Ride Profile
www.parkworld-online.com
King of the Hill Constructed on a hilltop near Gardaland’s former big top ice show (now the Pala Raptor show arena), Raptor’s loading area is located beneath the main walkway, but is about the only part of the ride hidden from the view of spectators. As they reach the front of the queue, riders are divided into two separate lines according to which side of the train they wish to sit. “Every seat is different,” explains McCormack.
“Because you have nothing above or below, all seats give a great view, but if you are sat in one of the four corners you get this great twisting motion. My favourite seat would definitely be front right, but I also like the back because you get that whip over the top of the lift.” After leading the station, Raptor’s huge trains
crawl up the ride’s lifthill before diving over the side of the hill into a 65-degree, 33-metre long descent towards the Rio Bravo western village, within metres of Mammut (the park’s Vekoma Mine Train) and then back towards the hill, where the action continues. Passengers encounter three inversions including a zero-G roll, a flat spin and an inline roll, six near misses and a series of water effects. Each train is carefully themed to create the
appearance of a beast with passengers held its claws and weighs 18,000kg when fully loaded. Using two 28-seat trains, the ride delivers an hourly capacity of at least 1,000. During the 41-second ride, passengers reach speeds of up to 90k/m as the train twists and turns through 770-metres track and around a 950-square-metre “swamp.” The ride’s feral, military-style exterior and X-Labs
dispatch area are deliberately at odds with much of the park’s existing theming. “Gardaland does fantasy,” notes McCormack,
“but it’s family fantasy. From the market research, we discovered they wanted more teenagers, which meant something edgier. When we were building the ride, the park’s staff kept asking when we were going to paint the station. We weren’t. The look is one of intimidation; all steel, concrete and barbed wire.” Although a rich soundtrack is provided to the ride,
including background music, announcements and the groans of the beast itself, this is confined to the queue line and the immediate area around the ride, with no intrusive on-board speakers to muffle riders’ screams. The complete experience is captured on camera by Fotosmile, with both DVDs and photos available for purchase after the ride.
Team Effort In addition to B&M, Merlin Studios and the park’s own staff, 25 companies were involved in the realisation of Raptor. Straddling a stream, the ride required planning permission from two different local authorities, with the first drop facing northwards so as to minimise noise to local residents. Work stared on site started last summer, with construction beginning late September and the last piece of steel laid on December 3 – timely given the harsh winter experienced in Northern Italy and much of Europe.
MAY 2011 27
“
I have
never worked on a coaster, prototype or not, where the commissioning has gone so smoothly. B&M were absolutely brilliant
Chris McCormack, Merlin Entertainments
“
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