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| Katapul in 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Manufacturer | Schwarzkopf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Product | Shuttle Loop (Weight Drop) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Steel - Launched - Shuttle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track layout | Shuttle loop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Weight drop launch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 42 metres | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed | 85.3 km/h | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 220.1 metres | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track inversions | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rider inversions | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drop angle | 70° | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Katapul is a steel launched shuttle roller coaster located at Hopi Hari in Vinhedo, São Paulo, Brazil. The ride was one of the first Shuttle Loop models built by Schwarzkopf and used a weight drop launch to propel riders to a speed of 53 mph. It is also the most traveled, having operated at four parks in its 48 year history.
History
The ride was first installed at Kings Dominion in Virginia and opened on May 26, 1977 under the name King Kobra.[1] It was the first Schwarzkopf Shuttle loop model, along with White Lightnin' at Carowinds and Greased Lightnin' at Marriott's Great America, both of which opened in the same year. The ride closed in 1986 and was sent to Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Maryland, USA. The former site was later occupied by the lift hill for Anaconda, which opened in 1991.
King Kobra reopened under the same name at Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Maryland in 1987 and only operated for three seasons, closing in 1989.
The ride was then sold to Alton Towers in England. It opened in 1990 and was called Thunderlooper. Thunderlooper was situated across from where Nemesis is now in a newly created area called Thunder Valley (now Forbidden Valley). During its operation, planning regulations on Alton Towers were tightened, allowing nothing to be built higher than the treeline.
In 1991, local councillors agreed to grant Thunderlooper permission to operate for four years with the understanding that this would allow time for the park to develop a replacement.[2] In September 1995 the council granted Thunderlooper permission to operate for an extra year after Alton Towers argued it needed extra time to develop an equally thrilling attraction.[3] Thunderlooper ultimately closed on November 3, 1996. It was replaced with flat rides Ripsaw and Blade.[4][5]
The ride was sent to Hopi Hari in Brazil. It was repainted blue with red supports and opened in 1999 under the name Katapul. It closed in February 2012 and was repainted red with blue supports and given a new Superman theme. Katapul reopened on 14 December 2012. The superman theme was removed for the 2021 season.
Design
| Elements |
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Ride experience
The train is launched out of the station at a speed of 53 mph before passing through a vertical loop with a diameter of 46 feet. It then travels up a 148 feet tall vertical rollback, slowing to a halt as it loses its momentum. The train then traverses the track backwards, passing through the vertical loop and station and up the second, smaller spike. After stalling a second time, the train rolls forwards into the station.
Colour scheme
Katapul has red track and blue supports. The ride originally opened with white track and supports in Kings Dominion, being repainted to Black track and supports at Jolly Roger Amusement Park. Alton Towers saw the ride being repainted to feature dark green track and supports. It was eventually repainted to feature blue track and red supports when relocated to Hopi Hari, before receiving its current scheme.
Trains
Single train with 7 cars. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 28 riders per train.
Images
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The vertical loop -
The second spike situated behind the station
References
- ↑ "Kings Dominion advert". The Bee. May 24, 1977. p. 5. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ↑ "Beast wins a reprieve". Evening Sentinel. 1991-11-22. p. 25. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
- ↑ "White-knuckle ride's reprieve". Burton Mail. 1995-09-22. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
- ↑ "Go-ahead for new ride". Leek Post and Times. 1996-07-03. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
- ↑ Thunder Looper - Alton Towers Almanac
External links
- Katapul on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
| Tallest roller coaster tied with White Lightnin' Tidal Wave 1977 - 1978 | ||
| Preceded by Giant Coaster |
Tallest roller coaster tied with White Lightnin' Tidal Wave 1977 - 1978 |
Succeeded by Montezooma's Revenge |
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