Iron Gwazi vs Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa: Which is better?
There has been a trend recently in the roller coaster/ theme park world.
We have seen it take place with:
- Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point
- Goliath at Six Flags Great America
- Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion
- Wildcat’s Revenge at Hersheypark
If you don’t know, the trend involves classic wooden coasters getting what we call, “the RMC treatment.”
RMC or “Rocky Mountain Construction” is a manufacturing and constructions company famous for its I-Box track and topper track design for wooden coasters.
In total, they have revamped over 20 coasters, that combines steel and sometimes the original wood frames of the coasters to revive them as brand new thrill coasters.
They have crafted the same treatment for Busch Gardens Tampa’s Gwazi Roller Coaster, reborn as the immensely popular Iron Gwazi, a wooden dueling roller coaster boasting two separate tracks.
But is the new version better?
Today, I will discuss the two versions by comparing the histories, learning about the changes and key differences to determine which is the best version at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
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Iron Gwazi vs Gwazi at a Glance:
| Gwazi Roller Coaster | Iron Gwazi Roller Coaster |
| Track: Wood | Track: Steel/Wood |
| Height: 105 feet (ft) | Height: 206 ft |
| Drop: 91 ft | Drop: 206 ft |
| Length: 3,500 ft | Length: 4,075 ft |
| Speed: 51 MPH | Speed: 76 MPH |
| Time: 2 Minutes and 30 Seconds | Time: 1 Minute and 50 Seconds |
| Inversions: 0 | Inversions: 2 |
History of Gwazi and Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Due to the trend of guests preferring antique style attractions instead of steel at that time period, they chose to do a wooden coaster to allow them to stand out against its competitors.
They chose to work with Great Coaster International amongst several candidates to create the roller coaster due to their work on the now defunct Wildcat at Hersheypark, which is currently getting the RMC treatment to become Wildcat’s Revenge.
With assistance from the Washington University in St. Louis, the name chosen for the upcoming coaster was Gwazi.
What is a Gwazi?
Gwazi is a name based on an African myth featuring a lion’s head, a tiger’s body and the creature’s inner struggle of being.
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Construction of the Gwazi Wooden Roller Coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa
The construction for Gwazi began in July 1998 and it was announced that same day.
After that, they themed the rides around a lion and tiger, inspired by the fable. This was the fifth coaster for the park and the first wooden one to launch at any Busch Entertainment Park.
Gwazi finally opened in June 1999, nearly a year later.
Gwazi: Rough Challenges
Sadly, the roller coaster, just like its wooden buddies all over the country, became known for being super bumpy and not so comfy.
Even though they gave the tracks a makeover in 2009, they decided to close it for good in 2014 because not enough people showed up, guests weren’t too happy, and it was costing a lot to keep running.
The final ride happened in February 2015, and some of the trains and wooden boards found new homes at different Busch Gardens and SeaWorld parks.
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Iron Gwazi Comes to Life at Busch Gardens Tampa
RMC kicked things off, and the folks in charge said they’d spill the beans on the plans after wrapping up the 9th coaster, Tigris.
In March 2019, they revealed their new hybrid coaster made of steel and wood, teaming up with RMC to market it as North America’s steepest, fastest, and tallest hybrid roller coaster.
Construction would then began in August 2019 with the trains revealed at IAAPA that November.
When did Iron Gwazi open?
The opening date for Iron Gwazi got pushed back again in August 2021 with a new date set for March 2022. Finally, it opened up to everyone on March 11, 2022.
The original opening date was pushed back due to the pandemic and a lien being filed against the company by RMC for money owed.
Iron Gwazi vs Gwazi at Busch Gardens: What’s the Difference?
Most of the differences between the two coaster are in the tracks.
Original Gwazi Roller Coaster at Busch Gardens
On the Gwazi Roller Coaster there were two tracks that battled each other: Lion and Tiger tracks.
Here are the key differences of the Lion versus Tiger tracks for the original Gwazi roller coaster.
Lion Track of Gwazi
Once the train rolled out of the station, it cruised ahead and made a smooth right U-turn to go by the other train.
It then tilted a bit to the left before climbing up the 105.4ft lift hill.
Upon reaching the summit, the train entered a simulated drop and veered right prior to descending a 91.8-foot drop, achieving its peak speed of 51 mph near the base.
The train then banked slightly to the right before climbing into a left-banked turn through the ascent of the tiger side, eventually descending and entering a right-banked turnaround.
Following this, it banked upward into a left turn before moving downward into the outer area of the layout, executing several gentle right turns.
Subsequently, the train entered a series of hills adjacent to the opposing train, passing the station before banking left into a downward spiral.
The train went down a bit before it turned right, then swung left and rolled into the stop.
