Wipeout (roller coaster)

Wipeout (formerly Coca-Cola Roller and Missile) is a roller coaster located at Pleasurewood Hills theme park in Lowestoft, England.[1] Vekoma designed the roller coaster. Wipeout uses a boomerang design.[2]

Wipeout
In its original incarnation as the Coca Cola Roller at the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival
Pleasurewood Hills
LocationPleasurewood Hills
Coordinates52°30′27″N 1°44′36″E / 52.5075°N 1.7434°E / 52.5075; 1.7434
StatusOperating
Opening date2007
General statistics
TypeSteel – Shuttle – Boomerang
ManufacturerVekoma
ModelBoomerang
Track layoutSteel
Lift/launch systemChain
Height120 ft (37 m)
Drop110 ft (34 m)
Length935 ft (285 m)
Speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions6 (3 forward and 3 backward)
Capacity760 riders per hour
Height restriction130 cm (4 ft 3 in)
TrainsSingle train with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
Wipeout at RCDB

History

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The roller coaster was first opened in 1988 as the Coca-Cola Roller[2][3] at the Glasgow Garden Festival. That same year it was sold to the American Adventure in Derbyshire under the name Missile.[4] It stayed at the park until the 2005 season, when it was closed down, dismantled, and taken to Pleasurewood Hills. It did not open during the 2006 season due to planning problems. It opened for the 2007 season under the name "Wipeout". It has a surfer theme and is painted blue.[2]

Ride Experience

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The roller coaster is a boomerang ride wherein the train is taken backwards up a hill.[5] At the top of the hill, the train is released and picks up speed. At that point, pictures are automatically taken of the riders (who can buy souvenir pictures at the beach hut themed stall after the ride). The train then speeds through the station at its top speed, and then goes through a cobra roll and a vertical loop. It then climbs to the top of a second hill. At the top, it is released and goes back through the vertical loop and cobra roll before resting in the station.[5]

References

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The "lift" section of the ride, seen here in its Coca-Cola livery in 1988.
  1. ^ Butler, Sophie (7 August 2015). "Pleasurewood Hills: everything you need to know about visiting this summer". Telegraph Travel. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Stephens, Richard (2015). Black Sheep: The Hidden Benefits of Being Bad. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9781473610828. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  3. ^ ABACUS, Scott Graham -. "TheGlasgowStory: Glasgow Garden Festival". www.theglasgowstory.com.
  4. ^ "Pleasurewood Hills Wipeout". www.unofficialpleasurewood.co.uk.
  5. ^ a b "Wipeout". Coaster Force. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
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