05 Mar 2019
Busch Gardens to replace defunct Gwazi coaster
BY Luke Cloherty
Busch Gardens has announced it will replace its former wooden rollercoaster Gwazi, which closed in 2015, with a new record-breaking thrill ride.
The US theme park, which is celebrating its 60th birthday, is to build a wood and steel hybrid coaster with a maximum height of over 200ft (61m), where Gwazi was located.
Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the new coaster will be a Gwazi reincarnation of sorts and will feature elements of the former coaster.
The new coaster, as-yet-unnamed, will open in 2020 and will be the world’s fastest and steepest hybrid coaster and North America’s tallest.
The theme park also released further details of its forthcoming Tigris coaster, which it announced in September 2018. The park said Tigris is due to open in Q2 of this year and that its track is complete and testing will begin soon.
"This cadence of back-to-back new attractions is unprecedented for our park, and continues our legacy as Florida’s thrill ride leader," said Stewart Clark, president of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island.
The original Gwazi opened in 1999 at Busch Gardens. RMC’s update is likely to use steel I-Box tracks – a technology the company has used on many other hybrids it has built before.
Close Window