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ParkHoppin’ by Paul Ruben
Double Dale
Over successive April weekends I rode the two new rollercoasters at different Cedar Fair properties in the United States, the similarly- named Intimidator at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion, Doswell, Virginia. Intimidator is 232ft tall, while Intimidator 305 (see page 28) towers 305ft. Was I intimidated by Intimidator? Nah, it's my job. Both rides takes their title from the nickname of NASCAR stock car
racing legend Dale Earnhardt. On the track, Dale was the Intimidator. In both these parks, Intimidator quickly established itself as their signature ride. But they are not the same ride. Is one better? It depends on your tastes. Both have entry plazas paying tribute to Earnhardt's
accomplishments. Both coaster's trains are themed to resemble this race car. But at the bottom of each first drop the coasters veer right. Dale Earnhardt always turned left around typically oval shaped NASCAR tracks. But who wants to ride a predictable four-left-turn coaster? This is a road race, not a classic stock car race. So much for theming.
Carowinds' Intimidator
features Bolliger and Mabillard's new staggered stadium-seating trains with very comfortable lap restraints. Kings Dominion's version is from IntaRide, Intamin's North American affiliate, and seats riders two abreast with over-the- shoulder restraints. Carowinds' Intimidator
begins with a first drop of 211ft at a 74-degree angle. Riders race their way around 5,316ft of track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. There are eight big drops before finishing with a final spiral dip and curve. That's more
than a minute of high-speed butter-smooth fast-paced coasting with eight seat-lifting moments. I love air, and this is big air. At Kings Dominion, the 5,100ft-long (almost a mile!) Intimidator
305 drops 300ft at an 85 degree-angle, reaching a top speed of 93 mph. In 45 seconds it thunders through the “thrill zone” at an average speed of 68 mph. Simply breathtaking. Good thing park security weren't carrying radar guns. Last time I checked, travelling 68mph is illegal in Virginia. There are six moments of air and three very aggressive high speed turns. IntaRide placed the eddy-current brakes right at the very end of the run. If you need to stop (I didn't want to), this is the perfect placement for mid-course brakes. I love high speed, long rides, non-stop action, airtime and comfort
while riding. Both deliver these attributes in generous amounts. Both are destined to become top 10 coasters. But how cool would it have been if either coaster had a double-down? You know. A steep drop from the top of the lift for 30ft, flatten the track a bit for 30 ft, then resume the steep drop to the ground. There was space. Riders would scream with delight. Surely it’s not too intimidating?
8 JUNE 2010
Parques Reunidos buys Movie Park
Palamon Capital Partners has sold Movie Park in Germany, the one remaining asset in its Star Park group, to the Spanish operator Parques Reunidos. The purchase price is undisclosed. Located near the town of Bottrop, about an hour from Düsseldorf, Movie Park is
Germany's third largest theme park. Palamon acquired the property from Six Flags in 2004 when it acquired the American operator’s European portfolio of attractions and formed Star Parks. Most of the other parks, including several Walibi-branded properties, have since been sold to Compagnie des Alpes. At Movie Park, Star Parks’ management team embarked on an aggressive plan to
make the park more family focused, introducing the Nick Land branded children’s area among other investments. The result was a 40% increase in attendance, and an almost 50% leap in revenue. The sale of the park delivers an overall return on Palamon’s investment in Star Parks to 2.3x. “It has been an exciting time working in partnership with Palamon to implement a
family-oriented theme park strategy and very rewarding to see Movie Park Germany come into its own,” comments Star Parks CEO, Bill Muirhead. Once known as Warner Bros Movie World, Movie Park is now part of the same group as Parque Warner Madrid.
Movie Park in 2007
Kentucky Kingdom Hart rides to the rescue
Ed Hart, who formerly owned Kentucky Kingdom, is expected to negotiate a lease agreement for the Kentucky amusement park, which Six Flags announced plans to withdraw from earlier this year. Via his Kentucky Kingdom Redevelopment Co (KKRC) vehicle, Hart hopes to
have the park open by late May 2011. Six Flags still owns about 15 acres of the park, and Kentucky State Fair officials are continuing to negotiate a purchase of that land from the theme park chain. KKRC has recruited a proven redevelopment and operations team which has succeeded in turning around two previously failed theme parks, Magic Springs in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and the original Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. The original Kentucky Kingdom closed in 1987 after only one season of operation and Hart’s team reopened the facility in 1990, growing it from 10 to the current 60 acres and increasing attendance more than ten-fold from 100,000 to 1.3 million annual guests. In 1997, the park was sold for $79 million to Premier Parks, which later became part of Six Flags Inc. Six Flags filed for reorganisation under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code in June of last year and gave up its lease on the park with the Kentucky State Fair Board in February. The State Fair board was approached by six companies interested in running
Kentucky Kingdom. Of those that visited the park, two made offers, including Hart’s group. The other was a new company formed by former Six Flags CEO Kieran Burke. Hart’s group was chosen because of his local ties and prior success.
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