Speed

A Worthy Follow Up to Megafobia?

Just how do you follow up the international success of Megafobia? Here we have a Wooden Coaster that is frequently within the top 30 wooden coasters in the world and at its peak it was rated within the top 5. As I've mentioned in its review, Megafobia changed what Oakwood was forever, with a major ride opening up every 3 - 4 years. The park opened up "The Bounce" shot and drop tower in 1999 and "Hydro" (now Drenched) shoot the chute water ride in 2002. The next big ride was to be Speed and it was to be the parks first major coaster since Megafobia was installed in 1996

But as I mentioned at the start of the review, how do you follow it up? Do you go through the same route and build another wooden coaster, or do you go for the "And now for something completely different"

Oakwood went for the latter and it is quite understandable really, Megafobia had helped them get on the map and whilst the enthusiast community would have loved them to get another wooden coaster, it was time for something a little more different, to hopefully make the same impact.

Originally planning to open in 2005, Speed opened in 2006 on the 10th anniversary of Megafobia. Not only would this be the parks first inverting coaster, it would also become, briefly anyway, the UKs only Euro-fighter coaster and only the third of its type in the world. The main selling point here, is the beyond vertical drop. For speed, this would be a drop angle of 97 degrees at a height of nearly 120ft, which is still the UKs tallest Eurofighter.

Compared to Megafobia, which is hidden from the majority of the park, Speed is a statement of presence. With its bright orange track and tall vertical lift hill, your first view of this imposing creature will be from the car park where you will be able to see the majority of its layout. Throughout the rest of the theme park, it is that imposing lift hill and the 97 degree drop you are likely to see, enticing you in (or putting you off) depending on your viewpoint.

With Speed being in a cul de sac of an area at the moment, it is not the easiest coaster to find, instead you have to go down past the Waterfall attraction and turn left. Considering that the Neverland area is located so close, it is slightly frustrating you cannot link through. As soon as you enter this cul de sac though, you can see everything, the two inversions, the airtime hill, the twisting helices and that lift hill and drop.

Despite only usually one or two cars in operation (each car holds 8 people) the queues are not that big, and with no cattlegrid type of queue makes a refreshing change. There is no much to look at in the queue mind, so if you are queueing for a while, apart from looking at what is about to become, not much else will hold your attention.

Once in the slightly cramped but otherwise fine cars, we're given the go ahead and away the car slowly leaves the station, and waits on the bottom of the vertical lift hill. For anyone who has not yet experienced a Eurofighter or similar, parts of the chain for the lift hill have little platforms on it and you have to wait for one of this platforms to connect with the back of the car before you can ascend. Whether a pure coincidence or not, it can be nerve wracking, especially on Speed because of the height, of what is about to happen. With the platform engaged the car starts to make its journey up the near 120ft lift hill.

The sensation is an odd one, it doesn't feel neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, its just odd, in the fact you can feel all the weight going to your back, with a slight force to it. If you happen to look to the right you can see the park at a 90 degree angle, if you look to your left, you can see the rest of the Pembrokeshire countryside. As you approach the crest of the hill you start to slow down and then the coaster can properly begin. Unlike Oblivion at Alton Towers or Mumbo Jumbo at Flamingoland, Speed does not slow/stop you just before you plummet.

The beyond vertical drop is a great sensation, suddenly from being on your back or being forced into the front of your restraints. Its not so much as airtime as it is falltime. It maybe a gimmick but its a gimmick that works and doesn't let up no matter how many re-rides you do. You know what to expect but it'll still take your breath away.

Just as you land back on your seat, it is time for perhaps the most extreme airtime hill on a UK coaster. The height of this hill seems just less than half of the lift hill/drop just before it. With the momentum still fairly strong at this point, you crest the hill, reaching -1.3Gs basically meaning as you hit the top, you lift off with your body coming into contact with the restraints and you will not fall back down into your seat until the bottom of said hill.

A stranged shaped over banked turn immediately follows, that seems to have a sharp turn at the top before descending once more into the vertical loop. This turn isn't forceful as such, but it is taken quickly and it gives a little breather before the next portion of the ride.

The loop is perfectly circular, think more of the letter O instead of the number 0. With a slightly different shape, comes slightly different forces, especially with how quick you are still going at this point, you feel the positive G force clamp you down into your seat. Compared to the negative G force not too long ago, this makes a change, but it is an extreme change, this loop can be very intense as you are not quite expecting it.

After the loop another hill follows and this runs into a mid course brake run. Unfortunately, this does take a lot of momentum out of the ride. It does need it for what is about to become, but you do go from 45 MPH to about 20 MPH.
Immediately afterwards, the track dips and you enter the second inversion, a barrel roll and straight after you do a banked turn to your left before rising again before a couple of tight helices. Its this section that is one of the most intense sections, and whilst the brake run did kill the majority of the momentum I feel if it hadn't, this would be unbearable. It is a nice and forceful way to end the ride just before you enter the brake run.

The magnetic brakes kick in, not too suddenly but enough for you to get some force from the deceleration and you slowly make your way to the station.

Speed is a lot more intense than it looks, despite the small car and the relatively small height restriction, the pacing changes are quite extreme and as such, you can come off the ride with a headache. This is not to say it is rough, as it isn't. There is a difference between ferocious/fierce and rough. Speed is definitely the former, but you cannot do as many re-rides as you could on Megafobia.

The length of the coaster also comes into question, it almost seems that it is too quick for its own good. And despite being nearly 2,000 foot long there is no escaping that Megafobia at over 3,000ft long seems the fuller experience and just as Speed gets going its brakes kick in.

But, to answer the question posed at the start of this review, is Speed a worthy follow up to Megafobia? Certainly, it is at the other end of the spectrum. Megafobia is the more fun ride, and Speed is its twisted cousin, not being quite as forgiving and showing you who is the real boss around these parts. It was the coaster Oakwood had to install at this particular time.

Is Speed the better ride than Megafobia? No, Megafobia overall seems the more complete ride and whilst great in its own right, Speed just falls short. If it was slightly longer, then I'd say it would be more of a serious contender for the title of the best ride in the park, but at the moment it comes in as second best

The Good:
- Relatively small height restriction
- Not often too busy
- The 97 degree drop
- The -1.3G airtime hill
- An intense coaster
- Completely different to Megafobia

The Bad: 
- Mid course brake run takes out a lot of momentum
- Feels like it gets going and then it ends
- More intense than it looks
- When busy expect to be queueing a long time

The Verdict:
  
4/5