Zonga?

...
a so - so situation
On the one hand it's a pitty, on the other hand, the ride definitely hurt my neck - I rode it on the Wednesday after the Monday it had first been set up ever - when it was still all painted red, and there were no OTSR, only lapbars.

I know, it has supposedly been fixed after I rode it (though in a place I didn't feel was particularly harmful), but the vertical Gs on the original "Thriller" were among the highest (if not THE highest) found on any coaster -
"To prove that circular loops could work" was a bad idea to start with -
Even though I adore les monsieurs Schwarzkopf and Stengel, and the ride simply looks incredible and haD an incredible first drop (arguably best ever) - I think building it was a mistake.
But hell... there is a fatal attraction to the dangerous machine!

Maybe it would best be run in its very original state as a museum piece with the trains circling the tracks empty.
:|

It's interesting to know it was so rough through the first two loops because as Zonga that was definately the most enjoyable part of the ride. Although the loop-screw was definately another favorite part of mine. :)

^I guess you never rode it again after your painful first ride?!

I rode it in its first year as well and while I didn´t have any problems with the circular loops, I found the last inversion very painful and wrong. I also remember that I didn´t reride it that day, because I felt that one ride was enough. Lots of people stumbled from the ride completely "zombified".

It felt like a NASA space travel testing device. I think I rode Thriller at least once every year while it was in Germany. Apart from various layers of paint, they really changed a lot on the last inversion, but I always braced myself while whizzing through this perverse little inversion.

The best rides would be in the rain! Somehow Antons coasters really do run much faster with wet track and the slide through the blockbrakes like a hot knife through butter.

^That's right, I never rode it again
- it never returned to Freiburg after it's opening in 1986,
so I didn't get a chance anyway.
(the neighbors of the fair had succesfully complained they were experiencing minor earthuakes every time a train went down the drop and through the first loops)

It's funny you would say that they changed the last inversion. I always thought they changed the exit of the second inversion only.
I still recall that he worst parts for me were the entrance to the two small inversions - and I also remember that I exited in a mixture of excitement, shock and -
pain.
I had a really strange feeling in my neck, that I only noticed after a few moments had past and my excitement level was lowering.
It felt like a mixture between sore muscles and a cramp, and I wasn't able to hold my head as straight up as I normally do.

Because of that, I had no inclination to ride it again immediately - and the feeling stayed during the next days. While it wasn't a big "pain" it still felt worrysome, so in the end I went to see the doctor.
Thankfully, it all went back to normal after a while.
I have been beaten up by other coasters since, but I have never since experienced something even remotely similar.

What is zonga?

Don't complain about Zonga, it is ruined, go ride the Edmonton Mindbender while it is still around.

Rumors has it that it won't be in operation much longer.

It is a much better ride than even Thriller but still can be a nausia machine.

---

crazy horse said:
What is zonga?

---

A rollercoaster in San Francisco that suffered the curse of Astroworld.

Had some of the older members drooling over Oktoberfest before we had even developed a taste for beer.

---

crazy horse said:
What is zonga?

---

Zonga is a coaster at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, California. It operated from 2003-2004 and has been SBNO since 2005.

http://www.rcdb.com/id2264.htm

---

fanofwood said:
Go ride the Edmonton Mindbender while it is still around.

It is a much better ride than even Thriller but still can be a nausia machine.

---

Totally agreed. I've ridden both (albeit 7-8 years ago) and Mindbender is the scariest, most intense ride I've ever ridden. It's absolutely freakin' rediculous. While I haven't ridden "Zonga", when it was at SFAW it was an amazing, crazy ride. Hopefully some nutjob on the fair curcuit will buy it, cause it'd be shame to lose it... And I'm not even into "saving" coasters!

You know what would fit perfectly in Zonga's spot whenever it leaves. Either a screaming squirrel

http://www.rcdb.com/ig2942.htm?picture=5

a Zamperla Flying coaster

http://www.rcdb.com/ig1711.htm?picture=11

or a Half Pipe coaster

http://www.rcdb.com/ig2648.htm?picture=3

They all look pretty fun I personally have never been on any of these. If you have what are they like? Another thing that would go good in Zongas spot is a 150 ft drop tower.:)

---

fanofwood said:
Go ride the Edmonton Mindbender while it is still around.

---

I always thought Mindbender was just a standard 3-looping Schwarzkopf, but it's in fact mirrored, eight meters higher and has some additional segments (I'm still looking for the exact layout) - so even though it has similarities with Dreierlooping, it's still a custom layout.

The trains are also special: 3 leading cars tied together - truly a special ride, but I bet it has tons of Gs looking at the upward bends after the large drops - in fact, the Schwarzkopf site lists the G-Forces as 6.78 - which is an even higher value than Thriller (6.5 vertical).

http://schwarzkopf.coaster.net/ESmindbender-edmontonGF.htm

OK - maybe you all knew that, I was just amazed to find out.

Another detail: The old trains (before the accident) just had lapbars - just like Thriller - but the new ones added the accordion-type restraints that supposedly tended to ratchet down on the riders shoulders in section with heavy Gs locking people in a painful position on Thriller/T.T.T. - does Mindbender have the same problem?

http://www.rcdb.com/id193.htm

:o)

(edit to add links) *** Edited 3/13/2006 4:23:23 PM UTC by superman***

---

CD said:
You know what would fit perfectly in Zonga's spot whenever it leaves. Either a screaming squirrel

http://www.rcdb.com/ig2942.htm?picture=5

a Zamperla Flying coaster

http://www.rcdb.com/ig1711.htm?picture=11

or a Half Pipe coaster

http://www.rcdb.com/ig2648.htm?picture=3

They all look pretty fun I personally have never been on any of these. If you have what are they like? Another thing that would go good in Zongas spot is a 150 ft drop tower.

---

Yikes! Those coasters are probably the worst things SFMW could add. Never been on any of them either, but from reviews, they all would be terrible replacements.

I still say they need to build a 150ft tall Jr Hyper starting on that hilltop where the Iweks theater is, then drop all the way down to Medusa plaza for a good 170-180ft first drop (rip out Kong if they need more space!). The space where Zonga is would be better used for the helix turnaround like on SFOG's Goliath.

^Now we talkin'

I stopped reading after CD's Zamperla coaster suggestion. Ok, so lets replace a POS ride with a cheap POS ride.

My jr hyper would take a different route though. Rip out v2 and use it's station. Have the hyper go over the lake towards the parking lot and back. eh ehhh!!

Boy, we're heading towards "whopper of the week" territory. ;)

I'm quite sure that whatever finally replaces Zonga will not be a coaster.

Yeah, I was in my "delusions of grandeur" zone this morning. T'was before my caramel macchiato, so I have an excuse. :)

Ohhh, macchiato.... I'll probaly give in to one of those in about an hour. I'll be back soon with my own whopper! ;)

I like whoppers ;o)

^^^^^^ wow - it would certainly be more fun to watch Zonga operating with empty trains than to ride any of those rides you mentioned (ok, maybe with the exception of the halfpipe)!
:|

:) ;)

*** Edited 3/14/2006 2:57:01 PM UTC by superman***

Looks like Zonga is coming down.

http://americacoasters.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13598&st=0&#entry249443