Fallen Heretic

Oh, if it was in the News of the World, then it MUST be true! Yep, that was sarcasm. I wonder if the fakey Sheik was there? lol.

EMO is the new goth, you know. I loved Kennywood myself. I guess there are two types of people. Those that prefer the big corporate feeling parks, and those (like me) who prefer the atmosphere in the more family-run feeling parks. Then there are total nuts that love both. BannedKid, do you have the face on? Youre a little touchy just now over on the CoasterDynamix forums as well. Chill dude. Ive been quiet in this thread so far, but I am loving this TR.

Jeff Waynes War of the Worlds. Awesome show. Plus the girl in the Black Smoke Band is hot.

1. What do you find most useful about the front page? Most recent updates. 2. What do you find least useful about the front page? The old stuff at the bottom, but only cos I rarely use it. If I looked at more of the older stuff, it would be invaluable. 3. Is anything on the front page confusing? Not at all. 4. How far do you scroll down the front page looking for updates? I generally dont need to scroll. 5. How often do you look at the front page? Pretty much every day. 6. How often do you click on the "whatsnew" link? Not often, only if I havent been on in a while. 7. What would you like to see added to the front page to make your visits to TPR better? I really cant think of anything I would like that isnt already there. 8. Anything else you would like to mention? Like any thing else you would like to see us add/change/leave alone/etc? Nope, I like the front page, it does everything I need it to, plus a bit more.

I second this. Steeplechase is a must, as is the Mouse. There arent many old wooden mice left in the world, and steeplechase is now the last of its kind. Noahs Ark is also pretty rare. Id also add pretty much any Waltzer (thats tilt-a-whirl to you) in the UK as they almost always have walkers here. They are people who walk all over the ride, spinning the tubs by hand. A bribe, some friendly banter or a girl with a low cut top can get you some serious spinning.

Thanks Robb. I have a love hate relationship with tags.

Well, looks like McLarean arent going to have it all their own way afterall. I always thought if McLarean had a dominant car out the box they would take the wins. However, with Ferrari looking back on form, and other teams looking like catching up in when it hits Barcelona, Im wondering if two relitave rookies will hamper McLarens development. There was still a Ferrari engine failure though. that has to concern them a bit. What I do like is that it looks like anybodys game for the places below the Ferraris. For so long F1 has been a two horse race, its refreshing to see several other faces on the podium. Could be an interesting season. I think DC will keep racing as long as he has a drive. Teams may well want to use his experience to help develop younger drivers, but I dont think he will ever be the lead driver. I think the same goes for Barracello.

One of these guys was sacked when his boss found this video on youtube. Hes lucky he is still alive really. This is what happened when some Oilworkers get bored, and decided to spice up their quiet nightshift. WARNING: there is a touch of of bad language in this clip... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51VF7TaEb5g I tried embedding it but for some reason it didnt show...

^cool, I didnt realise they were going to alternate it. Ive never been to the Ring before, I should really get myself along there. I would also like to get some good tyres on my Celica and take it round the old course. Id rather do it in a RWD car, but its all Ive got just now. Of course, Id have to learn proper performance driving first.

Sadly, you will need to find another Motorsport event to get that credit, the Ring is off the calendar. For the next seven (I think) years, the Euro GP is being held in Spain. McLaren and Ferrari have always had a big rivalry, right back to the Hakkinen vs Shumacher years. That why Ron Dennis was looking so chuffed when it was Shuey who had to present him with the constructors trophy last season. F1 back on BBC? Didnt see that one comming. I wonder if the commentary team will move to the BBC as well, much like they did when it went from BBC to ITV? Maybe they will bring back the old classic Formula 1 theme from my youth?

Im not sure how a team could make a tyre burst on cue. I still think that Hamilton is probably the most talented driver on the grid. Im not a fan of his, (especially as he seems to be avoiding the GPDA), but I respect his skill. I saw him race in GP2 and it was obvious even then that he had that extra something that Senna and Shuey both had. Id love to see Kovy come through well. He also has tons of talent.

