New B&M Wingrider Planned For Thorpe Park In 2012

The United Kingdom's Thorpe Park has submitted plans for a new roller coaster for the 2012 season, and from the plans it looks as though it is a B&M Wingrider.  This will be the second coaster of its type designed by the firm, the first will open this year at Gardaland.

Planning documents show that the total investment will be £18 million (over $28 million), but the ride required the creation of a new island at the park for it to sit on.  From some recent aerials it appears as though that island has already been created:

On that recent addition a new coaster will sit, which will look like this:

If you look closely you can make out the ride's path as it zooms over the station and some associated other buildings, but the plans also offer this view:

We can get a much better idea of the layout here.  The ride will feature some interesting design elements from B&M, including a new one for them.  The ride will have some pretty elaborate theming (which we will get to in a bit) that can also been seen in this image.

The planning documents include site elevations that give a crystal clear idea of the coaster.  Here we see the lift hill and the first drop, which is the new element I was speaking of.  Much like the twist-and-dive element found on several TOGO coasters, the train will rotate 180 degrees at the top of the lift and then dive under itself.

The trains will make this element extra spectacular, with riders hanging out over the edge.  The larger diameter of the Wingrider trains will make that flip a highlight of the coaster.

Here's another view of the lift hill and first drop, and if you click for the larger version you can see the rotation at the top.  From here the ride moves into a zero-g roll and then a tight helix / inclined loop, flatspin, and then a heartline roll near the station.

One more for good measure that shows the ride's complete layout from start to finish.  Not many statistics are in the documents, but the height of the ride is listed at 126 feet.  It looks like it'll be on the scale of Batman the Dark Knight at Six Flags New England.

As for the theming of the coaster, that is also well documented.  The park seems to be going for the whole "the world is ending in 2012!" mentality, which is timely if nothing else.  If there were ever a ride that should be named Apocalypse, this is it.

The above image is of the design of the station, which is a totally ruined structure that once was perhaps a church.

This is the side elevation for the station.  As with many recent Merlin attractions, the theming looks to be top notch.

Let's finish with a look at the drawings of the theming that will surround the ride.  At the base of the first drop will be this massive crashed passenger plane.  How cool!

A crashed helicopter, emergency vehicles, and other props will dot the landscape.  There's even drawings for the entrance to the queue, all of which are in a dilapidated state.

There will be a food location near the ride, which will be themed as a semi that has been turned over.

No big ride would be complete without an on-ride photo booth, and this project's will look like a wrecked news van!

Hopefully the plan is approved without question so that the ride will move along from planning into reality.  And as if this isn't exciting enough, the planning documents state that the park's 2015 ride will probably be a coaster that can be up to 50 meters tall!