The ride was purchased by German showman Oscar Bruch. It debuted as the Thriller on May 17, 1986 at a fairground in Freiburg, Germany. The ride traveled the German fair circuit, and operated at Gröna Lund in 1996 before being sent to Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas, USA, where it operated as Texas Tornado from March 14, 1998 to 2000.[1]
After being left standing but not operating during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, various modifications were made to the roller coaster by Premier Rides, the most significant of which was increasing the elevation of the first two loops. This reduced both the g-force experienced in the first two inversions and the top speed of the ride. The ride was then constructed by Valley Iron[2] and opened at Six Flags Marine World (now Six Flags Discovery Kingdom) on April 25, 2003 on the site of a former car park. It was called Zonga, which is Swahili for coil or loop. It closed in August 2004, and sat standing but not operating until 2006, when it was sent to Isla San Marcos Parque Temático in Mexico, where it opened on April 27, 2008 as Tsunami. Back at Discovery Kingdom, the former Zonga station was reused an extended queue area and a PLC room for Pandemonium and its successor Superman Ultimate Flight.[3] Tsunami was not believed to have operated during the 2015 season and the ride began to be removed in February 2016.
In late 2013, it was announced that the ride had been sold to Skyline Park in Germany. After general overhaulment, the coaster was planned to reopen in 2016.[4] These plans were later cancelled after upgrades to the ride, necessary for meeting German safety regulations, were deemed too expensive.[5] As of 2016, the roller coaster is sitting in storage.
