Ride of Adelaide's Life

scorpionSA · Post by **scorpionSA** » Tue May 06, 2008 12:56 pm

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/stor ... 82,00.html

""A $3 MILLION rollercoaster will provide Adelaide thrillseekers with their first taste of a stomach-churning, jaw-dropping loop ride.

The Big Dipper is the centrepiece of a Royal Adelaide Show ride revival, designed to arrest flagging attendance figures amid growing hip-pocket pressure.

The steel-framed 365m track has been built and assembled in Bucharest, Romania, and is about to be loaded into six 12m ship containers for the journey here.

It replaces the 44-year-old crowd favourite, the Mad Mouse, which was demolished last year to make way for the $42 million exhibition complex.

Owner Bob Lawrence, who sold the Mad Mouse to the Newcastle show, expects the new ride to outshine its predecessor. "It's a thrilling ride, you go upside down - something Adelaide hasn't seen before," Mr Lawrence said.

"The rides are a very big drawcard for the Show - we've got a few new rides this year so we're probably offering the best children's rides in Australia." The Big Dipper also will be mobile. It will be dismantled every year to take to interstate shows.

An Australian engineer tested the ride three weeks ago for safety compliance, amid tougher scrutiny following the Spin Dragon accident, in which 37 people were injured at the 2000 show.

"In a safety sense it's actually better than we expected. South Australia is very safety conscious. My rides have had an excellent record with no accidents so we want to maintain that."

As for the price - the 36 passengers who will be strapped into the three trains can expect to pay about $8 a ride.

The Big Dipper is one of seven new rides which will be launched later today for the September show.

Organisers are also unveiling a more upmarket brand and logo, and dumping longtime mascot Banjo the border collie.

A greater emphasis will be placed on free entertainment to counter last year's 6 per cent drop in attendance, to 501,428, as families cope with growing economic pressures.

Ticket prices will also remain on hold at $18 for adults, $11 for children and $47 for families.""

There is also a photo of the completed construction in Romania in todays paper which i'll try and upload today.
Looks like it will be travelling too. Wonder what these other new rides will be? Perhaps No Limit which has never appeared at Adelaide before? Or maybe new kiddies rides?

benclare · Post by **benclare** » Tue May 06, 2008 1:18 pm

Awesome! I have said before I'm hoping to get down to Adelaide during September so I'll be sure to do a review on this ride if I go. I suppose the Big Dipper will be located in the Kids Carnival at next year's Sydney RES as there is much more room.

A shame about the name Big Dipper; it's great but belongs to Luna Park I think. They should've stuck with Zyclon Loop!

Thanks for the info Scorpion.

Post by **Zamperla** » Tue May 06, 2008 1:34 pm

Great news indeed. I had no idea Romania had ride manufacturers (for a fraction of the Italian designs they build off no doubt)

Interesting Bob has gone with the name 'Big Dipper' - may be a bit classic for this new-age thrill, but who can blaim him, the name sells itself and almost replaces the word 'rollercoaster' to most of the Australian public.

I found this comment amusing - I wonder if he is a relation:
"...It will probably turn over more money than the old Mad Mouse and show locals used to say that was a better cash cow than a drug lab...." - Adam Lawrence of Cadell

Top Gunner14 · Post by **Top Gunner14** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:36 pm

Great news, i was suprised he went for the name Big Dipper too. And 7 new rides for adelaide, thats alot! What others could there be:
Halloween, Skywalker, No Limit, i cant think of any others except for O'Neill's Apple Coaster

scorpionSA · Post by **scorpionSA** » Thu May 08, 2008 10:27 pm

sorry i haven't posted the picture yet, but im on holidays at the moment so wont be able to do it until i get back.

in the news that night, they just kept referring to the magic number seven - they never specified what they seven were.

HUSSRAINBOW · Post by **HUSSRAINBOW** » Fri May 09, 2008 2:45 am

probably bloody Sky Walker and 6 kiddies......
and O'Neills kiddy coaster! DONT SPEND BLOODY MONEY ON NEW RIDES! fix up the ones you have, and travel them more! BAHHHH

Top Gunner14 · Post by **Top Gunner14** » Fri May 09, 2008 4:51 pm

Correct Huss, order a whole heap of new lights for the ranger, overhaul rainbow, and give any of your old rides a good makeover. Leave it up to someone else to bring in the new rides!!!

