The End of Dragon Challenge

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This past Monday, September 4th, was the final day of operations for one of the most innovative attractions ever built. The Iconic Dragon Challenge, formerly Dueling Dragons, located at Universal's Islands of Adventure, had provided thrills since 1999. 
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When the ride opened in 1999, it was one of the original rides for the park. The attraction consisted of two Bolliger and Mabillard which shared one large ride areas. Themed to two dragons, the ride had 3 action sections in which the trains came very close together for the most amazing near miss effect. This include the iconic dueling loops in the photo above, where riders feet came within 18 inches of each other! Other near miss elements included an airtime hill over a zero g roll, and a pair of interlocking corkscrews.
The dueling aspect was perfected with an innovative weighing system, which weighed both trains to determine the lift speed necessary for the ride to meet up properly.
The ride was made up of two individual coasters. Originally known as Fire and Ice, but later changed to Chinese Fireball and Hungarian Horntail when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened.

In 2011, due to a serious loose article incident, the dueling aspect of the ride was sadly discontinued, and the rides began running as two separate coasters, described by the park as a "chase" between the two dragons.
While this did make the ride less exciting, the coasters were still amazing rides on their own. 
Universal says that the Extremely Icon coasters were removed to make way for an "Immersive Coaster Experience"
Personally, I don't believe that this is a good decision. I really don't understand the thought process behind removing two popular roller coasters, something that USO is lacking, to add a new attraction that could've been added to the empty land that they have. These coasters were still running amazing when I rode them in February. While disappointed, I am very happy that I was able to experience both Dueling Dragons and Dragon Challenge, and will get to remember the amazing coasters they were!
Take a virtual ride of how they were intended to operate below!


Thanks For Reading!

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