Vertical Velocity opened at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, on May 18, 2001, introducing park guests to Intamin’s Impulse Coaster concept: a shuttle-style ride that uses linear induction motors instead of a chain lift to fire trains along a U-shaped track. Riders are launched from a standing start to 70 mph in under four seconds, then sent rocketing up one of two 186-foot towers before gravity pulls them back through the station and up the opposite tower.
The ride’s twin towers aren’t identical: the front tower twists into a spiraling overbank, while the rear tower is a straight vertical spike, giving riders a different sensation depending on which way they’re launched first. In 2022, Six Flags rebranded the ride as The Flash: Vertical Velocity, wrapping it in red theming and Flash-branded graphics as part of the park’s DC Universe area, though the layout and hardware remain unchanged from its 2001 debut.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, Illinois)
- Manufacturer: Intamin (Impulse Coaster model)
- Opened: May 18, 2001
- Height: 186 feet
- Top speed: 70 mph
- Length: 630 feet
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
A single seven-car train carrying 28 riders launches from the station using linear induction motors rather than a traditional lift hill or chain. The train reaches 70 mph in under four seconds before climbing the twisted front tower, dropping back through the station, and ascending the straight rear spike, repeating the back-and-forth cycle as momentum bleeds off.
With zero inversions, the ride’s thrill comes from raw acceleration and the disorienting twist at the top of the front tower rather than loops or corkscrews, making it a fast, intense out-and-back experience rather than a traditional circuit coaster.
From Vertical Velocity to The Flash
When it opened in 2001, Vertical Velocity briefly tied the record for fastest inverted-style launch coaster before Six Flags’ own Wicked Twister topped it in 2002. The ride kept its original teal support structure and name for two decades before Six Flags Great America folded it into a DC Universe rethemeing in 2022, repainting the towers and train red and adding Flash lightning-bolt graphics to tie it to the Scarlet Speedster.
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Vertical Velocity Photo Archive: 2001 & 2005
These are original ThrillZing photos of V2: Vertical Velocity taken at Six Flags Great America on May 19, 2001, its opening month, plus two 2005 views from above the park, restored and upscaled from the original camera files. They show the Intamin impulse coaster brand new: the V2 entrance sign and station, trains riding up the twisted front spike and the vertical rear spike, the yellow track through the trees, and the spikes rising over the park beside Batman: The Ride. All photos are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license with credit to ThrillZing and a link to this page.
August 2005
May 2001
Vertical Velocity FAQs
Who manufactured Vertical Velocity?
Intamin built Vertical Velocity as one of its Impulse Coaster models, using linear induction motor launches instead of a chain lift.
How fast does Vertical Velocity go?
The ride launches riders to a top speed of 70 mph in under four seconds.
Is Vertical Velocity the same ride as The Flash: Vertical Velocity?
Yes. Six Flags Great America rebranded the original 2001 Vertical Velocity as The Flash: Vertical Velocity in 2022 as part of a DC Universe theming update, keeping the same layout and hardware.
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Photo: Feather Better / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.