Towers ride is lucky for some
MONTHS of anticipation came to an end for Rob Lloyd when Alton Towers' new £15 million attraction opened to the public.
The roller-coaster addict from Stafford, who travels all over the world to indulge his passion, spent seven hours repeatedly riding Th13teen on Saturday.
The 34-year-old, below, was among thousands who travelled from all over the country to sample the much-hyped attraction which has replaced the Corkscrew.
Mr Lloyd, who is a member of the international club Theme Park Review, goes to Alton Towers twice a month in season and travels to America and Spain to visit theme parks at least once a year.
The beer delivery man, of Marsh Lane, said: "I thought the ride was something really different. I particularly liked it when you went backwards through the tunnel.
"I've been really into roller-coasters for the last 10 years. The Nemesis at Alton Towers is my favourite and the Top Thrill Dragster in America.
"I kept going on Th13teen all day. I bought a special £80 ticket so I could jump the queue. I stopped for a quick sandwich at lunch but I just kept going until the park closed."
Th13teen, which reaches speeds of 41mph, is being billed as a 'psychoaster' because it combines the white-knuckle speed of a roller-coaster with the psychological scares of a horror film.
It takes thrill-seekers on a journey through The Dark Forest before experiencing the world's first free fall roller-coaster drop.
The ride took two years to design and has taken a team of 35 experts nine months to build.
It is expected to entice an extra 100,000 visitors to the park this summer.
Roller-coaster expert and designer John Wardley was watching people's reactions to the attraction at Saturday's launch.
Mr Wardley is a consultant for Merlin Entertainment, which owns Alton Towers, and was part of the ride's design team.
He said: "We knew roller-coasters were traditionally very predictable so we wanted something a bit different.
"The technology used to develop this was not available two years ago. It has involved the work of hundreds of engineers. The controls that work the ride are phenomenal."
The public launch followed a star-studded VIP preview on Friday night which attracted the likes of celebrities Jonathan Ross, Sarah Harding, Gail Porter, Bill Bailey and Callum Best.
Jonathan Ross was seen sampling the ride with his wife and children on Saturday morning.
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by Fred, stoke
Monday, March 22 2010, 9:14PM
“They got to hype up these attractions to draw in the crowd.........Look what they did with the aquarium.........and look at the dissapointment that was.........Good luck Alton towers (MERLIN & THE SUN! (news paper)).”
by Ron, Blythe Bridge
Monday, March 22 2010, 6:46PM
“I live 10 mins away from Alton Towers but I never go the prices are a rip off and it simply isn't value for money. We travel to other theme parks 1 and 2 hours away. Alton Towers in my opinion has never lived up to its hype.”
by Karen, Not at Alton Towers this year
Monday, March 22 2010, 4:54PM
“£80 for a special queue jumping ticket? Beer delivery drivers must get paid more than I thought. So people who can pay for queue jumping tickets are more important than those who cant - who end up queueing for hours for each ride and only manage to get on a couple of rides for their admission fee, because of all the queue jumpers.”
by Tom Pointon, Cheddleton
Monday, March 22 2010, 4:48PM
“I think TH13RTEEN is fantastic! the atmosphere inseide is great, near misses with trees in the fast-paced forest run, then into the building for a drop into the unknown! Once you get on the trains it's non-stop action! This is a winner, well done Merlin!”
by anon, Stoke, UK
Monday, March 22 2010, 2:47PM
“To be honest Mark, from the video's I thought the same.
The ride was billed as "The first of its kind" yet it seems remarkably similar to the fabulous "The Mummy" ride at Universal Studios in L.A.”