I'm also glad that predrops are disappearing from B&M hyper coasters, as they seem to make a very awkward transition into the drop. What kinda book did you read that in?
I am pretty sure it was a coaster book from 2006.
If Gatekeeper was more forceful, I think it would be a much better ride. But then again, wing coasters are usually forceless, except for Furious Baco, but a lot of people complain about it being rough.