Honda finally have a better car to work with this year, so I expected a better pace from them. Its still not great but with Ross Brawn on board now, the team should start to pick up. Especially when the circus comes back to Europe. I would really like to see button get a car which does his talent justice. Personally Im looking forward to the Singapore race. Not just because its at night but because its a proper, well designed street course. Ive seen a plan and a CG trip of the track and it looks great.

Ive been watching the Red Bull for a couple of years now. Its cool to see air racing rising in popularity. It really is edge of the seat stuff at times when one of the pilots gets it a little bit wrong. Last year one of the brits almost smashed into a small cliff-face when he glanced down at his controls for a second. I swear my heart almost stopped.

Hey, I love your 'arty' shot. If you go right down to Squires Gate, past the airport and then turn up the prom, you can almost always miss the worst of the traffic. You might have a little queue but not much. Most folk go straight into the centre of the town, or follow the long road to the coach and car parks. Not that many people seem arrive from the south prom. Plus, you can usually find a parking space free on the street that leads off near the big blue parallel to the prom. I wouldnt go that way during the illuminations though. Was the south entrance open? For some reason it never seems to have much of a line. Ive seen 6 long lines comming out of the north entrance, all ticket booths in the park with long lines, and the south entrance with a whole two people waiting. Maybe they dont go there because its so small, but for me its always been a godsend.

I like all the whacked out things the designers were trying in the late 70s and early 80s. Downforce was pretty new and cars were sprouting all sorts of wings and ground effect systems. Did you know that Williams tested a 6 wheeled car, as an experiment to improve traction? it had 4 driven wheels at the back instead of just two. It worked, but never raced as the FIA banned 4 wheel drive, and even though all 4 driven wheels were at the back the car still fell foul of the rule. Tyrrel also developed a 6 wheeled car which did race, with four wheels at the front. It did rather well until the tyre manufacturer failed to develop the small front tyres properly. Performance dropped off and it was scrapped. Im sure there was a third six wheeler but I cant be bothered to go look it up. EDIT: Actually yes I can. It was the March 2-4-0 but it never raced in an F1 race.

There usually are alot of cars dropping out over the first couple of races, but Ive rarely seen it that bad. Did you hear DCs rant about Massa? "If he doesnt apologise, Im going the kick 10 colours of S*** out of the little B******!". Thats almost as funny as the time he told Louise he would have to treat the speedlimiter button gently by pretending it was her nipple. lol. It was nice to see the drivers really struggle for a change. Its about time their skill was really tested. Its looking like its levelling the field a little more. I think Lewis is going to run away with it unless Kovy gets his act togather. Ferrari look to be all at sea, with ferrari engines failing for two teams. They have pace, but its not a good sign that other teams ferrari engines have been blowing as well.

Zipper Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Although I am tempted to say Magic Mountain.

3 months ago. Yeah, I know, Im getting withdrawl. When was the last time you got stuck next to a real weirdo on a bus/train/plane?

I havent had a ride on it myself. However, my Aunts father (no direct relation to me) was on the team which built it. He also worked on Anaconda plus loads more that I cant remember. He lost his thumb when the brakes of a ride accidentaly closed on it while he was working. Anyway, he said the drop of Tower of Terror had an 11g spike when they first tested it, so the pull-up had to be completely re-designed. Probably no help to you at all, but I thought it was interesting.

PBB have got a talent for recycling. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason for this was less to do with health and saftey, and more to do with saving money. Why buy a new train when you have a sevicable old one sitting there? Is it even possible to buy a new train with no restraints these days? Anyone know how the new/old trains run on the Rollercoaster?

