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Dragon Challenge
Entrance to Dragon Challenge
Previously known as Dueling Dragons
Islands of Adventure
Park section	The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade
Coordinates	28°28′25″N 81°28′24″W / 28.47361°N 81.47333°W / 28.47361; -81.47333
Status	Removed
Opening date	May 28, 1999
Closing date	September 4, 2017
Replaced by	Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
General Statistics
Type	Steel – Inverted – Dueling
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Inverted Coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
	Chinese Fireball	Hungarian Horntail
Height	125 ft (38.1 m)	125 ft (38.1 m)
Drop	115 ft (35.1 m)	95 ft (29.0 m)
Length	3,200 ft (975.4 m)	3,200 ft (975.4 m)
Speed	60 mph (96.6 km/h)	55 mph (88.5 km/h)
Inversions	5	5
Duration	2:25	2:25
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	Several trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Universal Express available
Dragon Challenge at RCDB Pictures of Dragon Challenge at RCDB

Dragon Challenge (known as Dueling Dragons from 1999 to 2010) was a pair of intertwined, inverted roller coasters in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area of Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida, United States. The ride was themed to two chasing dragons, one side being a Chinese Fireball and the other a Hungarian Horntail. It featured a layout in which the two trains shared adjacent lift hills but traversed two unique courses. The ride was designed by Bolliger & Mabillard of Switzerland. The Chinese Fireball dragon reached a top speed of 60 mph, and the Hungarian Horntail dragon reached a top speed of 55 mph. Both versions featured five inversions and a total ride time of 2 minutes and 25 seconds.

When Islands of Adventure opened on May 28, 1999, the ride was called Dueling Dragons and was located in The Lost Continent area with the two trains named Fire and Ice. During much of the ride's history, the trains were dispatched simultaneously, providing three near-miss encounters along the courses. However, after two injuries related to loose objects hitting riders on the other coaster, the roller coasters were dispatched separately. After a renovation period, the attraction reopened in mid-March 2010, and was officially renamed as Dragon Challenge with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter grand opening on June 18, 2010.

In July 2017, Universal Orlando officials announced that Dragon Challenge would close on September 4, 2017. The coasters had reached the end of their service life, and the park demolished the two coasters to make way for a new attraction, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, which opened on June 13, 2019.

History

Dueling Dragons (1999–2010)

Dueling Dragons was one of Islands of Adventure's original attractions, opening with the theme park on May 28, 1999, in The Lost Continent area of the park. At the time, it was the only fully inverted dueling roller coaster in the world. The ride was themed to two dueling dragons. The queue was decorated as a ruined castle that the two dragons destroyed. Once the riders arrived at the station, they chose which of the two coasters they would like to experience. The blue coaster was named Ice and the red coaster was named Fire.

Dragon Challenge (2010–2017)

In May 2007, Universal announced plans to construct The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a new section devoted to the popular Harry Potter book and film series. Dueling Dragons, as well as the adjacent roller coaster Flying Unicorn (later renamed Flight of the Hippogriff), were shown to be included in the new section. Universal later announced that Dueling Dragons would be renamed Dragon Challenge upon the re-opening of the attraction and that its two coasters would be renamed Hungarian Horntail and Chinese Fireball.

Construction on re-theming the queue began in the third quarter of 2009. In the first quarter of 2010, the ride closed in order to refurbish the attraction to incorporate the Harry Potter theme. In mid-March 2010, the roller coasters reopened to the public. On June 18, 2010, with the opening of the entire The Wizarding World of Harry Potter section, the ride officially became Dragon Challenge.

During the summer of 2011, there were two accidents (one serious) caused by what is believed to be loose objects hitting riders while riding the roller coaster. The most serious accident was when a man got struck with an object and had to get his eye removed due to the injury. On the same day that the man got hit, Universal Studios announced that the coasters would not duel until an investigation was completed. For two months the coasters were dispatched separately and in mid-October 2011, Universal made the decision to remove the dueling aspect of the ride permanently without any explanation to what caused the injuries. No further injuries were reported.

In July 2017, Universal Orlando officials announced that there would be a new roller coaster based on the Harry Potter franchise, scheduled to debut in 2019. Dragon Challenge was scheduled to close on September 4, 2017, to make room for the new roller coaster. By late September 2017, Dragon Challenge was being removed. The ride's replacement, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, opened on June 13, 2019.

Ride experience

Queue

Before the Harry Potter refurbishment, the queue was themed as a ruined castle where the Fire and Ice dragons lived. The queue passed through dungeons with human skeletons, torches and cobwebs. To ride Fire, guests would go left, while riders wanting to ride Ice would go right at the intersection point.

After the Harry Potter re-theming of the queue, guests were taken past a number of banners for the Triwizard Tournament showing support for the tournament's four contestants. After passing the Weasleys' crashed flying Ford Anglia, they entered the Champions' Tent. From there, guests passed a large pedestal with the Triwizard Cup glowing at the top, and several dark "tunnels" which led to both coaster's stations. Just before entering the station, guests had to choose which coaster they wanted to ride: the Chinese Fireball to the left or the Hungarian Horntail to the right. Once in the station, there was a projection of the dragons on the ceiling.

