As of a few days ago, a relatively huge parcel of Knott's in-park property has been razed down for land work. Everything from the Western park entrance to the Bigfoot Broiler stand has been torn down -- which includes the removal of the Wilderness Scrambler ride. Bigfoot Rapids (in the viscinity of this land clearing) is also scheduled to to be closed for awhile during this month.

Photos should surface soon of the land work and construction.

The amount of buildings, pathways, and landscaping in that section of the park being torn out tells us that this isn't just a new restaurant or restroom building.

Rumors are starting to circulate about this land preparation. Some locals are speculating it will be a roller coaster in the style of Cedar Point's Maverick. At this time, there are no hints as to what this is all for.

It should be interesting to see what the park is up to.

MMMM. speculation speculation. A Maverick look a-like would be fun, but I've heard from people who work at Knott's that it's most likely going to be a "Pony Express" steeplechase coaster, unless that was denied. I hope it is, as I'd rather see a Maverick type coaster than steeplechase any day.

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Vedran

Six Flags Magic Mountain
Summer '08!

Nope, you were right!

http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_re...y&story_id=142

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"X is DEATH!.....to every other coaster, that is".

Sounds to me like a themed Vekoma motorbike, not a steeplechase. Sounds sweet. Anyone know when it'll open?

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AP Classes are so worth it...

Actually, it's going to be the Zamperla model with pony theme.

I'm interested in the stats. Is this going to be a family coaster like their smaller coasters, or more of a thrill ride? Will the launch be mild or wild?

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"X is DEATH!.....to every other coaster, that is".

Sounds sorta like a mix between Maverick & a Steeplechase.....without some of the inversions! Because they say "12 passenger trains" and they say "horseback" in quotations! They could build a PRETTY exciting ride out of this!

A Thrill? Maybe! Maybe.... we'll see what happens with this!

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Bretten Bailey

Is it Zamperla for sure? When I read the news release my first thought was Intamin, similar in layout to the Motocoaster that opened in Australia, at least that is what the description sounds like to me.

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^ I personally think so too. Though this isn't concrete evidence for Pony Express as an Intamin ride, the fact that Cedar Fair and Intamin for the past 5 years worked on so many large projects together, I'm naturally inclined to assume Pony Express will be something like this:

http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/videos.php?vid=25

(But with custome horse/pony vehicle shells as opposed to motorcycles)

Could it be that they are trying to emulate the beloved soap-box derby/motorcycle race they took down years ago??

Yea, its Zamperla.
Any photos or videos out there?

3rd coaster in 3 years for Knotts.

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Timbers Crew 08...
Timbers crew 09..!

Actually, if you are thinking of Silver Bullet, it did not debute in 2006. It dabuted at the end of 2004.

If you want to call it 2005, still it would have been 3 coasters in 4 years. Kind of like when Cedar Point added MF, WT, and TTD in 4 years.

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Go Detroit Pistons
Go Detroit Red Wings

It's official. It's a custom Zamperla Motorbike coaster.

Tallest turn at 44-feet high.

0 - 38 mph in less than 3 seconds.

Multiple 60-degree banked turns, camelback hills, and tight curves.

1,300 feet of track.

Two 16-passenger trains.

Opens Memorial Day Weekend 2008.

Source: PRNewswire

Considering Knott's raked in $186 million in gross revenue in the 2006 season, it would certainly makes sense why it and Cedar Point ($210 million in 2006) tend to get the bigger and more expensive capital improvements. Compare those two figures to the $19 million in gross revenue Michigan's Adventure brought in that same year.

I'm more impressed with a new coaster that somehow emulates the old steeplechase coaster ride than any of this Intamin style stuff. Saluting the past but moving on - I like it!

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

Are they tearing anything down for this?

They already took out the Wilderness Scrambler (Eli Bridge Scrambler) and a few buildings in the Wild Water Widlerness area in preparation for the Pony.

So is there any artwork or videos for this coaster yet? I king of want to get an idea of what it will look like.

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At least Cedar Fair will lead the way with a prototype. Hopefully it works out well enough for SF to come swooping in with one afterwards.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

Pony Express is not going to be a prototype. Zamperla has already built a Motorbike coaster before.

It should be a custom terrain layout of this (but with horse vehicle shells rather than bikes):

Hopefully they'll do a good job with the theming so it doesn't look as much like a carnival ride as the one there does.

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TV/Event Guide Editor

Cedar Fair has three launch coasters in two parks now. And on top of that, some incredible success has been coming to KBF the past five years. Consider how frequently they build new coasters now and it's such a small park. This park whould be a real example of how other small CF parks should be.

^ Rather than looking at Knott's as a "small" park that receives a lot of capital improvements, you have to consider many things that separates it from the other smaller Cedar Fair properties.

Firstly, Knott's rakes in a gross revenue second only to Cedar Point -- both of which bring in over $160 million annually. Considering the rest of the parks bring in less than $95 million (with the exception of Canada's Wonderland) -- Knott's ROI is much higher and warrants the frequent introduction of new rides and attractions.

Secondly, a good part of Knott's success has much to do with it being 10 miles from the Disneyland Resort. Knott's takes a lot of "spillover" tourist patrons from Disneyland Resort.

^You also have to take in account that Knott's is open year-round, while no other parks in the chain are.

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^ Your point is? If anything, you're pretty much agreeing with me, yes?

'Cause bottom line is, year-round or not, Knott's still is the second biggest cash cow for Cedar Fair.

The more compact model would be great for a Morey's Pier and other tightly locked parks.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

I know Knott's has such a high revenue. That's why I think it should be an example for other CF parks. Year round or not; Disneyland or not, It's exceptional park operations that will keep most people coming back.

Screamscape has posted pics of the layout and trains!

http://www.screamscape.com/html/knott_s_berry_farm.htm

The layout is definitely disappointing, at least in my opinion.

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It looks like it will be like Jaguar...

1250-feet? The Sierra Sidewinder is longer than that! I also have to agree that the layout is very, very short and there could have been a little more to it...hopefully, it will be fun enough to offset the short track length...

Me too, but I doubt it. I think this was meant to be a family ride, and will turn out a kiddie ride...
But I do like the trains! They're really well-styled imo.

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AP Classes are so worth it...