Katapul
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged with Greased Lightnin' (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom), Greezed Lightnin' (Joyland) and Greezed Lightnin' (Bluegrass Boardwalk) to Shuttle Loop. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2012. |
| Katapul | |
|---|---|
| Hopi Hari | |
| Location | Hopi Hari |
| Coordinates | 52°59′10″N 1°52′59″W / 52.986°N 1.883°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 1977 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Shuttle |
| Manufacturer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
| Designer | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH |
| Model | Shuttle Loop |
| Lift/launch system | Weight Drop Launch |
| Height | 137 ft (42 m) |
| Length | 722 ft (220 m) |
| Speed | 53 mph (85 km/h) |
| Inversions | 1 |
| Max vertical angle | 70° |
| Katapul at RCDB | |
Katapul (a.k.a Thunder Looper) is a Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop roller coaster, that operated at Alton Towers Theme Park between 1990 & 1996. When it opened it was classed as part of Aqualand, which is now split between Mutiny Bay and Katanga Canyon, although its actual location was situated where Forbidden Valley is today. It originally opened in 1977 at Kings Dominion in Virginia as the world's first shuttle loop, King Kobra. It was removed from Kings Dominion in 1986 and was located at Ocean City, Maryland from 1987-89. It is currently in its 4th location, Hopi Hari park in Brazil, under its current name.
Thunder Looper was a very simple roller coaster. The train was launched out of the station at about 55 mph, passed through a vertical loop, up a 138' 70° spike until it stalled and repeated the journey backwards. Upon reaching the station, it passed through and went up another 70° steep spike until it stalled again and rolled forward back into the station and brakes. The launch was operated by a weight drop system, a catch car attached itself to the train, which was attached to the weight via a cable. When the launch was triggered, the weight was dropped down a shaft pulling the cable and catch car which in turn pushed the train down the launch track.
It wasn't long until more rides joined Thunder Looper, spawning a brand new area called Thunder Valley. The New Beast and the Beastie (originally the Mini-Dragon) shared the area with Thunder Looper, until 1994 when Nemesis was built and the area was transformed into Forbidden Valley. Thunder Looper left Alton Towers after the 1996 season, the exact reason has not been confirmed, but it is known that the ride breached planning requirements as it was too tall, and also there were numerous complaints from local residents about the noise of the ride.
