" Higher, Faster: Huge new roller coaster in the works for Six Flags"

August 10, 2000
By Sean Wood Star-Telegram Staff Writer

 Original Website Reference

Six Flags Over Texas is planning sweeping improvements for its 40th anniversary next year that will include a $12 million "hypercoaster" and may include expansion of the Texas section, the return of some old favorites and a revamped children's area.

The coaster, which has yet to be named, would be one of the tallest, fastest and longest roller coasters in the world and would top those categories in the Southwest, according to the Roller Coaster Database, an online international database of roller coasters compiled by enthusiasts.

Kristophe Boussemart, an engineer with the ride's maker, Giovanola Freres SA of Switzerland, confirmed that the company is building the coaster for the park's 40th anniversary.

Sandra Daniel, spokeswoman for Six Flags Over Texas said, "We are not ready to comment on any new rides or attractions. Next year's anniversary is going to be a big one, and there are going to be a lot of new things. It's just really premature to speak about what is taking place or what might be taking place in 2001."

City officials, who would have to sign off on plans for the new coaster, declined to comment on any discussions they have had about a new coaster at the park.

If built, the hypercoaster would be Giovanola's second in the United States. The first, called Goliath, opened this year at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif.

"It will be similar to Goliath," Boussemart said of the Texas coaster. "The total length will be one mile. It will have 200 more meters of track. The lift height will be the same, and the slope will be the same. But it will be a little bit faster."

Goliath tops out at 85 mph; the Arlington coaster will approach 88 mph, Boussemart said from his office in Mothey, Switzerland.

Speed is one of the thrills of a hypercoaster, which is a steel coaster with a chain-driven lift at least 200 feet tall. The new Arlington coaster, like Goliath in California, will have a lift height of 235 feet and an initial drop of 255 feet. Hypercoasters do not have loops or corkscrews.

Boussemart said workers will begin drilling in the next few weeks for the base of the coaster, which will be on the park's west side. Surveyors were spotted last week in the park's overflow lot and on the employee softball field. The employee parking lot will be closed for construction.

The park and its parent company, Six Flags Inc., have said they have big plans for the theme park for next year. It will be the 40th anniversary for the Six Flags name and the 40th anniversary of the Arlington park, which was the first Six Flags theme park. There are now 22 theme and water parks named Six Flags in the United States, and one each in Mexico and the Netherlands.

Paul Ruben, North American editor for `Park World' magazine, said a hypercoaster is an appropriate addition for the park for its anniversary celebration.  "I can't think of a better way to celebrate the 40th anniversary than to build the biggest, longest, tallest and fastest coaster in the Southwest," Ruben said. "It will immediately become the ride of choice for any thrill-seeker."

For the 1999 season, Six Flags spent about $14 million on new rides, shows and theming for the Arlington park. This year, very little was spent at the park in anticipation of major expenditures for next year's anniversary celebration.

Internet Web sites and message boards frequented by theme park fans have buzzed with rumors of a new hypercoaster for Six Flags Over Texas. In the last couple of weeks, Giovanola surfaced as the prime candidate to build the ride.

Giovanola's Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain became a focal point of marketing for the park. In June, it hosted its 1 millionth riders, less than five months after it opened. The riders, Sheri and Eric Crismond, ironically, are from Arlington.

Other improvements reported to be in the works for Six Flags Over Texas include an expanded Texas section and renovated children's area.

Stephen Calloway, Six Flags vice president and park general manager, said in November that, "The kid's area needs work." He also has said he wants to bring back a lot of the Texas theming that was prevalent when the park opened in 1961.

There is also talk of bringing back some of the rides that were removed from the park. In the last few weeks, parts of a ride, similar to the old Spinnaker, have shown up in the park's overflow parking lot along with the pieces of a ride similar to the old Spindletop rotor.

Daniel declined to comment on those items.

The Spindletop, which debuted in 1967, was a drumlike ride that spun quickly, pinning riders to the wall. The floor would then lower, leaving riders suspended above the floor. The Spinnaker was introduced in 1977. In that ride, people sat in enclosed cars at the end of spokes. The ride would begin spinning and an arm would rise, causing the wheel to spin perpendicular to the ground.

Those rides, known as flat rides, help dilute the lines at some of the more popular thrill rides. Six Flags' parent company declared a war on lines two years ago at its New Jersey park when it added 25 new rides. One reason for the parks' antipathy to lines is that while riders are in line, they aren't spending money on food or souvenirs.

The new Giovanola coaster is expected to move about 1,600 riders an hour, which is about 200 more riders than the park's highest-capacity coaster, Batman, The Ride.

"I think a prime concern of a park with the annual attendance Six Flags Over Texas has is to find rides with large capacity," Ruben said. "People go there to ride, not to stand in line, and Goliath will help to solve that problem."