Zonga was a steel looping coaster at Six Flags Marine World (now Six Flags Discovery Kingdom). It opened on April 25, 2003, and closed in 2004. It was replaced by Tony Hawk's Big Spin, which opened in 2008.
The ride was relocated from AstroWorld, where it had previously operated as the Texas Tornado from 1998 to 2000. After not operating in 2001 or 2002, it was relocated to Marine World.
History[]
In 2003, Texas Tornado at Six Flags AstroWorld was moved to Six Flags Marine World and some track modifications were made by manufacturer Premier Rides. The most significant was increasing the elevation of the first two loops. The effect of this change would be reducing the Tornado's top speed and lowering the g-forces during the first two loops. It was assumed that the mild weather would enable the coaster to run better. It was then renamed Zonga, which is Swahili for "coil" or "loop," which fit the park's wildlife theme.
Zonga then operated for two years at Marine World. It was advertised on Northern Californian TV with a strange ad, featuring a young actor named Michael Flores with constant distortion effects applied to his face and voice, alluding to the "seriously twisted" nature of the ride.
Unfortunately, operation continued to be inconsistent. Zonga regularly opened about two hours after the park and had frequent breakdowns. The ride wasn't very attractive because of its location (in a distant corner and hidden behind Roar) and appearance. There have been many malfunctions, which eventually led to Six Flags again closing down the ride. There have also been many complaints about the ride being rough.
The ride ran for much of the 2004 season but stood silent for the 2005 season and was removed at the beginning of the 2006 season, leaving a large empty concrete area at the front of the park. Zonga was disassembled and moved to the Discovery Kingdom parking lot where it sat throughout the 2006 season. The new coaster for 2008 - Tony Hawk's Big Spin, known as Pandemonium since 2011, erected on the pad that Zonga used to occupy. Since 2012, another new ride has been established on that space - Superman: Ultimate Flight. Zonga's former station was reused as an extended queue area and a PLC room for its successors.
Ride experience[]
Zonga started with a 115-foot lift hill, which concluded with a 70 degree curved drop into four circular loops and 80 degree banked turns. Many found the experience to be intense, even after Premier modified the ride.
Gallery[]
References[]
External links[]
Zonga at the Roller Coaster DataBase- Tsunami (roller coaster) at Wikipedia
- Old Zonga webpage from 2003
