The pre-drop serves to reduce the stress and pull of the chain. After the pre-drop, the train goes down a drop toward a water-filled ravine at a 65 degree angle and reaches a top speed of . At the end of the ravine, the train enters a second airtime hill with a drop. A short narrow above ground tunnel is at the bottom of the second drop. After the tunnel, the train descends a drop, which banks to the left as it descends. The train then goes through an upward helix. Coming out of the helix, the train drops then turns right and rises up into the mid-course brake run. The train drops out of the brake run followed by another drop at toward the ravine. The train then banks right, makes a dip, turns left and goes through a small dip. The train then makes one last airtime drop before climbing up and into the final brake run. There is approximately 26 seconds of airtime during the 2-minute, 15-second ride. Incidents On July 15, 2018, a family from Virginia Beach, Virginia, suffered injuries as they were riding the roller coaster due to a ride operator accidentally pressing the emergency stop button, causing them to report concussions the next day. In July 2019, a guest from Virginia Beach sued Busch Gardens Williamsburg's parent company SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The guest claimed that he had suffered severe injuries on Apollo's Chariot due to the previous year's emergency-stop incident. Reception When Apollo's Chariot opened, the Daily Press described it as setting "a new standard in stomach-churning fun", enhanced by the fact that the ride had 26 seconds of airtime. In the ride's debut year, Busch Gardens Williamsburg had lower than expected levels of attendance. This was attributed to prolonged periods of inclement weather. As a result of this, the park planned to relaunch Apollo's Chariot in 2000 in an attempt to drive attendance. In Amusement Todays annual Golden Ticket Awards, Apollo's Chariot has consistently ranked highly. In its debut year, it ranked position 20. In the 13 years since, the coaster has consistently ranked higher, peaking at #4 in 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2012. References External links Busch Gardens Williamsburg Steel roller coasters Roller coasters in Virginia Roller coasters introduced in 1999 Roller coasters manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard Roller coasters operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Hypercoasters manufactured by Bolliger &