When is Gozimba Coming? The State of Affairs
(eap) Visitors to the Serengeti-Park in Hodenhagen, Germany, this season not only marveled at the numerous animals living there as ambassadors of the African wilderness, but also the silhouette of a new roller coaster, the opening of which is eagerly awaited. “Gozimba” – as the family coaster from RES RIDES is being called – will take riders on a research flight over the savannah to “discover a new animal species…”. The opening of the new attraction was planned for this season as a “birthday present” to mark the 50th anniversary of Serengeti-Park this year. With a track length of 400 meters, its highest point at 25 meters and a maximum ride speed of 40 km/h, the new ride is designed to be fun for both adults and young park guests from the age of at least six years and a body height of 1.35 meters. However, a little patience is still required before the ride can actually start operating. We found out about the current status of the project in a talk with Serengeti Park owner Dr. Fabrizio Sepe and RES RIDES Managing Director Willy Walser:
EAP: Mr. Sepe, you’ve had an exciting year. Not only did you have to courageously fight and survive a flood. For almost two years now, you have also had to deal with the authorities, who have prevented you from moving your Airbus 310, which you actually wanted to place in the park and convert into a restaurant experience. With such obstacles to entrepreneurship, do you ever lose the desire to invest?
Dr. Fabrizio Sepe (FS): No, I don’t lose the desire to invest. On the contrary, I have now made it kind of a “national sport” for myself. And I believe that in a country where you almost need a permit to design the way to a toilet, an entrepreneur can only react in this way or sell the company directly. So, if you don’t lose the desire to invest, you should make it your national sport to prove to those people who have to manage that visions and dreams do work in the end that there is always a way. Achieving success is hard work, but those who persevere win. That is the path I have personally chosen. I am convinced that you can also “educate” better authorities from this perspective if you show them that it is possible to reconcile everything and find compromises. So, climate protection laws yes, but still with a healthy case-by-case assessment!
EAP: And then there is “Gozimba”, the opening of which is eagerly awaited not only by visitors to Serengeti-Park, but also by us and colleagues in the leisure industry. How is the roller coaster project going and what specific challenges have arisen during the installation period?
FS: Yes, good things come to those who wait. We will have a final TÜV approval at the beginning of December so that we can finally open the big world first – our Gozimba roller coaster – on April 5, 2025. I’m delighted to be able to say this officially and very clearly now, because the very last test rides are currently underway, so it can only be a matter of minor details after that. Of course, it’s a pity that we didn’t make it for the anniversary season, but it’s a very complex ride. It’s a fast roller coaster that you can even go overhead with at a height of 25 meters at 40 km/h, because the interactive gondolas allow passengers to turn overhead several times during the ride, as if they were doing a sideways somersault. This is a world first and the reason why everything has to be 150 percent safe so that not a single person falls out. Such a catastrophe must be prevented at all costs! Of course, this also means that the system is fully equipped with a huge number of proximity sensors, switches and heaps of electronics. For example, it has to constantly report where the train is on the line and what is happening to the guest in the gondola. This takes months of programming work. But as I said: at the end of our anniversary season, it’s finally done. The final spurt is underway.
Willy Walser, Managing Director of RES RIDES, is also pleased that the TÜV approval is still to take place this year so that the new ride will be ready for operation in the coming 2025 season. He explains the specific challenges that can arise during the installation of major time-bound projects and a world first at that:
EAP: Mr. Walser, how did the Gozimba major attraction at Serengeti-Park develop? How did this roller coaster project with its specific challenges turn out for you?
Willy Walser (WW): The Air Loop or “Gozimba” project started in 2020 under difficult conditions. Shortly after the bid was submitted and the project was approved, the global pandemic hit and steel prices shot up to unsustainable levels. It was not possible to maintain the originally agreed offer conditions. We held talks with our customer and finally agreed to reverse the contract. However, the owner of Serengeti-Park loved the project itself so much that he was looking for a way to realize this interactive roller coaster anyway. In the end, we agreed to a license agreement that allowed the park to entrust a subcontractor with the construction of the Air Loop – on the condition that we would take over the engineering and commissioning. However, despite efforts from all sides, the installation could not be implemented as desired and on schedule. Delivery bottlenecks, lengthy cost-related clarifications and unforeseen staff absences led to further delays. For Serengeti-Park, this large-scale installation project was also a new experience and therefore a special challenge... All in all, it was simply a project involving several companies, which can naturally lead to further friction. But now it’s done, there’s good news!
EAP: Your company RES RIDES has been in existence since 2015 and the focus of the already very diverse product portfolio is on family attractions. You yourself have spent your entire professional life as an entrepreneur on the manufacturing side of the leisure industry and as a creative engineer you have devised numerous successful family rides that can be found in many European theme parks today. Based on this extensive experience, how long does it take on average from the development of a ride to its installation and commissioning?
WW: New inventions and projects are planned years in advance. RES has patented certain components for the Air Loop, which is an innovation. In order to protect these developments, we had to wait for approval from the patent office. RES always attaches great importance to harmonious movements and a nice ride experience, whereby interactive and thrill factors are not neglected. We try to keep to the schedule whenever possible. For the most part, the preconceived schedules work out. Starting with clarifications about customer requirements, space conditions, special conditions, contract negotiations through to engineering, clarifications with manufacturers and suppliers, preparation of TÜV documents and production approval, a project takes around two to five years, especially if it is a world first... Not all influences can be planned in advance. Unexpected events can always occur. This often requires the customer’s insight. We are of course aware of the time pressure, as customers often order at short notice and want to hand over their new attraction to their visitors as quickly as possible.
EAP: Gozimba is ready now, the TÜV approval is imminent, as Serengeti-Park Director Fabrizio Sepe confirmed to us. Does this mean that Gozimba will then be ready to welcome the eagerly awaiting visitors?
WW: Yes exactly, the final work is underway, the TÜV approval will take place this year, so that the ride will go into operation at the start of the 2025 season.
Conclusion: Large projects, especially the implementation of world firsts and prototypes, increasingly demand a lot of patience and mutual understanding from both developers and customers, as the example of Gozimba shows – a project that, in addition to all the challenges that such new developments naturally entail, also had to contend with the pandemic and global economic upheaval. In the end, it’s the result that counts. At the start of the 2025 season, the waiting fans and Serengeti-Park visitors will be able to see – and ride – the result, the Air Loop Gozimba, for themselves. ■
