Raging Bull
Raging Bull is a steel hyper-twister roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Raging Bull is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. It is located in the park's Southwest Territory themed area and is designed around the image and behavior of a charging bull. The attraction opened to the public on May 1, 1999, after being announced by Premier Parks, then the owner of the Six Flags parks, as a major new thrill attraction for a park that needed another signature ride. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, designed by Stengel Engineering, and integrated into the park's themed environment by Bleck & Bleck Architects, Raging Bull was the second Hyper Coaster model built by Bolliger & Mabillard and the first to use a twister-style layout. At the time of its opening, it was Six Flags Great America's tallest and longest roller coaster. The project formed part of a reported $25 million investment in the park, although the figure refers to the broader investment program rather than necessarily to the ride alone. The coaster is 202 feet tall and has a 208-foot first drop angled at approximately 65 degrees. Its 5,057-foot steel track reaches a maximum speed of 73 miles per hour. The first drop plunges into a below-ground tunnel before the train rises into a series of large banked turns, camelback hills, brake runs, and a final figure-eight section. Unlike a traditional out-and-back hypercoaster, its track repeatedly changes direction, creating the twisting motion reflected in the hyper-twister description. Raging Bull operates with three trains, each consisting of nine four-seat cars arranged in single rows. The trains use Bolliger & Mabillard's clamshell lap-bar restraints, which were promoted at the ride's introduction as an alternative to conventional over-the-shoulder restraints. The design leaves riders' upper bodies relatively unrestricted while securing the thighs and torso. The ride's capacity is theoretically about 1,560 riders per hour. The attraction's visual identity is tied to the Southwest Territory setting, which evokes a nineteenth-century American cattle town. Its station resembles a damaged southwestern mission, while the surrounding story presents the bull as a destructive animal that drove local residents from their settlement. The track is painted orange and the supports maroon, reinforcing the ride's bull and western styling. Guests and critics generally received Raging Bull positively, particularly for its smoothness, speed, and airtime. It appeared in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards steel-coaster rankings from 1999 through 2022 whenever the poll was conducted, reaching a peak position of ninth in 2005. Its opening also coincided with a reported increase in Six Flags Great America's attendance, and park representatives described the response as especially strong across the Midwest. The ride has undergone several maintenance and presentation changes. Baynum Solutions repainted it in 2007. Six Flags announced a plan in 2016 to add virtual-reality headsets to Raging Bull, but the technology was ultimately used on the park's Demon coaster instead. In 2025, Raging Bull closed temporarily for another major repaint, using orange paint on the track and purple paint on the supports. Following testing, it reopened on October 3, 2025. The attraction remains an operating signature coaster of Six Flags Great America.
History
Six Flags Great America developed Raging Bull during a period when the park was seeking a new headline thrill attraction. Premier Parks, which owned the Six Flags parks at the time, identified the park as needing a major new ride and announced the project on October 21, 1998. The attraction was intended to become the tallest, fastest, and longest coaster at the park, while also introducing a new layout concept: a hypercoaster with substantial twisting and banked directional changes rather than a primarily out-and-back arrangement. Bolliger & Mabillard was selected as manufacturer, following the company's work on other attractions at the park. Stengel Engineering handled the ride's design, and Bleck & Bleck Architects worked on its thematic integration. The project was connected with a reported $25 million investment in Six Flags Great America. Construction and design took approximately eighteen months and required about 40,000 man-hours. The ride was built in the park's Southwest Territory, a western-themed area developed after the removal of Rolling Thunder, a bobsled coaster that had occupied part of the site. Raging Bull opened on May 1, 1999, shortly after the debut of Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. This made it the second Hyper Coaster model produced by Bolliger & Mabillard. At opening, it held the park records for height and length, although its speed record was later surpassed by Maxx Force in 2019. The coaster's 202-foot lift hill leads to a 208-foot drop and a maximum speed of 73 miles per hour. Its route includes a tunnel, a large hammerhead turn, camelback hills, banked turns, a mid-course brake run, and a closing figure-eight sequence. The ride's trains were notable for their four-across, single-row seating and clamshell lap bars. These restraints provided security without the shoulder harnesses used on many earlier large coasters, helping preserve the open upper-body sensation associated with hypercoasters. Three 36-passenger trains give the ride a theoretical hourly capacity of approximately 1,560 riders. The attraction's opening was accompanied by strong public and critical interest. Park representatives described attendance and guest response as particularly successful, and Six Flags Great America's reported attendance rose to about 3.1 million in 1999. Raging Bull also developed a durable reputation in enthusiast rankings, appearing in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards steel-coaster top fifty from 1999 through 2022 whenever the ranking was held. It reached its highest recorded position, ninth, in 2005. Raging Bull has remained in service while receiving periodic upkeep. Baynum Solutions repainted the ride in 2007. In 2016, Six Flags announced a virtual-reality initiative involving the coaster, but the equipment was ultimately placed on Demon instead. A more extensive repaint began in 2025 after the attraction closed on August 19. Million Painting used aerial work platforms and specialized access equipment to clean and coat the structure, applying orange paint to the track and purple paint to the supports. The ride reopened on October 3 after repainting and testing.
