Park News EXTRA
This renedering shows how the new coaster will swoop beneath the lift hill of The Big One
Construction MMXV111 T
Mack double launch coaster for Blackpool
Blackpool Pleasure Beach has revealed details of its first new rollercoaster for over a decade, and it's a biggie. Opening in 2018, the £16.25 million ($20m/€18m) Construction MMXVIII (18) by Mack Rides will be the UK's first double launch
coaster, featuring well over 1km of track
he landlocked British seaside amusement park, which enjoys a reputation as one of the world's most “ride intensive” parks, has a habit of placing attractions over, under and alongside one another. The new rollercoaster continues that tradition, travelling across a large area of the park and interacting with five of its 10 existing coasters a total of 15 times. During an experience lasting two minutes (or 161 seconds including loading), passengers in each of the three 16-seater trains will reach speeds of up to 80kmh/55mph as they run through a succession of elements including two inversions, travelling up to a maximum height of 88.5ft (27m), “We have been working on this concept for five years now
and are delighted to be able share our plans,” says Blackpool Pleasure Beach deputy managing director, Nick Thompson. “Construction 2018 will be fast, adrenalin fuelled and exhilarating but also smooth and comfortable. We expect to see thrill-seekers flock to the park to experience this UK first.”
BELOW: Mack Ride’ Christian von Elverfeldt addresses the press conference
The multi-million attraction represents perhaps the pinnacle of a long professional and personal relationship between the Thompson family in Blackpool and the Mack family, who as well as building rides famously operate Europa-Park. A team from the Pleasure Beach, together with a handful of selected
media representatives, travelled to Germany recently to visit the Mack Rides factory in Waldkirch and then sample several attractions at Europa-Park including Blue Fire, which features a similar LSM launch system to Construction 18, albeit with just the one launch. During a press conference at Mack Rides HQ, Roland Mack commented that he was “very jealous of Blackpool for having a better rollercoaster than Europa-Park,” but added that, “we are extremely proud to supply this fantastic park with such an impressive ride and are excited to open a new chapter in our common history of two great family companies.”
Construction 18 – the attraction's working name – will
feature a total of 1,144m of track, making it almost 200m longer than Blue Fire, but over 200m shorter than Helix at Liseberg (Gothenburg), another ride with which it shares several similarities. To plot the coaster's course, and gain an accurate picture of surrounding attractions which were built long before the days of computer modelling, the park was 3D laser scanned.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach's last new rollercoaster was Infusion, a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster that was given an extensive refurbishment after being removed from its former home of Pleasureland in Southport (once a sister park to Pleasure Beach). The last brand new coaster was the Big One, the Arrow-designed mega coaster introduced by the late Geoffrey Thompson in 1994 and which still serves as the park's signature attraction and a local landmark. In adding a new coaster after all these years, the Thompsons had many choices, but for Nick Thompson a launch coaster was a no-brainer: “I believe they are one of the most exciting ride developments of recent times. The exhilaration of the launch – which will be the same as a that felt by the driver of a Formula 1 car – will be just so exciting and exhilarating. To have a double launch makes it even better.” “This will actually be our second launch coaster,” adds Amanda Thompson OBE, Pleasure Beach managing director. “When we put in the Revolution back in 1979 that was really taking things to the next level, but things have since got bigger and bigger and there are more exciting rides around the world. By working closely with Mack Rides and our own engineers we have been able to create something that will be our best ever, a really exciting, stimulating ride that will blow everyone's mind when it opens.” Set for a spring 2018 debut, construction on the new coaster is expected to start on site at Blackpool Pleasure Beach once the 2016 season comes to a close in November.
22 OCTOBER 2016
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