Invertigo (roller coaster)

Invertigo

Invertigo at Kings Island before 2012.
First manufactured 1997
No. of installations 4
Manufacturer Vekoma
Height 131.3 ft (40.0 m)
Length 1,013.8 ft (309.0 m)
Speed 50 mph (80 km/h)
G force 5
Vehicles 1
Riders per vehicle 28
Rows 14
Riders per row 2
Duration 1:30
Restraint Style Over-the-shoulder
Inversions 3 (x2)
Invertigo at RCDB

Invertigo is a type of shuttle roller coaster manufactured by Dutch company, Vekoma. It is a variation on their traditional Boomerang design.[1]

History

Stinger when it was at California's Great America as Invertigo.

The first installation of an Invertigo roller coaster occurred at Liseberg in 1997. HangOver was originally scheduled to open in 1996 as a launched roller coaster, however, the technology at the time prevented this from occurring and forced the opening back by a year.[2] On March 21, 1998, California's Great America opened a ride known simply as Invertigo.[3] On April 17, 1999, Face/Off opened at Kings Island. It was originally themed after the 1997 Paramount Pictures film of the same name.[4] On May 8, 1999, Two Face: The Flip Side opened at Six Flags America.[5] It was themed after DC Comics' Batman rival, Harvey Dent A.K.A. Two-Face.[6]

In 2002, HangOver at Liseberg closed and was relocated to Allou Fun Park the following year.[2][7] The ride, however, was never set up there and was relocated to Sommerland Syd where it operated under the name Tornado from July 2, 2005.[7][8]

In 2008, Face/Off at Kings Island was renamed to Invertigo following the park's initiative to remove Paramount themes from the park after being sold to Cedar Fair two years prior.[9]

On January 27, 2011, California's Great America announced that Invertigo would be removed from the theme park and relocated to a different amusement park. Cedar Fair stated that a new attraction would be placed at the former location of Invertigo. California's Great America also announced Invertigo will be going to a new home in a different Cedar Fair park.[10][11] Invertigo was removed and moved into storage in Allentown, Pennsylvania. While in storage, the track received a new teal paint scheme, with the supports remaining in royal blue.[12] On August 30, 2011, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom announced that they would be opening Stinger for the park's 2012 season.[13] In November 2011, Dorney Park has completed construction for the coaster and in December they are building the station and queue.[14][15] In early January 2012, the coaster has gotten electricity, and the entrance and queue area is nearing completion to be finished.[16][17]

In 2011, Sommerland Syd's installation of Tornado closed with the ride currently being relocated to Bagatelle where it operates as Triops from June 30, 2012.[8][18][19]

On February 13, 2012, Kings Island posted a picture of Invertigo getting a new paint scheme on their Facebook page. The ride now has aqua track and royal blue supports, similar to Stinger at Dorney Park.[20]

Installations

Stinger at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Coaster name Amusement park Opened Status
Invertigo Kings Island April 17, 1999 Operating [4]
Stinger
Formerly Invertigo
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
California's Great America
April 28, 2012
March 21, 1998
Operating [3][21][22]
Triops
Formerly Tornado
Formerly unknown
Formerly HangOver
Bagatelle
Sommerland Syd
Allou Fun Park
Liseberg
June 30, 2012
July 2, 2005
Never opened
April 1997
Operating [2][7][8][18]
Diabolik Invertigo
Formerly Two Face: The Flip Side
Movieland Park
Six Flags America
April 24, 2015
May 8, 1999
Operating [5]

Ride experience

The layout of an Invertigo roller coaster

Invertigo is an inverted version of the Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster where riders sit face-to-face, staring at fellow passengers through the course of the ride. The train completes the circuit twice running in the opposite direction as it returns to the station. This gives riders the opportunity to experience the ride in both directions moving forwards and backwards.

The ride begins when the train is pulled backwards from the station and up a 138-foot-tall (42 m) lift hill. It is held for several seconds before releasing riders into a 130-foot (40 m) drop sending them 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) through the loading station. The train then enters a Cobra roll element that transitions into a vertical loop. Upon exiting the loop, the train climbs the second lift hill making it most of the way up on its own momentum. Once towed to the top, the train is quickly released sending riders through the ride in reverse before being caught by the first lift hill and returned to the loading station.[23]

See also

References

  1. "Invertigo". Vekoma. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Marden, Duane. "HangOver  (Liseberg)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Marden, Duane. "Invertigo  (California's Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Marden, Duane. "Invertigo  (Kings Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Marden, Duane. "Two-Face: The Flip Side  (Six Flags America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  6. Marden, Duane. "Six Flags America launches two, totally twisted, steel super coasters  (Press Release)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Marden, Duane. "unknown  (Allou Fun Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 Marden, Duane. "Tornado  (Sommerland Syd)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  9. "Kings Island Opens April 20". Middletown Journal. April 11, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  10. http://www.cagreatamerica.com/news/detail.cfm?item_id=1069
  11. "Planners OK new Dorney coaster – Morning Call". Mcall.com. February 18, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  12. "NewsPlusNotes: Allentown's Just Brimming With Coaster Track". Newsplusnotes.blogspot.com. May 13, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  13. "Thrill Rides – Roller Coasters – PA Thrill Rides | Dorney Park, Lehigh Valley PA". Dorneypark.com. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  14. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. "Stinger Construction". Facebook. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  15. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. "Wall Photos". Facebook. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  16. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. "Wall Photos". Facebook. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  17. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. "Wall Photos". Facebook. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  18. 1 2 Marden, Duane. "Triops  (Bagatelle)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  19. Longue et belle vie au Triops
  20. "Kings Island". Facebook. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  21. Marden, Duane. "Stinger  (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  22. "Two injured on Dorney Park's Stinger coaster". WFMZ. May 5, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  23. "Invertigo at Kings Island official site". Kings Island. Retrieved February 1, 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Invertigo (roller coaster model).
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 14, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.