B&Ms Going Backwards?

A new trend, each seeming to have a limited time run, that has suddenly turned up for the upcoming season is a series of parks announcing that their B&M coasters will be running... backwards.

This is not something that most folks ever thought we'd see, however, it's definitely happening on at least three rides this year.  From some details that have leaked out, it sounds like B&M are quite involved in the process, so perhaps this was a plan they had worked on to breath new life into some of their coasters.

First, and pictured above, the Swarm at England's Thorpe Park, which just opened last year, will turn the last two rows of each train backwards.  This will create quite a different ride experience, especially considering it is a wing coaster.  The park is also touting a new "near miss" element, with no further details announced yet.

You'll have to dust off your reading in Japanese skills for the next ride, but Universal Studios Japan will be turning around the trains on their Hollywood Dream: The Ride B&M almost-hyper coaster starting the middle of March.  Actually, I'm not clear on whether it will just be one train or all, because my Japanese reading skills are poor at best.  Still, the hyper coaster style layout of the ride will be most excellent backwards, I'm sure.

And finally, the biggest head turner, at least in this writer's opinion, is backwards Batman at Six Flags Great America.  The park has only pseudo announced it officially, so watch for more news from the park soon.  It seems both trains will be turned around, and on what is already one of the most intense designs out there I think that riding Batman backwards will be, well, yzarc! (get it, that's crazy backwards!)