West Coast Racers is a launched dueling roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Built by Premier Rides, it opened to the public on January 9, 2020, after debuting in preview events that December. The ride was billed as the world’s first racing coaster to combine multiple launches with two side-by-side tracks, sending riders through a fast-paced duel that crosses paths 14 times.
The coaster is themed around a partnership with West Coast Customs, the Los Angeles-area car customization shop made famous by television. Riders roll through a recreated West Coast Customs garage between laps, hearing narration from company founder Ryan Friedlinghaus before launching back out onto the course for a second run through the layout.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California
- Manufacturer: Premier Rides
- Opened: January 9, 2020
- Height: 67 feet
- Top speed: 55 mph
- Length: about 4,000 feet
- Inversions: 4 (three zero-g rolls, one zero-g stall)
The Ride Experience
Two 12-passenger trains launch out of the station together using LSM magnetic launches, racing along a ‘Quasi Möbius’ track configuration that lets the twin circuits weave past each other repeatedly. Over the course of the roughly three-minute ride, the trains pass close to one another at 14 different track crossings and share a signature high-five moment where the two tracks run directly alongside each other.
Between the two laps, one train peels off into the recreated West Coast Customs garage while the other continues on course, adding a themed pause to the otherwise nonstop launches, airtime hills, and banked turns that define the layout.
Development and Theming
Six Flags announced West Coast Racers on August 29, 2018, promoting it as the first launched racing coaster of its kind. Construction ran into delays, including late delivery of track sections in early 2019, pushing the planned 2019 debut into preview events that December and a public opening in January 2020.
The attraction sits in the park’s Underground area and leans on its West Coast Customs branding throughout the queue and mid-course station, tying a real-world car culture partnership into the ride’s launched, high-speed theme.
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West Coast Racers FAQs
Who manufactured West Coast Racers?
West Coast Racers was built by Premier Rides, the same company known for other launched coasters using LSM (linear synchronous motor) technology.
How fast does West Coast Racers go?
The coaster reaches a top speed of about 55 mph during its launches.
Is West Coast Racers a true racing coaster?
Yes. Its two trains launch simultaneously and run on a dueling ‘Quasi Möbius’ track layout that crosses paths multiple times before both trains return to the station.
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Photo: Roller Coaster Philosophy / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.