In April 2015, metal detectors were installed as a permanent fixture to the entrance, and security officers with metal-detecting wands were employed. The attraction enacted a zero tolerance policy for cell phones, wallets, coins, watches, cameras, or other loose objects; all riders were required to completely empty their pockets before boarding. Persons in violation would be sent to the lockers or possibly ejected from the park without a refund.

Track layout

Chinese Fireball

Upon departing from the station, the train made a slight left turn leading into the transfer track section before beginning to climb the 125-foot (38 m) lift hill. Once at the top and after going through a pre-drop, the train made a sharp 115-foot (35 m) left-hand drop back to the ground. Then, the train went back up, through an Immelmann followed by a slight air-time downward right turn before entering an air-time hill (this was the first of three near-miss points with the Hungarian Horntail train when the roller coasters duelled). Next, the train dropped back down turning left slightly, leading into a second Immelmann. After a downward right helix and a short section of straight track, the train went through the second former near-miss point with the other train, a vertical loop. After the loop and another section of straight track, the train made a right turn leading into the third and final former near-miss element, which was a corkscrew. Then, the train made a left turn followed by a small drop leading into another section of straight track before entering the final element in the coaster layout, another corkscrew. The train then made a left turn into the final brake run. Following a left turn, the train returned to the station where riders unloaded and the next riders loaded.

Hungarian Horntail

Upon departing from the station, the train made a slight right turn leading into the transfer track section before beginning to climb the 125-foot (38 m) lift hill. Once at the top and after going through a pre-drop, the train made a sharp 95-foot (29 m) right-hand drop back to the ground. Then, the train went through a 270-degree right overbanked turn before entering a Zero-gravity roll, which was the first of three former near-miss points with the Chinese Fireball train. Then, the train made a slight right turn heading straight into a wall before entering a cobra roll. After a straight section of track, the train entered the second former near-miss point with the other train, a vertical loop. The train then made a right turn into the final former near-miss point, a corkscrew. Next, the train made a right turn, followed by a left turn leading into the final brake run. Following a right turn, the train returned to the station where the riders unloaded and the next riders loaded.

Track

The steel track was approximately 3,200 feet (980 m) in length and the height of the lift was approximately 125 feet (38 m) for both roller coasters. The first drop for Chinese Fireball was 115 feet (35 m) while Hungarian Horntail was 95 feet (29 m). Chinese Fireball's track was red, Hungarian Horntail's was blue, and both coasters' supports were white.

Trains

Dragon Challenge operated with several steel and fiberglass trains. Each train had eight cars with four seats for a total of 32 riders per train. The trains' front seat resembled a mouth, while the rest bore a resemblance to hands. The Hungarian Horntail trains resembled a blue ice dragon while the Chinese Fireball trains resembled a red fire dragon.

When the coaster cars duelled, in order to make the trains meet at each of the three near-miss points along the layout, the trains would be weighed once they were loaded at the station to adjust the dispatch times. (For example, if the Chinese Fireball train weighed more than the Hungarian Horntail train, the Fireball would be dispatched after the Horntail.)

Reception

Dragon Challenge was generally well received from its opening in 1999 until its closing in 2017. In the annual Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards for the Top Steel Roller Coasters, Dragon Challenge ranked in the top 50 every year between 2000 and 2012. It peaked at position 11 in 2002.

See also

• Incidents at Universal parks

References

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External links

• Dragon Challenge at Universal Orlando Resort
• Media related to Dragon Challenge at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Universal Islands of Adventure
Former attractions
Marvel Super Hero Island	The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man The Incredible Hulk Coaster Doctor Doom's Fearfall Storm Force Accelatron
Toon Lagoon	Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges
Skull Island	Skull Island: Reign of Kong
Jurassic Park	Jurassic Park River Adventure Jurassic World VelociCoaster
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade	Flight of the Hippogriff Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Hogwarts Express
Events	Halloween Horror Nights
Category

• Removed roller coasters
• Roller coasters introduced in 1999
• Roller coasters that closed in 2017
• Steel roller coasters
• Inverted roller coasters
• Dueling roller coasters
• Roller coasters manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard
• Universal Islands of Adventure
• Universal Destinations & Experiences attractions by name
• Harry Potter in amusement parks
• Roller coasters in Orlando, Florida
• Islands of Adventure
• Roller coasters operated by Universal Parks & Resorts
• Universal Parks & Resorts attractions by name
• Licensed-properties at Universal Parks & Resorts
• Roller coasters introduced in 2010
• Amusement rides based on film franchises
• 1999 establishments in Florida
• 2017 disestablishments in Florida
• Former roller coasters in Florida
• Former Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences attractions
• B&M Inverted Coasters