Toutatis (roller coaster)

Toutatis
Parc Astérix
LocationParc Astérix
Park sectionLa Gaule
StatusOperating
Opening dateApril 8, 2023
Cost€28,000,000
General statistics
TypeSteel – Launched
ManufacturerIntamin
ModelLSM Coaster
Lift/launch systemLinear motor launch
Height51 m (167 ft)
Speed110 km/h (68 mph)
Inversions3
Duration2:03
Max vertical angle101°
Capacity1,260 riders per hour
Height restriction130 cm (4 ft 3 in)
Trains3 trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Physical Length1,075 metres (3,527 ft)
Total length Traversed1,361 metres (4,465 ft)
Toutatis at RCDB

Toutatis is a steel launched roller coaster located at Parc Astérix in Plailly, France. Toutatis was first announced at the IAAPA Orlando Expo in 2018 and upon opening became France's tallest and fastest coaster.[1][2] It features four launches with a top speed of 107 km/h (66 mph) and a 51-metre (167 ft) top hat.[3] It is named after Toutatis, a Celtic god who features in the Asterix books.

History

Announcement

During a documentary helmed by TF1 on May 20, 2018, Parc Astérix's head of construction Frédéric Dubosc explicitly stated that, "To be honest we are currently working on a magnetic launch coaster". Continuing on this revelation, Dubosc cited Taron at Phantasialand as the park's inspiration, an Intamin launch coaster that had debuted two years earlier and performed extraordinarily well.[4][5]

On November 15, 2018, Intamin and park operator Compagnie des Alpes officially unveiled the unnamed launch coaster at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida.[1][6] This was announced alongside Kondaa, another Intamin project that would debut at Walibi Belgium in 2021. Parc Astérix's roller coaster would feature four launches – three of which would be achieved on a single multi-pass launch track – 23 airtime moments, and a 51-metre (167 ft) tall Top hat with a 101° drop leading out of it.[7] The coaster would be built within a new 20,813 m² area behind the Trace du Hourra bobsled roller coaster and was planned to open for the 2021 season.

Construction

In July 2019, reports surfaced that the coaster had been pushed back to 2022 by a lengthy process to secure first demolition permits, as much of the woods was under protection.[8] The attraction development was further delayed to an opening date of 2023 by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[9][10] The full environmental impact assessment became publicly available in September 2020, detailing the construction schematics, budgets, and timeline of the coaster, set to be named Toutatis.[11]

Land clearing and foundation work took place during later summer and the fall of 2021. The first coaster rails began to arrive at the park in early 2022, and construction quietly began while Gravity Group crews were onsite conducting a renovation of Tonnerre 2 Zeus.[12] Track was placed at the highest point and topped off the coaster in June 2022.[13]

In July 2022, project manager Damien Thibault revealed in an interview that the coaster would be accompanied by the addition of Le Festival De Toutatis, a Nebulaz attraction from Italian manufacturer Zamperla.[14] Toutatis began testing in January 2023, and a first official onride POV video was released in March.[15][16] Toutatis officially opened to the public on April 8, 2023.[17]

Ride experience

Toutatis dispatches the station and immediately dips into the low speed first launch section, immediately bouncing up into a low-to-the-ground overbanked curve and right hand turnaround. A pair of off-axis bunny hills and switch track lead into the main swing launch, where the train builds up most of its speed through three launches – the first isn't powerful enough to help the train clear the ride's signature top hat, the second propels the train backwards and up a spike, and the third launch (and forth overall) fully sends riders over the hill. Plunging down the top hat's 101° drop, riders make a quick turn into a large Zero-g stall, exiting through a left hand turnaround. Riders complete the return trip through a trio of airtime hills – one straight, one twisted, and one fully banked to the side – before leading to a figure-8 turn overhead of the queue and underneath the top hat, which chiefly contains a heartline roll inversion. Riders make a right hand turn and traverse a final pair of airtime moments into the brake run. One full cycle on Toutatis lasts about 90 seconds.