- 2025
Second major repaint completed
[1]After a seasonal closure, Raging Bull reopened on October 3 with refreshed orange track and purple supports.
- 2019
Park speed record surpassed
[1]Maxx Force surpassed Raging Bull's position as Six Flags Great America's fastest coaster.
- 2007
First documented repaint
[1]Baynum Solutions repainted the coaster's structure and track.
- 2005
Highest Golden Ticket Awards placement
[1]The coaster reached ninth place in Amusement Today's steel roller-coaster ranking.
- 1999
Public opening
[1]Raging Bull opened to the public on May 1 at Six Flags Great America.
- 1998
Raging Bull announced
[1]Premier Parks announced the new coaster as a major investment for Six Flags Great America and promoted it as the park's future tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster.
Products and positioning
A signature, high-speed steel thrill ride positioned as Six Flags Great America's landmark hyper-twister coaster.
Steel hyper-twister roller coaster · 1999
Raging Bull
A 5,057-foot Bolliger & Mabillard steel coaster featuring a 202-foot lift hill, a 208-foot first drop, a 73-mile-per-hour top speed, a below-ground tunnel, camelback hills, large banked turns, and a figure-eight finale. The attraction uses three four-across trains with clamshell lap bars and is themed as a rampaging bull within Six Flags Great America's Southwest Territory.
Controversies
2021
RagingBull settles with New Hampshire securities regulators
RagingBull settled with New Hampshire state securities regulators under a consent order. The settlement allows the firm to continue operating under guidelines and requires nearly $700,000 in refunds to New Hampshire customers, $675,000 in administrative fines, advance trade alerts, and changes to livestreams and advertising. Regulators had accused the firm of misleading investors and consumers.
Brand decisions
2025
Temporary closure for structural repaintingOtherBackground
The coaster's original colors had faded and the park scheduled a major repaint before winter weather.
Action taken
Six Flags contracted Million Painting to pressure-wash and repaint the track and supports using specialized access equipment and polysiloxane coating.
Aftermath
The attraction was tested and reopened on October 3, 2025.
2016
Virtual-reality integration announcedProduct launchBackground
Six Flags sought to add immersive virtual-reality visuals to Raging Bull as part of a broader effort to introduce VR to selected attractions.
Action taken
The park announced headsets for Raging Bull, but ultimately installed the technology on Demon instead.
Aftermath
Raging Bull continued operating without the announced VR installation.
Recent events
Reported
RagingBull settles with New Hampshire securities regulators[2]
RagingBull settled with New Hampshire state securities regulators under a consent order. The settlement allows the firm to continue operating under guidelines and requires nearly $700,000 in refunds to New Hampshire customers, $675,000 in administrative fines, advance trade alerts, and changes to livestreams and advertising. Regulators had accused the firm of misleading investors and consumers.
Reported
RagingBull offers Mind of the Wolf[3]
RagingBull made the Mind of the Wolf educational product featuring lessons by Jordan Belfort available exclusively to its members for free.
Sources3 sources
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