Vekoma | Placemat Group

Vekoma Rides, the Dutch roller coaster specialist, has brought a new family launch coaster to Swedish amusement park Furuvik. Lightning is the fastest family launch coaster in the world, ideal for young thrill-seekers, and is also the biggest attraction in the park's history.

The new coaster is designed with a wide variety of surprising track elements and high-speed gravity sections. It accelerates right from the start and reaches a top speed of up to 75 km/h in just three seconds, propelled by a magnetic launch.

The 430-meter ride begins from a standstill launch in the station, and then riders will enjoy several exciting twists and turns, as well as some airtime. The pacing of the ride is high and the positioning of many ride elements in close proximity to the ground, makes it feel even faster. After the ride sequence, the train flies through the station at 40 km/h for another launch to 75 km/h and then repeats the sequence.

The coaster reaches a top height of 16.4 meters and a maximum acceleration of 2.8 G. Thanks to a minimum height requirement of just 1 metre, the ride offers thrills for younger park visitors.

"We are thrilled to finally have this ride in place and ready for our guests, whom we have been eagerly anticipating," says Sandra Wilke, CEO at Furuvik. "It's incredibly exciting, and I’m confident it will be loved by both young and old. I’m personally super excited to experience it myself."

Peter Osbeck, senior ride manager at Parks and Resorts, adds: "Lightning is a massive investment and without doubt the biggest attraction in Furuvik's history. It's really cool that Furuvik now has its own launch coaster; a gigantic roller coaster that takes off at the speed of lightning right from the start."

Vekoma is also the manufacturer behind Dollywood's brand new $25 million Big Bear Mountain roller coaster. With a top speed of 48 mph, Big Bear Mountain takes riders through three launches, multiple airtime hills, high-speed carousel turns, tunnels, and a pass behind a waterfall. It is the first attraction at Dollywood to include onboard audio and is also the park's longest coaster yet. The vehicles are designed to resemble SUVs and feature working headlights and taillights.

Top image credit Fredrik Söder / Furuvik