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ACE News recently previewed what coaster fans can
look forward to this season. 2023 is shaping up to be a great year for new
roller coasters. With some recovery from the pandemic and with a year of profit
built up, many parks have continued to move forward with projects that were
tabled. In addition to the North American attractions previously covered, there
are many more coasters being built this year. ACE News takes a moment
and acknowledges some coasters opening in Europe and Asia.
2023 will bring 14 standout new coasters internationally. It
appears that Vekoma was the big winner this year. Of the 14 notable coasters, five
of them will be from The Netherlands’ manufacturer.
A big trend is launched coasters with linear synchronous
motor (LSM) systems. With seven of the 14 new rides featuring launch technology,
one could say riders will be in for a rush of excitement.
The first coaster to feature is Batman Gotham City
Express at Parque Warner Madrid (Spain). At 45 meters tall (147 feet) and
with a speed of 104 kmh (65 mph), it will be the park’s seventh roller coaster.
This is the first time the park has worked with Intamin to create a coaster. Batman
Gotham City Express will feature four inversions along with the LSM launch.
Attractions at Sweet Valley, a new land at Energylandia.
Photo: Courtesy of Energylandia. View full-sized image.
Traveling now to the undisputed roller coaster capital of
the Europe (could the world possibly be behind?), Energylandia (Zator, Poland)
has been known to coaster fans for its unprecedent growth in recent years. In
2023 it will be adding two more to its lineup, which will bring the total to 19
— just one shy of Six Flags Magic Mountain’s (Valencia, California) 20. Choco
Chip Creek will be a mine train-style coaster by Vekoma. Honey Harbour
will be a junior coaster, also by Vekoma. Both coasters are sure to provide fun
for families of all ages. The coasters are part of a new land called Sweet
Valley.
Bombay Express.
Photo: Courtesy of GCII. View full-sized image.
Bombay Express at Bollywood Parks Dubai (United Arab
Emirates) will be Dubai’s first wooden coaster. It is a hybrid style made by Great
Coasters International, Inc. (GCII). Not too much is known about this coaster
now, other than it having wood track on steel supports. Curiously, the ride has
been completed for more than a year; the park has just chosen not to open it.
Lightning.
Photo: Courtesy of Furuvik. View full-sized image.
Sweden can count two new coasters. Furuvik (Gävle, Gävleborg)
is getting Lightning, a Vekoma family coaster with a multipass booster
launch. At Liseberg (Gothenburg), the park is installing Luna, a shuttle
coaster from Vekoma with a height of 33.5 meters (110 feet).
Luna.
Photo: Courtesy of Liseberg. View full-sized image.
Mad Racers at Fantasy Valley (Siangzhou, China) is another
GCII wooden coaster with an anticipated opening in 2023. There has not been
much of an update on this coaster since 2022. It will be the park’s fourth
coaster.
Mandrill Mayhem at Chessington World of Adventure
(Chessington, Greater London, United Kingdom) is a Bolliger & Mabillard
(B&M) wing coaster. This coaster will feature a multipass LSM launch and
will be one of the anchor attractions of the new Jumanji-themed land. This will
be the park’s fifth coaster.
Mission Ferrari, an LSM launch indoor coaster at
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), is unique as it features a 3-D
show element inside a building during the ride. While the park is protected
from the sun by an overhead canopy, Mission Ferrari goes in and out of a
show building for special effects. It has been in the works for several years
and was manufactured by Dynamic Attractions.
Attractions at Mythica land, including Maximus, a wing coaster.
Photos: Courtesy of Legoland Deutschland. View full-sized image.
View full-sized image.
Maximus is the new wing coaster at Legoland Deutschland
(Günzburg, Germany). This B&M coaster will anchor the new Mythica land.
Standing 17 meters tall (56 feet) and featuring a corkscrew and a heartline
roll, this ride is sure to bring a new level of thrills to Legoland without
being too intense for the younger crowd.
Storm — The Dragon Legend.
Photo: Courtesy of TusenFryd. View full-sized image.
Storm – The Dragon Legend will open at TusenFryd in Vinterbro,
Norway. This two-abreast inverted from Gerstlauer will feature a black dragon
train that completes three inversions with multipass LSM launches. It will be
the first of its kind from Gerstlauer and will be TusenFryd’s eighth coaster.
Toutatis.
Photos: Courtesy of Parc Astérix. View full-sized image.
Toutatis train.
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Toutatis at Parc Astérix (Plailly, France) will
feature an LSM launch, three inversions and 23 points of airtime. This Intamin
coaster is sure to be a crowd pleaser with its ornate car design and its
impeccable theming. Toutatis will be something one needs to see and feel
to believe.
Uncharted is an Intamin indoor dark ride coaster that
features five launches. This new coaster at PortAventura (Salou, Spain) is
based on the popular video game and movie by the same name. Intamin markets it
as a Multi Dimension Coaster. Sally Dark Rides is providing some of the
theming.
And finally, Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs will
add another coaster to Hong Kong Disneyland (China). This Vekoma junior coaster
takes riders on an adventure with the cast of “Frozen.” Olaf and Sven help pull
the “sleigh” up the lift hill and then — in typical Disney fashion — mayhem
shortly ensues. Not many details have been revealed about this coaster yet, but
it is believed to be similar to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train found in other
Disney parks, although the cars are not expected to rock.
—Tom Nickerson, ACE News