Worlds of Fun announces Zambezi Zinger, a wood roller coaster borrowing from the original steel ride

I love this idea.
I haven't been to WoF in years, decades really, and I have some catching up to do. Especially now.

I have already seen two people bitch about this on social media. Whereas I thought it was a really cool idea.

In the pov video I saw, there was just a little too much zig-zagging near the ground at the end of the ride, more than was shown here. Looks like fun except for that.

That lift is interesting.

LostKause:

That lift is interesting

its a direct copy/tribute to the original ride. Original was an electric, spiral lift hill.

I love this.

WOF should never have gotten rid of the original though. It's still running absolutely fine in Colombia.

I believe this is the first coaster to use GCI's new Infinity Flyer trains, which now have steering ability (the Millennium Flyer wheels are fixed to the chassis). Interesting to see how this tracks and if it provides the same or better comfort level as the MFs.

So is this a wooden coaster, or steel? What's the track made of?

Looks fun.

Hybrid Titan Track per the site.

In this case, hybrid means part of the ride is Titan and the other half is standard wood. You can see it switch between the two in the POV.

I love the spiral lift at the start.

This is really cool!

A little more info from Skyline:

https://skylineattractions.com/zambezi-zinger-opening-at-worlds-of-...ZbgqXL5m5o

Kansas City, Missouri, USA – Skyline Attractions is thrilled to share its collaboration with Great Coasters International, Inc. on the design and engineering of the new Zambezi Zinger roller coaster coming to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. The new family thrill ride was announced today by Worlds of Fun and will open in 2023.

Zambezi Zinger is a one-of-a-kind hybrid roller coaster attraction with a combined 2,428 feet [740 m] of classic wooden roller coaster track and Titan Track. Titan Track is a weld-free roller coaster track designed by Skyline and manufactured by GCII. Likewise, the ride’s structure combines wooden and steel supports, including an iconic spiral lift structure that stands 74 feet [22.6 m] tall.

The new Zambezi Zinger roller coaster was designed as an homage to the former Worlds of Fun roller coaster bearing the same name. The original Zambezi Zinger operated from 1973 through 1997 and entertained generations of Worlds of Fun visitors. The ride combined low-to-the-ground curves, thrilling drops, and an unexpected tunnel – all elements retained with the new incarnation of the popular ride. The new ride is partially located on land where the previous iteration operated while also expanding onto the other side of the park’s railroad attraction and utilizing terrain that is currently undeveloped.

“We took advantage of Worlds of Fun’s hilly terrain to create a really exciting ride with ground-hugging twists and turns, zippy transitions, and thrilling airtime moments,” said Skyline Design Engineer Tyler Mullins. “It was custom-built for this location and was designed to enhance Worlds of Fun’s existing roller coaster lineup. It will be a thrilling roller coaster ride that will be accessible to riders of all ages.”

Zambezi Zinger features a pair of Infinity Flyer trains which Skyline designed and engineered for GCII. These trains are incredibly versatile and can run on both steel and wooden track, navigate tight turns, have a modular design which can accommodate limitless drive system configurations, and have limited welds for reduced maintenance. The trains are also incredibly inclusive, allowing for a low height requirement and a wide range of riders.

“The Zambezi Zinger is a project where the modularity of the Infinity Flyer trains really shines,” said Skyline Mechanical Design Director Matt Calabrese. “The spiral drive tire lift is an incredibly unique element, and we were able to match it to the Infinity Flyer trains by swapping out just one assembly and keeping the rest of the chassis and cabin identical. It gives us a blank slate to work with any configuration, and the potential to try things we haven’t even dreamed of yet”

Zambezi Zinger is among the latest projects that Skyline has had the opportunity to partner with GCII on. Other recent projects include the installation of Titan Track on Predator at Six Flags Darien Lake, Roaring Timbers at Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park, and Texas Stingray at SeaWorld San Antonio, among others.

With the recent addition of Dan Peak to the Skyline team, Zambezi Zinger is the first GCII project where the roller coaster’s structure and foundation have been fully designed and analyzed in-house at Skyline. This allowed for a streamlined workflow and opens up new opportunities for Skyline and GCII on future projects.

”The new Zambezi Zinger includes several unique elements that we haven’t faced on past rides such as a spiral lift, long sections of ground-hugging high speed turns, and a custom application of Titan Track,” Skyline Director of Structural Engineering Dan Peak said. “The ability to tackle the complete structural design of the ride as a member of the Skyline team made a big difference in providing a quality product to Worlds of Fun.”

Being that WOF is my home park, and I remember the original, I'm really looking forward to this. What I'm curious to know is that both press releases indicate a tunnel, yet the animation does not. I can only assume it's in the "flatter" section of the animation towards the end.

It also sounds like the train has some potential to do some interesting things. I'm also curious to see how the bugs are worked out, as I'm guessing we may see a few with the new technology.

Looking forward to next season and trying the reimagined classic. Kudos WOF!

djDaemon:

Hybrid Titan Track per the site.

That answers nothing for me, as I also don't know what that is.

Revoke my card, and whatnot.

Sorry, should have offered more than that. It's steel track masquerading as wood track:

It's GCI's answer to RMC I-box track, right? Though who knows at this point whether Lightning Rod is wood or steel or refuses to be shoehorned into our social constructs.

I rode Predator at Six Flags Darien Lake in July. The Titan Track section was extremely smooth. In my view, this is definitely a big win for GCI. I'm looking forward to Zambezi Zinger and future retrofits.

Everything about this is awesome. Spiral lift, Titan track, recreating the lost coaster.

I agree with the post above that it’s a shame they removed the original. Whizzer is a great ride and Schwarzkopfs stay smooth as glass.

The original coaster is still in operation. In Columbia