Quick Facts (thanks to RCDB for the statistics):
Height: 116.5 ft.
Speed: 47 mph
Duration: 1:48
Manufacturer: Vekoma
Model/type: Boomerang
Year Built: 2000
Inversions: 6 (3 transversed twice) 1 Cobra Roll(2) and one Loop(1)
Other Facts: formerly known as La Via Volta
Height: 116.5 ft.
Speed: 47 mph
Duration: 1:48
Manufacturer: Vekoma
Model/type: Boomerang
Year Built: 2000
Inversions: 6 (3 transversed twice) 1 Cobra Roll(2) and one Loop(1)
Other Facts: formerly known as La Via Volta
Before Ride Thoughts
Ok, so Speed of Sound may just seem like another boomerang, but it is by far one of, if not, the best one out there. From what I have seen, Speed of sound is already smoother than most boomerangs, however, it also has the new Vekoma trains and actually has somewhat of a theme. The Arrow Dynamics trains found on most Vekoma boomerangs feature very hard over the shoulder restraints that cause tons of uncomfortable head banging. However, the new Vekoma trains have restraints that are comparable to those on the Superman: Ultimate Flight clones or Bolliger and Mabillard's new winged coasters. If you have ridden either of these, you know that it is almost impossible to receive head banging in them. Although the queue isn't very well themed, the station and actual ride have some decent theming. This is very rare for a Boomerang, and I think that it is the only one with an actual theme. I got to ride twice, once in the front row, once in the back. I defiantly recommend the front. Speed of Sound features a soundtrack that is extremely catchy and annoying. The song playing in the station sounds cool for the first five minutes, then it gets stuck in your head. I really don't understand how people operate this thing; it's almost as bad as X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain. On our second ride, you could tell the ride ops were bored out of their minds, but they were still churning out trains. Unlike the ride ops at Six Flags who just sit there when they're bored, the Walibi ride ops decided to provide some entertainment. One of the ride ops came out of a service door as we were being hauled up the lift hill and started air playing and fake singing to the sound track. It was actually pretty entertaining. Anyway, on to the actual ride.
The Ride
Speed of Sound begins with a slow backwards climb up the approx. 125 foot spike before releasing riders down the drop. After flying through the station, the train rockets through a cobra roll. There is some rattling in the middle of the cobra roll, but nothing to bad. Then, you go straight through a loop, which is much more intense than I imagined. As Speed of Sound climbs up towards the end of the track, there is a slight jolt as the chain lift kicks in. I was disappointed at how far away the train is from the dead end when the lift releases you. I thought it would be much closer. The backwards loop is very intense and a little bit rattly. However, the only unenjoyably rough part of the ride was the backwards cobra roll, which smacks your head into the back of the almost unpadded headrests. It doesn't help that the metal speakers are also located in this headrest. I felt a bit dazed after I got off, but was overall pleased with my experience. There was only one spot of real roughness and it was a very fun, well-paced, intense ride. If every Vekoma Boomerang was like this, I actually think they would be considered good rides.
Overall Thoughts
I found my first Vekoma boomerang to be a fun, fairly smooth, and intense ride. These rides are very enjoyable, but the experience didn't really blow me away. Overall, this roller coaster met my expectations, which were about average.
My Rankings
My overall rating for this coaster is a 5.5 (average). Don't get me wrong, it's a really fun ride, but it didn't blow me away, it's just simply an average coaster.
For intensity, this coaster gets a 5 for Xtreme. The loop on this coaster pins you to your seat and the cobra roll is fairly intense as well. If you get dizzy easily, I would not recommend this coaster. If you do ride it, don't save it for last and definitely do it before you ride Xpress. For some reason, whenever I ride an intense looping coaster after a mildly intense looping coaster, it always gives me a bad headache.
Speed of Sound gets a 3 for theming as it has almost no queue line theming, and the audio effects don't add all too much to the experience.
Mitch Hawker Coaster Poll Rankings: current rank is 332nd
Speed of Sound goes in the category of "Favorite Vekoma Boomerang"
The highest rank this category has ever gotten was 134
Have you ridden a Vekoma Boomerang? What did you think of your experience? If you have ridden both an "average" boomerang and Speed of Sound, what's the main difference? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
For intensity, this coaster gets a 5 for Xtreme. The loop on this coaster pins you to your seat and the cobra roll is fairly intense as well. If you get dizzy easily, I would not recommend this coaster. If you do ride it, don't save it for last and definitely do it before you ride Xpress. For some reason, whenever I ride an intense looping coaster after a mildly intense looping coaster, it always gives me a bad headache.
Speed of Sound gets a 3 for theming as it has almost no queue line theming, and the audio effects don't add all too much to the experience.
Mitch Hawker Coaster Poll Rankings: current rank is 332nd
Speed of Sound goes in the category of "Favorite Vekoma Boomerang"
The highest rank this category has ever gotten was 134
Have you ridden a Vekoma Boomerang? What did you think of your experience? If you have ridden both an "average" boomerang and Speed of Sound, what's the main difference? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.