never want anyone to forget it. Remember it’s still the Sears Tower which on a clear day you can see from up here. Go Willard’s Whizzer go! I hope your thrilling riders for another 40 years.

This ride is a classic at Six Flags, I hope they never remove it… It was my first coaster and it was also my daughter’s first coaster, too!

I remember this coaster opening in 1976 and being just the second coaster I’d ever been on. The lines then were long and with each passing year the wait times drop while the newer coasters and the water park continue to suck guests away from this classic.
This ride runs at slow speed and its biggest drop is just about 60 feet (like the log and boat rides in the park). That with the fact it doesn’t go upside down make it a good and safe idea for many youngsters still unsure of coasters. My soon only went on this once and quickly moved up to much bigger coasters like Batman and Viper.
Best times of the day for this ride is early in the day while guests queue in to larger draw coasters like Goliath or Viper or in the early evening once people are heading home. Often during these times the ride is almost a walk-​on but waiting in the 12pm to 5pm area can be over 60 minutes but rarely longer.
Because it was my first coaster at this park I try to catch it frequently and I’m happy we have the last of this coaster type in the northern hemisphere. The only other one is in Colombia.
Give it a try. Low speed, just a 60+ foot drop, and no inversion make it a good starter or easy catch while other waits for larger/​newer rider have 3+ hour wait times!