Okay, I got bored and did a little digging and found this. This is a report on the inquest (still ongoing at the time) that I hadnt seen before. Its from the questioning of the ride supervisor. The story here. EDIT: I also found this, covering the result of the inquiry. Here are a few choice parts "CCTV footage taken at the ride before the boat left clearly showed that Hayley's lap bar was in an "open and unsafe position". Other CCTV footage showed both operators had failed to properly check that passengers were secure." "Mr Howells said Oakwood could not be criticised for the type of restraints in use at the time of Hayley's death as they were industry standard. He added that both ride supervisor Gareth Etches and ride assistant Rebecca Chittleburgh knew that they had to physically check the passenger restraints, but failed to do so. " "Mr Howells said it was clear that the lap bar restraint on the ride, designed to stop people falling out, was not in position when it started, and it appeared Hayley's seatbelt had not been done up." The full article. If this goes the the crown court and gets proven guilty of a breach, there is no legal limit to the fine they could set. I mean sure, the girl should have said something if her bar was still up, but then so should the people sitting next to her. I dont agree at all with protecting people from their own stupidity, but if the staff didnt perform proper safety checks the blame lies with the people who should have been making sure they are done. Be that the staff, the people in charge of training or the management.

Seems I was a little unclear with what I was saying there. I never intended to suggest the girl was stupid or that it was her fault. What I was concerned about was that the case could set a legal precedent. The way the charge is worded, it seems like people could say things like "I jumped from the pub area in the pleasure beach onto the rollercoaster tracks and was severely injured when the train hit me. The fault lies with the pleasure beach because it was possible for me to jump the fence onto the tracks." Thats what worries me. I really don't want this country to go that way, but seeing all the accident claim ads on TV, it looks like its going that way already. As for the accident, I don't really know what caused it, I've never seen a report of the inquiry. I heard it was inconclusive. What I've been hearing around the net is that some people had been complaining that their shirts or the waterproof they can get before going on the ride, have been getting stuck in the clip for the seatbelt as they close it. This has been known to stop it closing properly and making it pop open when it pulls on you as the boat drops. This coupled with a lap bar which is either too high (or your too small for) could make someone lift out of the boat. Especially as some people react to a drop by tensing their legs, which straightens them. But then they usually hold on as they do that. This is just speculation though, things I've read on various forums and news pages. I wonder if the report for the first inquiry into the accident is available through the Freedom of Information act? It may not be since the police are involved. but might be worth checking out if you really want to know.

As much as I sympathise with the family, that charge terrifies me. If they manage to get them under the health and safty at work act, thats going to open the floodgates to the same kind of legal culture in the UK as there is in the States. People will be able to sue companies for not protecting them from their own stupidity.

It really was only a matter of time. Im in two minds really. The selfish part of me says "Damn, I wont be able to go take free strolls through PBB at night when Im on my way back to the hotel, and I havent been in that day". Plus it might put off those families who have very young children. They will all have to pay, rather than the adults who wont ride getting in free, and just paying for the kids to go round Magic Mountain and Alice 4 times each. But, the sensible part says, yeah, its probably about time. Blackpool as a town has been on the decline since the 70s. The Pleasure beach, despite many efforts, does show signs of that as well. The park needs the money even more than it needs extra space. Ive seen kids comming into the park just to cause a bit of mischeif. A popular 'fun thing to do' for them seems to be running into the exit door of Trauma Towers. A £5 charge would probably keep them out. Besides, even non-riders have to pay the full whack going to Alton Towers, Disney and the like. Sure, Pleasure beach is too small and hasnt enough garden/scenery/theming to warrant the full price if your not riding, but £5 could still be considered pretty generous.

I guess Ferrari as a brand are much more popular. BMW or Merc do both have sporting heritage, but when you think of fast cars, Ferrari will be the first to spring to mind for most people, no matter where in the world they are. And thanks to Mr Shuey, ferrari have a much larger following in Germany than the local boys do. How awesome will it be to go for a few rides on a fast coaster, then take an Ariel Atom around the old circuit? That would be heaven.