Cheetah Hunt is a steel launched roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida, that opened on May 27, 2011, alongside the park’s Cheetah Run habitat in the Edge of Africa section. Built by Intamin with design input from the park’s Mark Rose, it uses three linear synchronous motor (LSM) launches instead of a traditional lift hill to send riders sprinting across the park at speeds meant to evoke a cheetah’s burst of acceleration.
At 4,429 feet, Cheetah Hunt is the longest coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa, threading through a 102-foot figure-eight tower, a trench dive, and a heartline roll inversion before a final launch carries riders back to the station. Rose has said the ride’s launch-driven layout was partly inspired by the speeder bike chase through the forests of Endor in Return of the Jedi.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
- Manufacturer: Intamin
- Opened: May 27, 2011
- Height: 102 ft (31 m)
- Top Speed: 60 mph (97 km/h)
- Length: 4,429 ft (1,350 m)
- Inversions: 1 (heartline roll)
- Drop: 130 ft (40 m)
The Ride Experience
Cheetah Hunt begins with a 30 mph LSM launch out of the station into a wide left turn and a gradual dip, setting up the ride’s signature second launch, which rockets riders to 60 mph in just 2.4 seconds. From there, trains climb into a 102-foot figure-eight element around the park’s Windcatcher Tower before diving through a series of helixes and a low trench.
The layout then crosses over the park’s Skyride cable cars on an airtime hill and executes a heartline roll, the ride’s only inversion, before a third LSM launch of about 40 mph sends the train back toward the station. Five trains, each seating 16 riders across four cars, keep the launch coaster’s lines moving quickly through this circuit.
Design and Theming
Cheetah Hunt was designed by Mark Rose, the park’s vice president of design and engineering, who initially considered a conventional lift hill before realizing the height required would be impractical; that constraint led him to build the ride around LSM launch technology instead. The coaster’s name and station theming tie into Busch Gardens’ real cheetah habitat, Cheetah Run, which opened the same day as the ride.
Rose has cited both the speeder bike sequence from Return of the Jedi and SeaWorld Orlando’s Manta as influences on the ride’s fast, twisting layout. The result is a coaster that emphasizes sustained acceleration and low-to-the-ground maneuvers over height, distinguishing it from the park’s taller, drop-focused attractions.
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Cheetah Hunt FAQs
How fast does Cheetah Hunt go?
Cheetah Hunt reaches a top speed of about 60 mph (97 km/h) during its second LSM launch.
How many inversions does Cheetah Hunt have?
Cheetah Hunt has one inversion, a heartline roll, which comes after the ride’s trench and airtime hill sections.
When did Cheetah Hunt open?
Cheetah Hunt opened at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on May 27, 2011.
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Photo: supercrewboy / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.