Shockwave (Drayton Manor)


The Shockwave is an Intamin stand-up roller coaster, located at Drayton Manor Theme Park at Drayton Bassett in the United Kingdom. It was opened in 1994 and is one of the only two stand-up coasters in Europe. It is also the only stand-up roller coaster with a zero-gravity roll ever made.
The ride, designed by Werner Stengel, was created as part of a two-year, £4m project in 1993-94. The Shockwave's station is located directly above Splash Canyon's station area, in the 'Action Park' area next to G Force.

History

In March 1994, Shockwave opened to the public. It has always been popular with some guests but not others. in 2017, it was closed for a short time following an incident with a ride below it called Splash Canyon. However, they found nothing wrong with it so it reopened in June 2017 just in time for the school trips.

Ride Experience

The Shockwave, which reaches and delivers up to 4 g, features a lift to, then an drop into a loop followed by a zero-g roll, 2 corkscrews and bends around back into the station. Originally, the track was white with brown supports, but between 2004 and 2012 it was repainted to have a light blue track and turquoise supports. Also in 2012 the Trains were repainted: 1 Blue and the other Red. Both will operate on busy days. Originally, the train would re enter the station by braking to a low speed and moving back to the loading area; now it stops completely before moving back to the loading area. In 2016, the ride and trains received new logos
In 1994, the ride opened along with two other roller coasters in the UK; the Pepsi Max Big One at Pleasure Beach Blackpool and Nemesis at Alton Towers. In fact, it had been built as planned, but local councillors had not noticed the proximity to the boundary when considering the plans.