El pasado 18 de noviembre de 2014 The Gravity Group anunció la construcción de Switchback en ZDT's Amusement Park, la primera roller coaster lanzadora de madera, "the first modern wooden shuttle coaster" según el comunicado de prensa. Hace casi un mes, el 15 de septiembre, se realizó el primer test de esta atracción.
A continuación podéis leer dicha nota de prensa en inglés:
ZDT's Amusement Park Announces the Switchback – an all new style of roller coaster
18 Nov 14 - Posted by The Gravity Group
Seguin, Texas – Over a hundred and thirty years have passed since LaMarcus Thompson changed the landscape of America's amusement parks with the introduction of his Switchback Railway at Coney Island. Inspired by Thompson's innovation, roller coasters have evolved over the past thirteen decades to do all sorts of crazy things in an attempt to capture the thrill that riders felt on the first Switchback Railway.
To celebrate the June 1884 birth of the wooden roller coaster, ZDT's Amusement Park has teamed up with The Gravity Group to capture the magic of the original wooden roller coaster with Switchback – the first modern wooden shuttle coaster!
What begins as a typical wooden coaster experience, complete with the traditional climb up the lift hill, quickly becomes a modern thrill machine! Guests are propelled through overbanked turns and hills packed with monumental amounts of airtime, as they approach…."The Grand Spire" – only to repeat the entire experience again backwards! Get ready for Switchback, coming this summer to ZDT's Amusement Park.
ZDT's Amusement park is a family-owned business that opened in 2007 in Seguin, Texas, with five attractions. Since then, with the addition of water slides, a shot tower, and a multi-level indoor/outdoor go-kart track and more, ZDT's has grown from a local attraction to a regional sensation. Now, with the addition of Switchback, this innovative park is poised to elevate to the next level, becoming the area's premier family adventure thrill park.
The Gravity Group, LLC combines modern technologies with the classic art of wooden coaster design to create award-winning rides. With work on over 50 different rides around the world, this team of engineers has more experience than any other wooden roller coaster design team. Equipped with state-of-the-art Timberliner trains, Gravity Group rides debut with high rankings and stay smooth.
Ride Statistics:
- Lift Hill Height: 63.5 ft [19.4m]
- Track Length: 1175 ft [358m]
- Ride Length: 1980 ft [604m]
- Spire Height: 64.5 ft [19.7m]
- Max Banking: 104°
- Airtime: 8 moments (5 forward, 3 backward)
- Trains: Two 8-passenger Timberliner trains
Aquí podéis ver el vídeo del primer test. Y para ver los bocetos de la coaster podéis consultar la web de The Gravity Group.