Hyperia is unlike anything you’ve experienced before. Soar to breathtaking heights of 236ft, glide at speeds of over 80mph, experience a world’s-first track element, Europe’s tallest inversion and encounter more weightless moments than any other UK coaster!
Guests are seated on a 20-seater train, secured by a lower torso restraint for the ultimate combination of airtime, thrill & comfort. As the ride train departs it tilts riders to the side giving them a taster of the unique weightless sensations they are about to experience whilst blocking the view of the lift hill until they are at the base of the ascent. The train climbs up 72m, at the summit riders are greeted with breath-taking views of the surrounding areas before plummeting towards the ground at over 80mph down a vertical spiral dive.
The train swoops up to the sky twisting riders in a way that creates a weightless sensation, before dropping towards the ground sustaining the negative G-force. As it races up the next hill, the train banks in an unexpected direction, giving the riders another view of sky, lakes and trees, plus 4 seconds of sustained negative G-force on a world’s first track element which feels as though you’re floating & moving in slow-motion.
The train rushes up to the sky this time flipping its rider’s upside down holding them in an inverted stall loop, the train dives back to the ground skimming over the lake. From there, the train speeds through quick bursts of airtime hills before reaching the final brake run where riders get a moment to catch their breath!
Situated on an island, Thorpe Park is limited for space, making it necessary to carefully profile the track layout, choreographing the highs and lows within the limitations of the footprint. By adding new twists on classic ride elements and the inclusion of an innovative world’s first track element, Hyperia delivers the most thrilling of experiences with half the ride in negative G-force and the sustained airtime moments it is renowned for.
Mack Rides and Merlin used the challenge of limited space to reinvent the concept of the classic hyper coaster, known for creating negative-G’s through classic camel backs into a modern-day marvel of innovation. Using advanced simulation, each meter of track was carefully profiled to unexpectedly create negative G-forces where traditional turns on hypercoasters would create positive G-forces.
Hyperia’s marketing highlighted thrills in a different way from the usual coaster messaging. It is not about ‘are you brave enough to ride’ or ‘do you dare’ like so many thrill coasters. The marketing focused on how brave / fearless you would feel after you have ridden, empowering you go on and conquer anything, giving rise to the ‘Find Your Fearless’ campaign.
Hyperia embodies a tale of triumph over fear. As the daughter of an ancient River God whose fear of water imprisoned her on the island she called home, she refused to be defined by her fears. She crafted wings of steel, climbed to the highest point, summoned all her courage and leapt into the void, feeling the rush of air against her face and the world spinning around her. Then, miraculously, the wings responded to her will, carrying her higher into the sky, she was soaring above the waters that once imprisoned her. She conquered her fear of water by defying it and became a testament to the power that lies within each person to overcome their deepest fears. Hyperia found her fearless.
From what was briefed to be the UK’s tallest coaster, Hyperia delivers much more. Titled the UK’s tallest, fastest, most weightless (both total airtime and single longest sustained airtime moment) coaster, the ride owns Europe’s highest inversion, the UK’s first stall loop element and a world’s first track element. The launch of Hyperia has cemented Thorpe Park’s position as the UK’s most thrilling Theme Park.
Partners
This was a hugely collaborative project between all the internal teams at Thorpe Park, Merlin Magic Making, Mack Rides and our multiple external partners including B&E Services Ltd, J & O Groundworks, M Smith Electrical Ltd and B L Hopkinson Constructional Engineering Ltd. The combination of the boundary-pushing vision from Merlin Magic Making and the exceptional engineering capabilities of Mack Rides enabled us to deliver the innovation which makes Hyperia truly unique.
We really appreciate the contribution from everyone involved.