Specific Type: Spinning
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In 2004 Alton Towers installed a Maurer Rides spinning coaster originally themed to a giant pinball machine and the silver cars were the balls being spun and paddled around. The entrance and station look like they have pinball bumpers and the coaster’s infield is littered with giant sized pinballs. The name, Spinball Whizzar, was a loose pun on the song Pinball Wizard by The Who, an incredibly popular British rock band. Then in 2010 the ride was rethemed to Sonic The Hedgehog, called Sonic Spinball, following a partnership with SEGA. The changes brought in new paint, signage and on ride audio featuring music from the game. The station announcements were even voiced by Sonic himself. Then for the 2016 season the ride was returned to the original Spinball Whizzer name.
A ride on Spinball Whizzer starts off with a quick dip to the right out of the station along a straight section of track where the trains are unlocked to freely spin. You then negotiate a tight right turn to the lift hill. After a 56 foot climb up the lift hill, the cars dip slightly and make a 90-degree turn to the right before dropping and banking heavily as the track begins spiraling to the right nearly 270-degree curve back under the lift structure. The banking then begins to shift the other way as the train pulls up out of the spiral and the track twists slightly to the left as it pops up onto the rides first brake run. At this point, the track turns 90-degrees to the left and drops down to the ground for the rides biggest drop, hitting a top speed of 38MPH. Hitting the ground level, the track rises sharply, nearly vertically in the air as the train undergoes a tight vertical U-turn which is sure to get riders spinning and disoriented. Returning to the ground-level once again, the track pulls back up and to the right and into the coasters second brake run. The twisting is far from over at this point as the train turns to the right out of the brake run and the track begins snaking its way to the ground. Banking and turning first to the right, the train begins to quickly pick up speed before snapping quickly now to the left and finally rising and pitching hard to the right, making a complete turnaround as it passes under the vertical U-turn it traversed just a few moments ago. The coaster pulls up and out of this madness as it enters into its third brake run, but this is not the end. The track banks heavily to the right again as the train spirals over 360-degrees towards the ground before twisting, rising, and turning around to the left into the fourth brake run, other than a quick twist and U-turn to the right before the station brake run. Finally, after a mad mess of twisting and banking track, the spinning has stopped, and riders can begin to regain their sense of direction and their stomachs. Where are we again? |
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