Special Features: Interview with Walter Bolliger

Posted at 11:31 AM EDT (1531 GMT)

Apr. 21st, 2005 -- Switzerland is known for several things; impeccable chocolates, anonymous bank accounts and world-class timepieces. Adrenaline junkies can add another word to that list … rollercoaster.

The names Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard don't mean much to the average American. But coaster enthusiasts know B&M have designed some of the best thrill rides in the world. Raptor, Dueling Dragons and Montu are just a few of the names that cause adrenaline junkies to salivate and talk endlessly about loops, inversions and speed. 

B&M's latest is SheiKra, a 200-foot tall, 70 mph "dive machine." SheiKra's three-minute ride will take passengers through an Immelmann loop, one 90-degree drop, a 81-degree drop in to a 'black hole', and a splash-down feature that is sure to give even the biggest enthusiast a genuine thrill. It is currently under construction at Busch Gardens in Tampa.

Not only will it be the first of its kind in the United States, but also it will be the tallest and fastest of its kind. Oblivion at Alton Towers in England and G5 at Janfusun Fancyworld in Taiwan are the only other coasters of this type built in the word.

Bolliger says SheiKra is the latest generation of B&M coaster. He recently visited the construction of SheiKra, and discussed the differences between the new ride and B&M's two other dive machines.

"This is the tallest lift in Florida," Bolliger said. "We have two drops. The second drop will go into a black hole. It will be a very different experience. We have something that's never been done with the water feature at the end of the ride."

B&M has placed "fins" on the bottom of the trains, which will create SheiKra's splashdown feature. Two small pools of water are located on the sides of the track, which is where the splash will come from.

The eight passenger wide, three-row deep trains will have some riders on the outside of the track with only the train supporting them.

"It's created a totally different ride experience by the design of the elements and the design of the trains," Bollinger said. "Taking the passengers on the outside of the coach, they will have amplified motions of the elements for a totally different ride experience."

Building a mammoth coaster such as SheiKra is no small task. According to Bolliger, Busch Gardens and B&M have been working together on this coaster since 2003.

"It's an exchange of ideas and concept," Bolliger said. "We walk the area to see what we can do with a given site. Busch also mentioned that they were interested in the dive coaster."

Even with enthusiasts looking for the next big coaster revolution, Bolliger says that for now, his company doesn't have anything in the works beyond SheiKra.

"It is a very large coaster with very innovative elements," he said. "We don't have anything else on the drafting board for the future. It's a joy to test it and ride it. Then we'll start to think about the future."

Bolliger also stated that while there can't be too many coasters in world, he does think that designers need to watch their step to some degree.

"I think we need to be careful in the design," Bolliger said. "We need to have something very well balanced. What's important is good balance and the ride experience. I think there is still a lot which can be done with coaster design."

B&M coasters are known for their smoothness. So how does the company make sure that every ride is as smooth as possible?

"It's a lot of design," according to Bolliger. "It's going in detail on the geometry of the track, the geometry of the trains. To make sure the fabrication is done in according to the drawings. The precision of the manufacturing is one-sixteenth of an inch. The elements are very precisely manufactured."

SheiKra is the third B&M coaster at Busch Gardens and the park's seventh overall. It opens to the public on May 21.