The UK's only stand-up rollercoaster flies over Drayton's white water rapids and the other rides in Action Park
The UK's only stand-up rollercoaster flies over Drayton's white water rapids and the other rides in Action Park
| Theme Park | Drayton Manor |
|---|---|
| Park Area | Adventure Cove |
| Type | Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 26 March 1994 |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Model | Stand-Up Coaster |
| Height | 120 ft |
| Length | 1640 ft |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Max Speed | 53 mph |
| Cost | £4 million |
| Duration | 2 minutes |
Shockwave rolls over the station
Shockwave, at 120ft high, is Drayton Manor's largest rollercoaster and the UK's only stand up coaster.
It is one of only three Intamin Stand Up coasters ever built and is now the last remaining in operation. This is probably because, even though it provides a thrilling experience, it is also pretty uncomfortable. Men who fail to adjust their restraint sufficiently well before it locks in place find themselves in a rather precarious position, their entire body weight supported by their nether regions. Painful enough to start with, going from near-weightlessness to 4G digging into your groin is not most people's idea of a nice day out!
Riding whilst standing up gives a unique ride experience, especially (save for the uncomfort) going through Shockwave's vertical loop and one of a kind zero-G roll.
The ride was bought as part of a deal with manufacturer Intamin, who also provided the park's Splash Canyon rapids ride which sits underneath. The rollercoaster's foundations were laid at the same time as the rapids concerete trough was poured, with Splash Canyon opening in 1993 followed by Shockwave a year later. 1994 was celebrated in the UK as "The Year of the Rollercoaster", with Shockwave opening at Drayton Manor together with Nemesis at Alton Towers and The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Shockwave originally had silver track and yellow trains, but over the years the track has been repainted in light blue. The trains received a paint job in 2011 and now operate in blue and red liveries. They had an overhaul at the same time, but unfortunately that didn't make the ride much more comfortable.
Shockwave's track
The restraints aren't the easiest to get into
Going up the lift hill
A train at the top of the lift
Vertical loop
Taking the inversion standing up
Full force vertical loop
Shockwave framed by G-Force's track
The blue train hits the final brakes
Back into the station
A train in the original yellow colour scheme
Shockwave POV
