Racer (Kennywood)

Racer is a wooden racing roller coaster located at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

Built by Charlie Mach and designed by John A. Miller, Racer opened to the public in 1927 and is one of the oldest operating roller coasters in the world.

The wooden coaster lacked underfriction wheels, a limitation of side-friction designs, which resulted in a layout with gentle curves and dips.

When the trains meet again at the lift hill, they are on the opposite sides from where they dispatched, and the tracks do not split for the remainder of the ride.

The updated iteration of Racer added a third set of underfriction wheels, which attached beneath the track, securing the trains in a manner that permitted faster speeds, sharper turns, and steeper drops.