| The Shock Wave | |
| Train just after corkscrew | |
| Location | Drayton Manor Theme Park |
|---|---|
| Park section | Action Park |
| Status | Open |
| Opened | 26 March 1994 |
| Cost | £4 million |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Stand-up roller coaster |
| Track layout | Out and back |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 120 ft (37 m) |
| Drop | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Length | 1,640 ft (500 m) |
| Max speed | 53 mph (85 km/h) |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Max G force | 4 |
| The Shock Wave at RCDB | |
| Pictures of The Shock Wave at RCDB | |
| Amusement Parks Portal | |
The Shock Wave is an Intamin stand-up roller coaster at Drayton Manor Theme Park. It was opened in 1994, and is the only stand-up coaster in Europe. It is also the only stand-up roller coaster with a zero-g roll ever made.
The ride, designed by Werner Stengel, was created as part of a two year, £4m project in 1993-94. The project also involved the building of Splash Canyon. The Shock Wave's station is located directly above Splash Canyon's station area, in the 'Action Park' area next to G Force.
The Shock Wave, which reaches 53mph (85 km/h) and delivers up to 4 g, features a lift up to 120 ft (37 m), then an 80 ft (24 m) drop into a loop followed by a zero-gravity roll, and finishes with two corkscrews and a bend around back to the station. Originally, the track was white with brown supports, but in 2004 it was repainted to have a light blue track and turquoise supports.
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 (which opened one week before the Shock Wave). In 1994, after the completion of the ride, local residents complained that the final bend was too close to the edge of the property. In fact, it had been built as planned, but local councillors had not noticed the proximity to the boundary when considering the plans.[1]
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