Goudurix: The worst steel coaster in the world (?)

So, according to the internet steel coaster poll, Goudurix at Parque Asterix is the world's worst steel coaster (or at least ties with some other worst coasters).

http://www.rcdb.com/ig753.htm?picture=8

OK, it's one of those end-80ies looping extravaganzas (like Anaconda and Drachen Fire) which proved to be looking really spectacular and fantastic, like a child's dream.
I honestly wasn't even aware such a multi looping monster was anywhere around that close (7 inversions..!)
It ranked significantly below even Manhattan Express.

Has anyone ridden it?
What's the problem with it?

I have not ridden it but all the reports from the ACE Europe trip were that it was extremely rough with severe headbanging.

A discussion of the worlds worst steel coasters can't be done without mentioning Flashback at SFMM.

Not only is it a terrible ride but it's their for the sole purpose of just that being there. So MM has 16 coasters.

Actually, Scream is there for the sole purpose of having 16 coasters. Flashback is there because it has already been at a handful of SF's parks [who do not want it back] and the chain cannot afford to move it again.

I rode Goudurix in August, and, while it's pretty violent, it looks to have relatively new padding that absorbs a lot of the really brutal moments. My trip report from the time is here. I don't think it deserves the worst coaster in the world label anyway.

*** Edited 12/23/2004 7:30:16 PM UTC by Richard Bannister***

Why not just tear Flashback down and build something new there to get the coaster count back up to 16? How about a spinning Wild Mouse?

I think before building anything new magic mountain needs to prove that they can run their coasters that already there with more then one train at a time, and get Deja Vu running more then 15 days per year.

Why not just tear Flashback down and build something new there to get the coaster count back up to 16? How about a spinning Wild Mouse?

It costs money to tear something down. Its much cheaper to leave it standing and barely run it.

Wow, that thing looks wicked cool. I agree, how exactly did that end up being the worst steel coaster? I'd be willing to bet it's just a bunch of soft-skinned ACEers who can't take a slight beating for a fun time dragging down the rating since they're the only ones who rode it. There's no way it could headbang more than Steel Phantom and I'm sure if that was in the poll it would rank somewhere in the upper-middle section.

Eh, if nothing else, that low ranking combined with those pictures makes me more likely to want to go try it out. Of course, being in France, the possiblity of that is zero to none.

The Butterfly (first two inversions) is possibly the worst element in the world! The Vekoma trains can't track that element, so, a few times through it, the train just goes BANG and then the passengers simply smash their head and neck on the rock solid harnesses. The harnesses are a big problem, since the headrests were changed to absorb some of the violence. They are configured this way: you put your heads between leather covered pieces of soft padding. Its does help actually.

The track is also pretty worn out and so at some points, the train just make a weird noise. The train lose so much speed in the first 2 elements, its barely can make it through the vertical loop and so.. gives a bit of whiplash as its slows down. The corkscrews are the only "smooth" part, but by their shape... are absolutely forceless, like the rest of the ride. The icing on the cake is the 3/4 helix into the brakes. Start wide and nice... then at the end, sharply and brutally into the brakes. *** Edited 12/23/2004 8:17:17 PM UTC by Absimilliard***

I'd be willing to bet it's just a bunch of soft-skinned ACEers who can't take a slight beating...

That does not describe the people I know who've ridden it.

Ha ha, look at the guy on the right in this photo, http://www.rcdb.com/ig753.htm?picture=3

Doesn't seem to be a lot of happy faces here either.

Heh. They are looking over the side thinking, oh great, whats next?

They look more bored than anything.

"Heh. They are looking over the side thinking, oh great, whats next?"

LOL, yeah it looks like that... *** Edited 12/24/2004 7:19:43 AM UTC by P18***

What?

Brett,

Goudurix is, by far, the worst coaster I have ever ridden. From the bottom of the first drop until the final brakes, I have never wanted to get off a ride more than my one and only time on it. My review of the park and the ride can be found here:

http://www.coasterbuzz.com/forum.aspx?mode=thread&TopicID=25728

As for the comment of "a bunch of soft-skinned ACEers", I am not sure what to make out of that considering Steel Phantom never gave me a bad ride and I certainly didn't have any brutal headbanging like I found on Goudurix. I was able to get in close to 30 rides back to back on Steel Phantom one day. It only took one ride on Goudurix to make me swear that one off. I would love to see your view on Goudurix once you have ridden it.

I would also like to bet that there are other people that voted that coaster so low that are not involved with ACE at all.

-Sean (who doesn't take part in polls but isn't surprised that Goudurix was last)

While goudurix isnt my favorite coaster in the world, there are many many mnay, worse steel coasters out there that i have ridden. Yes it was about 5 years ago when I last rode it. It was a litle rougher than i like but it still delived a great ride, and the roughness didnt ruin the ride at all, like it can on most coasters. Yes its not great but it isnt even close to the worste in the world.

This is probably redundant, but bears repeating. I have ridden several coasters that are far worse than Goudurix. For me, the absolute worst coaster in the world is Anaconda at Walibi Lorraine (though to be fair, that's a badly maintained pile of lumber).