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Ride Profile www.parkworld-online.com


gates of Fort Buffalo, they leave the south of France and are plunged into the nineteenth-century Far West, complete with sheriff and deputies, outlaws, tribes of Redskins and troupes of cowboys.


The Bembom family has run the park for more than fifty


years, and now Mathijs, together with his wife and two sons, aims to continue its growth with the same values as his parents did in their time, regularly adding new attractions for young and old alike. 2018 saw new custom Zierer coaster Pioneer arrive on-site.


A custom concept Pioneer was four years in the making. A custom concept created for the park, the coaster has a unique seating layout: depending on which section you choose to ride in, Pioneer offers two completely different experiences. The horses, which form three rows of two, provide an experience similar to that of a motorbike ride, and have been designed with a new seat restraining system that leaves riders’ legs hanging free to give them the illusion of total freedom when they are in the saddle. Sitting on one of the back three rows of two in the carriages


is a more of a traditional seated roller coaster experience. Visitors ride in their chosen section along 500 metres of


rails, at a top speed of 65 kilometre per hour, with each of the the two cars seating 12 guests. Riders of at least 1 metre 40 in height can sit on the horses at the front, whilst the cart seats, at the back, are accessible to children one metre and up. “The audience ‘gallops’ 25 meters above the ground, overlooking the park and its attractions, criss-crosses the hill and lives the experience of the great rides of pioneers of the American West,” comments park owner Benbom.


A true Pioneer B


Park World editor Bryony Andrews spoke to Mathijs Bembom, owner of the OK Corral theme park, about aptly-named new coaster concept Pioneer


etween horse shows, thrilling rides and themed accommodation, a visit to OK Corral means total immersion in a time gone by. Once guests pass the


The design process encompassed multiple


versions and revisions before the current incarnation was agreed upon. “We looked at motorbike rides to start with,” explains Benbom. “The OK Corral park is themed around the Wild West, so it was important that our new ride totally fit our theme. This was the reason why we chose horses. To make it a world first, we decided that they had to pull a cowboy chuckwagon. This had not been done before and we knew that you would get two totally different ride experiences.” The coaster’s location in a newly landscaped area at the highest point of the park, following the shape of the land, not only gives Pioneer a great view over the rest of the park, it also creates the illusion of doubling the height of its drop. “It’s already 25 metres high, so the hill makes it seem like its 50 metres high. From there it can be seen from anywhere in the park,” says Benbom.


Challenges abound Finding a rollercoaster construction company that could comply with Benbom’s vision for the ride was not an easy task, he told Park World, but German company Zierer took up the challenge. Specifications included taking away the mechanical noise of the lift hill to maintain the illusion of a horse and carriage, as well as the customised restraints and carriages. “It took four years and quite a few different track layouts before we decided on the right one. But there is nothing else like it in Europe, and when you see the smiles on the customers’ faces, it is all worth it.”


The biggest family amusement park in the south of France, OK Corral is a significant part of the region’s tourist offering. With 35 permanent employees and more than 150 seasonal workers, is also the top employer in its area of Bouches-du- Rhône, on the border of the department of Var.


SEPTEMBER 2018


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