Fire Ball
Amusement ride
title: "Fire Ball" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["upside-down-amusement-rides"] description: "Amusement ride" topic_path: "general/upside-down-amusement-rides" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Ball" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Amusement ride ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox attraction model"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Fire Ball |
| image | Firestorm (Ring of Fire) - panoramio.jpg |
| imagedimensions | 250px |
| caption | A Ring of Fire ride at a fair in 2014 |
| status | |
| first_produced | |
| installations | |
| manufacturer | Larson International |
| custom_label_2 | Previous names |
| custom_value_2 | Super Loops (1970s) |
| Ring of Fire (1988) | |
| :: |
| name = Fire Ball | image = Firestorm (Ring of Fire) - panoramio.jpg | imagedimensions = 250px | caption = A Ring of Fire ride at a fair in 2014 | status = | first_produced = | installations = | manufacturer = Larson International | height_ft = | height_in = | length_ft = | length_in = | custom_label_1 = | custom_value_1 = | custom_label_2 = Previous names | custom_value_2 = Super Loops (1970s) Ring of Fire (1988)
The Fire Ball is a type of amusement ride manufactured by Larson International. It replaced a series of Larson rides manufactured prior to its unveiling, the first being the Super Loops and the second being the Ring of Fire. The ride features a roller coaster-type train which rolls along a ring-shaped track, turning riders upside down at the top of the loop. Older models of this ride type have trains with each half of the train facing opposite directions, with a protective metal cage and a rigid lap bar restraining the riders. In 1972 Larson unveiled their new Super Loop ride. In 1998, Larson introduced a new roofless, open-air train with over-the-shoulder harnesses and seats that sit riders face-to-face with each other. Some owners of the older Ring of Fire rides have had the caged train replaced with the new Fire Ball train.
Though the ride share similarities with that of a roller coaster, notably having a train which rolls along a track, it is often not considered as such since the ride is powered by motorized drive tires, and not by gravity like a roller coaster.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/El_Diablo_Roller_Coaster.jpg" caption="La Ronde]] as ''Chaos.''"] ::
Design
Larson makes three different versions of the ride: The Fire Ball, the 22M Giant Loop, and the Giga Loop 100ft. Each ride provides a similar ride experience, but are larger than each other in terms of both size and capacity. ::data[format=table]
| Model name | Height/Length | Rider capacity | Transportable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Ball | 58 ft | 20 passengers | ||
| 22M Giant Loop | 73 ft | 24 passengers | ||
| Giga Loop 100 Ft | 101 ft | 32 passengers | ||
| :: |
The ride structure is a large steel boxed-track loop attached to a concrete base or portable trailer with supporting outriggers and steel cables. In this boxed track is a multiple-piece pivoted end-rim (inertia ring) with wheel dogs attached settled within this boxed track. On one section of the rim the train is snugly placed. The rim is run through a shock-absorbent tire drive, which drives the train around the loop.
The ride's train is rocked back and forth at a generous rate, as not to put too much stress on the tire drive. It elevates on every pass through the station until it has gained enough momentum to make it completely around the loop, thus riders experiencing hangtime (the feeling of themselves almost falling out of their seats). Once a number of consecutive loops are made, it can be shifted to go the other direction. It can also be stopped at the top. Since the Super Loop-styled rides are tire-driven, even the slightest water build-up on the rim can cause the drive tires to hydroplane on the rim. This action keeps the ride from completing its loop and can sometimes make a loud squeal. Like many amusement rides, these rides should not be operated during inclement weather such as thunderstorms.
Operation
Most of the Super Loop-styled rides are manually operated with a toggle handle. Most of these rides have a dead man's operator chair that detects the absence of an operator. This prevents the ride from moving in case the handle is bumped without an operator being sat in the chair. Operators of these rides have to be knowledgeable of weight distribution and speed-to-distance ratio. The amount of power needed to operate this ride is 240 volts, 250 amps (60 kW).