Characteristics

Statistics

Toutatis stands 51 metres (167 ft) tall, 1,075 metres (3,527 ft) long, and reaches a maximum speed of 107 km/h (66 mph) throughout the ride. The layout includes four launches – three of which occur on a swing launch between a vertical spike and top hat. Given this, riders travel a total length of 1,361 metres (4,465 ft). The coaster runs three trains of five cars, each of which seats two rows of two riders for a total of 20 passengers per train. Toutatis also contains similar elements to Pantheon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, such as the swing launch/top hat sequence and stall inversion.[18]

Theme

Toutatis (pronounced [towˈtaːtis] in Gaulish[19]) is a Celtic god who was worshipped in ancient Gaul and Britain, and widely interpreted to be a tribal protector. In the Asterix comics, the name is commonly used within the catchphrase "By Toutatis!" to parody religious swearing.[20] Toutatis' thematic set pieces were designed and produced by Bordeaux-based KAERU Theme Park Design, a firm that had also worked on OzIris.[21] The music was composed by Benjamin Ribolet.

Budget

Throughout the development, manufacturing, and construction of Toutatis, Parc Astérix spent a total of €28 million ($29.7 USD). The recorded expenditure is as seen below;

Toutatis Construction Expenditures [22]
Work €25,000,000
Ride Hardware €13,000,000
Road Construction €2,350,000
Structural Work €3,950,000
Decoration / Thematic Work €1,350,000
Other work (landscaping, equipment rentals) €3,450,000
Studies €1,800,000
Hazards €1,200,000
Total €28,000,000

References

  1. ^ a b Nick (November 15, 2018). "Back with a Vengeance: Intamin Announces Two World Class Coasters". Coaster101. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  2. ^ Coll, Laura (May 19, 2022). "" Toutatis " Le Parc Astérix va dévoiler la plus haute et la plus rapide attraction de France !". parissecret.com (in French). Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  3. ^ "Un impressionnant nouveau grand huit arrive en 2023 au Parc Astérix". starparc.be (in French). July 12, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  4. ^ "Sept à huit". www.tf1.fr. May 20, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  5. ^ "Intamin Supply Record Breaking TARON LSM Multi Launch Coaster to Phantasialand". Blooloop. July 25, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  6. ^ @CoasterForce (November 15, 2018). "OMG, your new #1 coaster has just been showcased at..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ @CoasterForce (November 15, 2018). "Fact sheet..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Nouveauté 2023 : Les détails de Toutatis, le futur launch coaster au Parc Asterix". Androland (in French). Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Meunier, Joffrey (June 10, 2020). "Oise : Des nouvelles montagnes russes vertigineuses au Parc Astérix en 2023". lobservateurdebeauvais.fr (in French). Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  10. ^ Michaud, Marjorie (June 11, 2020). "Parc Astérix : les Gaulois mettent en place des règles sanitaires". lebonhommepicard.fr (in French). Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  11. ^ "CREATION D'UNE NOUVELLE ZONE THEMATIQUE 2022" (PDF) (in French).
  12. ^ "[Parc Astérix] Toutatis - LSM Launch Coaster Intamin (2023)". coastersworld.fr (in French). February 4, 2022.
  13. ^ "Parc actus". Facebook (in French). June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  14. ^ "Brakesection Magazine Volume 9 Issue 2". Brakesection Magazine. July 2022.
  15. ^ "Toutatis testing - Parc Asterix 04/02/23". YouTube. KingRCT3. February 4, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  16. ^ "TOUTATIS – Première vidéo On-ride (POV) – Parc Astérix 2023". YouTube. Parc Astérix. March 23, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  17. ^ Caffin, Patrick (April 8, 2023). "" Absolument génial " : " Toutatis ", la nouvelle attraction du Parc Astérix, plébiscitée dès son ouverture". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  18. ^ "Intamin Blitz Will Charge Into Parc Astérix in 2023".
  19. ^ Pierre-Yves Lambert (2003). La langue gauloise. Éditions Errance, Paris.
  20. ^ "par Toutatis: signification et orgine de l'expression". www.linternaute.fr (in French). Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  21. ^ "KAERU Theme Park Design - kaerutpd.com" (in French).
  22. ^ "CREATION D'UNE NOUVELLE ZONE THEMATIQUE 2022" (PDF) (in French).

External links

Toutatis at the Roller Coaster DataBase

POV Onride Toutatis

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