The new version of the well-known attraction, called “Tonnerre 2 Zeus”, was inaugurated this Saturday, May 14 at Parc Astérix, in Plailly (Oise). We were able to board and here is our hair-raising verdict.
At first glance, the changes are subtle. Indeed, the station has received a good coat of paint, the gigantic statue of Zeus which guards the place has changed its slip, and we can see the appearance of new sections because the color of the wood used is a little lighter.
HERE IS THE NEW ZEUS BRIEFS Double surprise: RDV this Saturday, May 14 to buy it in boxer or tanga version, in the shops of the Park and on the website @undizfamily ! pic.twitter.com/shSFko2Txd
— ParcAsterix (@ParcAsterix) May 9, 2022
But the first clues for fans of the Wooden Coaster concern the appearance of the trains themselves. Since 1997, they had been blue and relatively basic in appearance. Here they are now thicker, green and black, with a brand new harness system, more reassuring, located at waist level.
After 30 seconds of travel, the pace picks up
Once properly harnessed, the journey can begin. There again, no big surprise during the first 30 seconds, faithful to “Tonnerre de Zeus” first of the name, which consist of climbing the main hill and launching the first descent. At that moment, everything accelerates. The bends become very sharp, we have butterflies in our stomachs, and the pleasure is total. With a nice surprise effect since 85% of the course has been renewed.
Some of the most incredible moments include the all-new 90° inclined hump (the train is literally on its edge), a series of diabolical “airtimes” (the moment when you take off from your seat), and a new tunnel with deafening smoke and lightning that punctuate the journey.
If we compare to the previous “Tonnerre de Zeus”, already very successful, the course seems longer (a little more than 1’30”) and above all without downtime.
If you want to go even further, you can simply ask to be installed on the last two places of the car, which are reversed. In this position, it is impossible to anticipate the movements of the train, and you come out breathless.
So here is another great success for Parc Astérix, as the scheduled arrival of Toutatis is looming in 2023, a colossal attraction whose work is currently in progress, as we were able to see on site.
We took the opportunity to take a look at the work of Toutatis, which will arrive next year pic.twitter.com/u7V0j6umPY
—Thomas Liard (@Thomas_Liard) May 14, 2022
This mind-boggling rollercoaster, which we are going to follow closely, will offer dual train propulsion, a 50-meter high flight and a total of 23 airtimes, the world record in this area.