bigFM Expedition GeForce (renamed after a local radio station for marketing purposes in 2008) is a steel

Steel roller coaster

A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...

 roller coaster

Roller coaster

The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

 located at Holiday Park

Holiday Park

Holiday Park may refer to:* Holiday Park, Germany* Holiday Park, Saskatoon* A term used in England, Australia and New Zealand for a tourist campsite facility offering a wide range of accommodation styles....

 in Haßloch

Haßloch

Haßloch is a municipality in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Unlike most municipalities in the district, it does not belong to any Verbandsgemeinde – a kind of collective municipality. It lies near the Mannheim/Ludwigshafen built-up area...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. It is one of the largest roller coasters in Europe and has an 82 degree first drop, the steepest in Germany. The trains travel up to 120 kilometres per hour (74.6 mph) through a course 1.2 kilometre (0.745647283979768 mi) long with seven periods of weightlessness. At its highest, the ride reaches 53 metres (173.9 ft) above ground.

Until the opening of Silver Star

Silver Star (roller coaster)

Silver Star is a roller coaster located at Europa-Park, a theme park in Rust, Germany. It is currently the tallest roller coaster in Europe with a height of 239 ft , placing it in the hyper coaster category...

 at Europa Park, it was the tallest roller coaster operating on the European mainland.

Ride information

The ride opened on June 18, 2001 to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Holiday Park's operation, costing approximately €10 million. It has a maximum throughput of 1,300 riders per hour, with two 28-seater trains in operation. The track rests on 209 foundations, which are up to 20 metres deep.

It was constructed by Swiss manufacturers Intamin, which markets this type of coaster as Mega Coaster, in collaboration with German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 engineer Werner Stengel

Werner Stengel

Werner Stengel is a German roller coaster designer and engineer. Stengel is the founder of Stengel Engineering, also known as Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH ....

. Unlike many other coasters, the ride does not employ a conventional chain lift but a faster cable lift with a catch car, very similar to the system used for Millennium Force

Millennium Force

Millennium Force is a steel roller coaster built by Intamin located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It is the fourteenth roller coaster built at the park since the Blue Streak opened in 1964. Standing 310 feet tall at its highest point, the coaster overlooks Lake Erie.On a clear...

.

Ride layout

From the station, the trains ascend the 188 feet (57.3 m) lift hill and encounter the first drop, which at 82°, makes a 74° right-hand turn. The ride continues with several large hills, which give a sensation of air-time

Air-time

Air time is the feeling of weightlessness or negative gravity force experienced on a roller coaster or other amusement rides. On roller coasters this feeling is usually achieved by the train going over a hill. Hypercoasters such as Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point and Bizarro at Six Flags New England...

, especially in the rear of the trains, and a number of overbanked turns, before becoming more twisted as the ride runs through woods and over a lake. Just before entering the brake run, the trains negotiate a series of bunny hops, again giving riders considerable amounts of air-time.

Vehicles

The coaster has two trains of seven cars each. Each car seats two across in two rows. The trains are stainless steel with stadium-style seating. Each seat has an individual lap bar

Incident

On April 28, 2010 a train full of passengers came to a sudden stop when one of the cars derailed just after completing the ride's first drop. Firefighters evacuated all riders, none were seriously injured.

Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters
Year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Ranking	-	8	3	4	6	6	6	5	6	6	7

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Ranking	2	1	1	1	1	2	2	3	3

External links

• Holiday Park bigFM Expedition GeForce Official Page (English)
• Detailed Review (English)