Shockwave (Drayton Manor)
The Shockwave (Originally The 7up Shockwave & npower Shockwave) is a Intamin stand-up roller coaster, located at Drayton Manor Theme Park at Drayton Bassett in the United Kingdom. It was opened in 1994 and is one of the only two stand-up coasters in Europe. It is also the only stand-up roller coaster with a zero-gravity roll ever made.
| Shockwave | |
|---|---|
.png) Logo used since 2016 | |
| Drayton Manor Theme Park | |
| Location | Drayton Manor Theme Park |
| Park section | Action Park |
| Coordinates | 52°36′45″N 1°42′58″W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 26 March 1994 |
| Cost | £4 million |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Werner Stengel Mark Golding |
| Model | Stand-up roller coaster |
| Track layout | Out and back |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 119.7 ft (36.5 m) |
| Drop | 105 ft (32 m) |
| Length | 1,640 ft (500 m) |
| Speed | 53 mph (85 km/h) |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| G-force | 4 |
| Height restriction | 55 in (140 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train. |
| Shockwave at RCDB Pictures of Shockwave at RCDB | |
The ride, designed by Werner Stengel, was created as part of a two-year, £4m project in 1993-94. The Shockwave's station is located directly above Splash Canyon's station area, in the 'Action Park' area next to G Force.
History
In March 1994, Shockwave opened to the public. It has always been popular with some guests but not others. in 2017, it was closed for a short time following an incident with a ride below it called Splash Canyon. However, they found nothing wrong with it so it reopened in June 2017 just in time for the school trips.
Ride Experience
The Shockwave, which reaches 53 mph (85 km/h) and delivers up to 4 g, features a lift to 119.7 ft (36.5 m), then an 105 ft (32 m) drop into a loop followed by a zero-gravity roll, 2 corkscrews and bends around back into the station. Originally, the track was white with brown supports, but between 2004 and 2012 it was repainted to have a light blue track and turquoise supports. Also in 2012 the Trains were repainted: 1 Blue and the other Red. Both will operate on busy days. Originally, the train would re enter the station by braking to a low speed and moving back to the loading area; now it stops completely before moving back to the loading area. In 2016, the ride and trains received new logos
In 1994, the ride opened along with two other roller coasters in the UK; the Pepsi Max Big One at Pleasure Beach Blackpool and Nemesis at Alton Towers (which opened one week before the Shockwave). In fact, it had been built as planned, but local councillors had not noticed the proximity to the boundary when considering the plans.[1]
References
- "An Interview with Colin Bryan". Coaster Kingdom. 2004. Retrieved 2006-03-24.