THE NEWSPAPER FOR AMUSEMENT RIDES 2
FTT Report : »THE FREISCHÜTZ A DEVIL OF A GOOD RIDE ? «
Once there was an amusement park in Bavaria (in Germany), and because Bavaria is so incredibly beautiful they called it the Bayern-Park. There were a lot of local wild animals to admire there and also a great many small at- tractions for equally small children.
However, one day they decided to build a large rafting ride, which made us raise our eyebrows in appreciation, because this ride was the first indica- tion that the Bayern-Park was about to head in a new direction. The park wan- ted to offer more for adults so that the parents were not “just” accompanying their children but could also have fun for themselves in the park.
So far so good, but then the Bayern- Park announced the “Freischütz”... they not only wanted to build a big roller coaster, it was also intended to be the toughest Launch Coaster in all of Germany. At this point, at the very latest, the
project made us wrinkle our brows, be- cause a large family-type roller coaster would have suited the park just admi- rably, but what was an extreme thrill ride doing in a children‘s park that had only just started to develop itself into a family park? From then on we watched the progress of the construction scep- tically if anything, and to tell the truth we were anything but convinced that the “Freischütz” could turn out to be a
really good roller coaster. Initally the progress of the construction work see- med to confirm our reservations, be- cause there were repeatedly problems and delays, and even the famous Ger- man roller coaster maker Maurer Rides seemed to have come up against its limits here with regard to the topogra- phy (located on a steep slope) and the extreme course elements. And then suddenly everything went
faster than expected after all, and the TÜV approved the “Freischütz” on 19th August 2011 at around eleven o‘clock at night. We took a team from German TV station Kabel1 in tow and were there on 20th August at ten in the morning to film the first rides on the “Freischütz”.
Wow, the first live view of the fin-- ished ride was impressive beyond any doubt, a muted green for the columns combined with a matt black for the tracks, that really suits the entire ride very well. The course layout also looks incredible at first glance, there is not a single section of straight track apart from the acceleration section, one curve follows another and a looping, cork- screws and a heartline roll complete the spectacular course.
First of all the TÜV made one last run with the park management, then the track was ready for us. The first ride in a brand-new roller coaster is always something really special and a look at the ascending launch area with the following top hat is really and truly impressive, even if the station is still nowhere near finished.
Then the section was opened and three from FTT started their first ride on the “Freischütz”. The acceleration up to 80 km/h is smooth but still very noticeable. This is followed by the top hat and
after a minimal pause to catch your breath while upside down the “Frei- schütz” starts a real fireworks display of riding fun and pure adrenaline because the “Freischütz” is only just getting into its stride where most
Track layout for the Flying Launch »Freischütz«
other roller coasters have already fi- nished. The X-Cars of the “Freischütz” hurtle from one course element to the next without a break and still run at a speed of more than 60 km/h when entering the station. But anyone who now thinks that it is all over is greatly mistaken, because thanks to another innovation the X-Cars are not braked but are accelerated once again and are shot down the course again one more time. By the way, this makes a total of 8 inversions, which has set an unofficial German record. The X-Cars have the special feature that the re- taining system does not use shoulder restraints and the guests are held se- curely in the comfortable seats with no more than a lap restraining bar.
The “Freischütz” would certainly like to be Germany‘s hardest Launch Coaster, the track has earned this title in any case, but in fact it is much more than this because the “Freischütz” demands a great deal from its riders and the whole thing is almost certainly at the limits for normal park visitors. On the other hand, in Bayern-Park Maurer Rides has created a ride that provides so much fun for roller coaster fans that you are really at a loss for words, apart from a whole array of superlatives. The ride runs very softly and also quietly, and is very comfortable for an extreme track of this kind. Bavaria‘s best rol- ler coaster is there as of right now in
the Bayern-Park and even if there is nothing else of note for hard core rol- ler coaster and adrenaline junkies, it is still worth coming to the Bayernpark just for the “Freischütz” alone. We the- refore give this track our maximum fun rating of 10 points and our appellation “Top attraction”.
With the “Freischütz” the BayernPark has made a big gamble that has paid off and now one of the top 5 roller coasters in Germany is in a Bavarian amusement park which up to now had primarily focused its attractions on a clientele of ten years in age and under. Now we can answer our question at the beginning with a clear and resoun- ding yes, the “Freischütz” is indeed a devilishly good roller coaster.
FTT Report, October 2011
Freizeitpark-Tester Team e.V. Text: Ulrich Gebhardt Photo: Werner Berthold
Technical Specifications
„ Type: X-Car Launch Coaster „ Capacity: 600 pph „ Track Length: 483 m (1585 ft) „ Max. Height: 24 m (79 ft) „ Max. Speed: 80 km/h (50 mph)
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