SANDUSKY — Roller coaster enthusiasts will not only have the chance to own a piece of Cedar Point history this Saturday, but a bit of Mansfield history, too.
On Oct. 12, Cedar Point will sell limited-edition track slices from the infamous heartline roll of the Maverick coaster. The track was manufactured by IntaRide and assembled by Mansfield-based Adena Corporation.
Only 390 pieces have been created of this track element. All will contain a certificate of authenticity signed by Cedar Point vice president and general manager, Carrie Boldman.
Of those pieces, 100 have also been signed by Sandor Kernacs, a representative from Maverick’s manufacturer and the only person to ride the coaster with the heartline roll in place.
Guests interested in purchasing the track slices must be present at the Fast Lane sales booth at the Main Gate. The line will begin forming at noon on Oct. 12, and sales will begin at 1 p.m.
Pieces of the Maverick signed by Boldman will be sold at $299 each. Pieces also bearing Kernacs’ signature will be sold at $349 each. Purchases will be limited to one per guest.
THE HISTORY
For coaster fanatics, the heartline roll has always been a fascinating piece of Maverick lore.
Construction of the $21 million coaster officially began in 2005, after the closing of White Water Landing at Cedar Point. It was originally scheduled to open on May 12, 2007.
However, four days before Maverick was set to debut, Cedar Point announced the opening of the park’s 17th roller coaster would be delayed to make modifications to the coaster’s steel track.
The decision to delay the opening of Maverick was based on pre-opening tests and consultation with IntaRide, the coaster’s manufacturer. Testing revealed the heartline roll element was too intense, and placed “excessive stress” on the trains.
“This decision was made in the interest of improving the guest experience on the ride,” said John Hildebrandt in 2007, as then-vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. He retired at the end of the 2013 season.
On May 17, 2007, the heartline roll was removed. It was replaced with an s-curve that transitioned the existing track from a banked right curve to a banked left curve. Installation of the s-curve was completed on May 24, 2007. Maverick officially debuted two days later.
Despite the removal of the heartline roll, Maverick still made history. It was the first roller coaster to feature the Twisted Horseshoe Roll: two 360-degree corkscrew rolls, back-to-back, with a 180-degree banked curve between the two corkscrews.
THE MYSTERY
According to Cedar Point, after its removal the heartline roll track remained intact and was “relocated into storage.”
Tony Clark, director of communications at Cedar Point, said Adena Corporation took possession of the piece when it was removed.
“Adena is a company that has been hired to erect many of our roller coasters, including Maverick,” Clark said. “My understanding is that they had it in storage at their Mansfield location.”
In recent years, internet sleuths discovered what appeared to be the track on the property of Adena Corporation with the assistance of Google Maps’ satellite view.
Gary Gast, vice president of the amusement division at Adena, confirmed the heartline roll was indeed stored in the laydown yard on the company’s property, along with other leftover materials.
However, this does not mean there’s an open invitation to go see the track. Gast said several people have been chased off the property. Adena has moved the piece to a more hidden place.
“Roller coaster people like all those pieces and parts they never got to ride or touch or actually see in motion,” Gast said. “They do just about anything they can to get their hands on it or get pictures of it.”
Adena Corporation is no stranger to building coasters. It has partnered with organizations including Adventureland, Kalahari, SeaWorld and Kings Island in addition to Cedar Point.
Gast himself was project manager for the assembly of the Maverick, which involved pouring foundations, erecting the structural steel, and installing all mechanical components.
Much of the heartline roll still remains in Mansfield, with only a few pieces taken to sell to Cedar Point guests.
Gast said Adena has been in talks to give an additional piece of the track to the National Roller Coaster Museum in Texas, with the blessing of IntaRide and Kernacs.