After the ride finished, the train turned right and then a little left before pulling into the station.
Tiger Track of Gwazi
The train departed the station, moved forward into a slight right turn, then dipped into a U-turn to the left to pass the other train.
It made a little turn to the left before heading up the 105.4ft lift hill.
When it reached the top, the ride went into a pre-drop, veering left before plunging down the 91.8ft drop and hitting its top speed of 51mph at the bottom.
The train leaned a bit to the right before going into a right turn and dropping down.
Keeping that angle, it climbed up, dipped down, and then turned left, winding through some curves before heading out to the edges with a bunch of gentle left turns.
The train rolled into some hills, cruising alongside the other train, zooming past the station and taking a cool right-banked spiral down.
It dipped a bit before climbing into a gentle left turn, then switched to a right turn, and finally hit the brake run.
After finishing up, the train took a left and then a little right before pulling into the station.
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NEW: Iron Gwazi Roller Coaster at Busch Gardens
When it comes to Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens, it starts with a sharp left-hand turn, followed by a similar left turn but on a decline.
It picks up some speed before a quick left turn that takes you to the 206 ft lift hill part.
How fast is Iron Gwazi?
As Iron Gwazi climbs the hill, the train eases up a bit before plunging down that crazy 91-degree drop, hitting a top speed of 76 mph!
Iron Gwazi then heads up another hill, and at the top, it flips around, making a cool outer-bank turn.
Gwazi then heads back to the drop and starts to twist up to do the 540-degree barrel roll down-drop beneath the coaster’s truss lift hill.
Up next, an over-banked turn!
The coaster goes up above the station and then rolls out to do a long wave turn that lasts until it zips back when it hits the lift hill entrance.
Iron Gwazi then heads up this little sideways hill, leading into a smaller wave turn right after.
This high speed Busch Gardens coaster then hits a zero-g stall that stretches right over where the first drop ends.
You start off with a little outer-banked hill on Iron Gwazi, then you whip around into two cool off-axis airtime hills.
To wrap it up, Iron Gwazi goes into a turnaround that leads to an epic ejector airtime hill, followed by a quick left turn that brings you right into the final brake stop.
The train takes a left turn by the car barn and then makes one last right turn before rolling into the station.
Below are the main key differences between Gwazi and Iron Gwazi from a statistics standpoint.
Iron Gwazi vs Gwazi
| Gwazi Roller Coaster | Iron Gwazi Roller Coaster |
| Track: Wood | Track: Steel/Wood |
| Height: 105 feet (ft) | Height: 206 ft |
| Drop: 91 ft | Drop: 206 ft |
| Length: 3,500 ft | Length: 4,075 ft |
| Speed: 51 MPH | Speed: 76 MPH |
| Time: 2 Minutes and 30 Seconds | Time: 1 Minute and 50 Seconds |
| Inversions: 0 | Inversions: 2 |
There’s also a maximum vertical angle of 91 degrees with Iron Gwazi that wasn’t on the original Gwazi roller coaster at Busch Gardens.
Awards and Recognition of Gwazi and Iron Gwazi
To compare reception and success, Gwazi got great reviews and was mostly compared with the now defunct Dueling Dragons at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure due to the Dueling aspect.
Before it closed, it received a Golden Ticket Award for Top Wooden Coaster in 2003-2007 and 2010, placing at least in the top 40s and 30s.
However, upon the debut of Iron Gwazi, it got rave reviews from riders and critics for its smoothness and amazing airtime hills, praising the added signature barrel roll.
It placed number 1 for Best New Roller Coaster for the Golden Ticket Awards in 2022.
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Iron Gwazi vs Gwazi: Which is Better?
Here at ThemeParkHipster, while we appreciate and credit wooden coasters for their classic signature style and admire its resurgence in the early 1990s and 2000s, in the present, riders seem to be leaning towards the revamped style that RMC delivers so well.
Although we enjoy nostalgia, we also want to be comfortable, and we can achieve both with the RMC treatment, delivering comfort and thrills.
There is some debate onto the comfort aspect however as the style chosen by RMC can leave tall or bigger riders unable to ride or uncomfortably tight in the vehicle.
Nonetheless, we are looking to the future and have personally decided that Iron Gwazi reigns supreme and we hope so for years to come at Busch Gardens Tampa!
Which version of the wooden dueling coaster do you prefer? Let us know in our Facebook Group!
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
Victoria is a professional solo traveler here to make your solo trips as stress free AND enjoyable as possible for you.
She has over 5 years of Disney and Non-Disney travel experience and was featured by POPSUGAR as one of the Top 50 Black Disney Creators you should follow.
She is a Proud Native to Baltimore, Md but always will call Disney World home.
(Original Article Date: May 12, 2023/Updated by Editor on February 15, 2024)