Hurricane · Post by **Hurricane** » Fri May 09, 2008 7:46 pm

Well yeah, refurbish what you have got... and THEN bring in a new ride.

Brand spankin new HUSS break dance or enterprise anyone?

Top Gunner14 · Post by **Top Gunner14** » Sat May 10, 2008 6:48 am

Yes, get the witts enterprise back, thats one off the list and yeh id love to see a really great Huss Breakdance.

HUSSRAINBOW · Post by **HUSSRAINBOW** » Sat May 10, 2008 6:59 pm

no no, a HUSS BREAKDANCE NO.2

wow!

Top Gunner14 · Post by **Top Gunner14** » Sat May 10, 2008 7:02 pm

Ooops, sorry Huss Lol

Our mistake, dont think we'll see one come over so i think its the 2nd option of getting over to Germany and riding one

Hurricane · Post by **Hurricane** » Sat May 10, 2008 10:30 pm

Well... are you paying for our tickets?

Top Gunner14 · Post by **Top Gunner14** » Sun May 11, 2008 7:12 am

Well, only if Flight Centre have a special promo going, ill considerate

Hurricane · Post by **Hurricane** » Sun May 11, 2008 12:49 pm

Okay then

You pay for flights... and I'll get accomadation!

Top Gunner14 · Post by **Top Gunner14** » Sun May 11, 2008 6:01 pm

Fair enough, you have a deal

Hurricane · Post by **Hurricane** » Sun May 11, 2008 9:03 pm

Thank god mum has Timeshare! But back on topic now...

Anyone got any pics + info on the new coaster?

P.S: I am accepting donations for EKKA 2008 and tickets to Europe to ride HUSS rides.

benclare · Post by **benclare** » Mon May 12, 2008 6:07 pm

Hurricane what you've gotta do is get yourself married and request all the guests give you money instead of presents, unless they wish to give you Six Flags passes, Parramount passes, Ekka membership etc.

I haven't heard any more on the new coaster; no doubt more will happen once it is in the country and they start testing it. It sounds like the Lawrences are attracting some good media coverage with this and I imagine Adelaide residents will be really excited about the new coaster when the Show begins in early September.

Hurricane · Post by **Hurricane** » Mon May 12, 2008 9:41 pm

Well, I wouldn't need to get a Paramount Pass now, as all the Paramount Parks are now owned by Cedar Fair L.P (Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm)

And sadly the type of marriage I would seek isn't legal.

Post by **Zamperla** » Mon May 12, 2008 10:00 pm

<spoiler ahead>

I have seen the photo in this article and from what I can see, it looks to be a standard ZL42 Pinfari looper, identical to ShowWest's in WA. The ZL42 (Zyklon Loop 42 metre) is one of the most popular looper due to its compact footprint of 42 x 19m, and was the third looping design built by Pinfari.

Along these lines:

For those of you old enough on the east coast you may remember riding it at Moomba / Royal Easter back in 1994 (I know this includes you Ben)

I wouldn't be surprised if it is the Italian designers that have moved their fabrication to the cheaper Eastern Euro country, like a certain German flat ride pioneer.

princess · Post by **princess** » Tue May 13, 2008 4:02 pm

Lol Hurricane, you certainly know how to stop a conversation lol

Luv ya

Hurricane · Post by **Hurricane** » Tue May 13, 2008 6:52 pm

LOL!

Love ya too Princess

Top Gunner14 · Post by **Top Gunner14** » Wed May 14, 2008 6:49 pm

Cant wait to see the actual model. I do hope Bob brings it to sydney

HUSSRAINBOW · Post by **HUSSRAINBOW** » Sat May 17, 2008 2:12 pm

lol and here me was hoping we'd get OLYMPIA LOOPING hahaha I wish...

hopefully that can get on at Melbourne show

tooheyzz · Post by **tooheyzz** » Sat May 17, 2008 6:19 pm

If its coming in 6x 12m containers I wonder what it will rack to I would assume a bit less than that

Hurricane · Post by **Hurricane** » Sat May 17, 2008 8:10 pm

Huss, we can all wish for an Olympia Looping

Instead we get a quality Pinfari

But then again it's a new coaster... and something different.