These rides have numerous safety features that include:
- Emergency power cut-off button.
- Dead-man's operator chair that detects the absence of an operator.
- Anti-air double-lock harnesses with secondary precaution belt that activates when air is released.
- Pull-up-and-move operation toggle that will only move when tip of handle is compressed.
- Height requirement of 48 in.
Park installations
::data[format=table]
| Name | Park | Country | Model | Opened | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon Street Fireball | Six Flags America | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2014 | Removed in 2023. | |
| Brain Drain | Elitch Gardens | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2014 | ||
| Brain Drain | Frontier City | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2015 | ||
| Chaos | La Ronde | |||||
| Six Flags Great Adventure | CanadaCanada | 22M Giant Loop | 2019 | |||
| 2015 - 2018 | Originally announced as Looping Dragon at Six Flags Great Adventure but was renamed El Diablo before its opening. Closed in 2018 and relocated to La Ronde for the 2019 season. | |||||
| Cyclone | Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier | United StatesUnited States | Fire Ball | 2012 | ||
| Dare Devil Chaos Coaster | Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2015 | Removed in 2022. | |
| Delirious | Valleyfair | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2018 | ||
| El Diablo | Six Flags Over Texas | United StatesUnited States | Giga Loop 100 Ft | 2019 | Originally announced as Lone Star Revolution but was renamed El Diablo before its opening. Removed in 2024 and sold to IB Parks & Entertainment; in storage at Clementon Park. | |
| Eye of the Storm | Kentucky Kingdom | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2017 | Removed in 2024 | |
| Fireball | Six Flags Fiesta Texas | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2016 | ||
| Fireball | Six Flags New England | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2016 | Damaged beyond repair during a storm in 2021. | |
| Fireball | Six Flags St. Louis | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2016 | ||
| Fire Ball | Cliff's Amusement Park | United StatesUnited States | Fire Ball | 2013 | ||
| Fire Ball | Lake Winnepesaukah | United StatesUnited States | Fire Ball | 2012 | ||
| Flare | Kemah Boardwalk | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2014 | ||
| Giant Loop (环翼飞车) | Happy Valley Shenzhen | ChinaChina | 22M Giant Loop | 2019 | ||
| Greezed Lightnin' | Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2016 | ||
| Joker: Chaos Coaster | Six Flags Over Georgia | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2015 | Removed in 2022 after years of operational difficulties. Replaced by Kid Flash Cosmic Coaster in 2023. | |
| Mardi Gras Hangover | Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World | |||||
| Six Flags Great America | United States United States | Giga Loop 100 Ft | TBD | |||
| 2018 - 2023 | The first installation of the Giga Loop. | |||||
| Ring of Fire | Clementon Park and Splash World | United States United States | Fire Ball | 2010 | ||
| Rolling Thunder | Six Flags Darien Lake | United StatesUnited States | 22M Giant Loop | 2015 | ||
| Wheel of Wind and Fire（風火輪） | Leofoo Village Theme Park | TaiwanTaiwan | 22M Giant Loop | 1999 | ||
| Zero G | Indiana Beach | United StatesUnited States | Fire Ball | 2016 | Removed in 2020 | |
| :: |
References
References
- "The Fire Ball". Larson International.
- "The Super Loop". Larson International.
- "Super Loops – Amusement Ride Extravaganza".
- (August 6, 2017). "Name Change for New 2015 Ride: El Diablo". Great Adventure Online.
- (August 6, 2017). "The 22M Giant Loop". Larson International.
- "THE FIRE BALL – Larson International".
- "THE 22M GIANT LOOP – Larson International".
- "THE GIGA LOOP 100 FT – Larson International".
- "Super Loops – Amusement Ride Extravaganza".
- "Fire Ball's Safety". amusementrides.org.
- "Fireball Info". thedod3.com.
- "Superloop Pull Up Bar". ride-extravaganza.com.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::