ICON’s theming is distinctly diurnal, drawing from direct
opposites, the natural and the man-made. Picturesque elements of Japanese gardens are contrasted with a surreal subterranean steel infrastructure that bursts from the ground to forge the track and create the ICON vehicle. Amanda refers to her part in ICON’s genesis as styling rather than theming or design, but it certainly gives the ride a quality akin to something you’d find in larger park across the continent.
…to new heights After deliberation, Amanda and Nick collaborated with the Mack family of Europa-Park fame to turn ICON from concept to reality. The families are no strangers to one another, with Amanda having produced ice shows for Europa-Park, and her nephew, Magnus, was formerly a student of engineering at Mack Rides. Additionally, Mack installed Avalanche at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in 1988, and both families have enjoyed excellent working relationships for 13 years. However, 43,000 hours of planning went by before a
single piece of steel touched the ground. “Finding the space was our biggest challenge to construction,” says Nick. “We went through the park marking areas for designers.” The ground ICON would eventually come to occupy
was first 3D scanned using tech similar to that used to detect water on the surface of Mars by the Nasa Phoenix Lander spacecraft. A bespoke track and loading station was plotted, and Nick’s wish to interact as closely with the other rides as possible began to come true. The groundbreaking took place in 2016, crystallizing the
development which ended on February 14 this year when the final piece of track was signed and fixed into place. ICON had been born just as Amanda had predicted, amid the first new buds and spring breezes.
Icon-not believe it Now, ICON is ready to ride, representing Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s largest ever single investment. This, along with the ride’s challenge of a tagline ‘Dare to ride’ has piqued the interest of those following the ride’s construction. Alex Payne and Thorston Koebele of BPB
JULY 2018
and Mack Rides confirm that the ride’s velocity is comparable to that of a racing driver experiencing 2250 horsepower, and the launch velocity itself is twice that of a commercial airliner. After the second boost, riders are propelled to heights of 88.5ft and plunge into 82ft drops - all whilst twisting and turning through tracks. Surprisingly, Amanda reveals at the press launch that she
hasn't ridden ICON yet, but claims that the reactions from those who had is by far her favourite part of the ride’s development; parents, children, and grandparents - the reviews are starting to come in, and were looking good. Later, after Amanda, Nick, and the ICON team have taken their first ride, Park World asks Amanda what she thought of the ride she’d worked so hard to bring to life. “I was terrified! Amazed that I didn’t curse more! The air
time was incredible, you glide at the top of those heights,” she says proudly, but suggests that she might need to work her way up to a second go.
History in the making In order to predict what Blackpool Pleasure Beach might have in store next, it’s important to look at what’s happened before; history feels very alive in the park, and the rich heritage is something the Thompsons are keen to preserve. Blackpool Pleasure Beach was the invention of Alderman
WIlliam George Bean in 1896, who aspired to create a place where adults could feel as free as children again. Sire Hiram Maxim’s Flying Machines was amongst the first rides built, in 1904, and during the water the park stayed open to provide a place where evacuees and service personnel could escape the rigours of war for a time. Jump forward 90 years and the mandate of the park
hasn’t changed. Blackpool Pleasure Beach is innovating and breaking records - when the £12m Big One opened, it claimed the world record for the tallest and fastest coaster in the world, a legacy Amanda inherited in 2004 when she became managing director, succeeding her father Geoffrey Thompson. Nick took the position of deputy managing director, and together the siblings saw £8m invested in Infusion in 2007, the world’s first coaster suspended completely over water, and £10.3m in bringing the UK’s only Nickelodeon Land to a six acre area in the park.
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What’s in
a name? A smaller question with a big answer: why ICON? Nick and Amanda agree that deciding on a name for the coaster is always the hardest part, but ICON takes a big swing, puts out a big claim, and connects. Thrill-seekers will want to see if the moniker rings true, and new visitors will inevitably wonder the same thing we have - why ICON? It’s something ride answers far more succinctly, and in far more fun of a fashion
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