Infusion (roller coaster)

Infusion is an inverted roller coaster at Pleasure Beach Resort (better known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach) in Blackpool, England. It opened on 2 May 2007, and was built by Vekoma.

Infusion
Pleasure Beach Resort
Status	Operating
Opening date	2 May 2007
Cost	£8 million
Infusion at Pleasure Beach Resort at RCDB
Pleasureland Southport
Name	Traumatizer
Status	Removed
Opening date	1999
Closing date	2006 (2006)
Traumatizer at Pleasureland Southport at RCDB
General statistics
Type	Steel – Inverted
Manufacturer	Vekoma
Designer	Vekoma
Model	Suspended Looping Coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	109 ft (33 m)
Length	2,260 ft (690 m)
Speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions	5
Duration	1:45
Capacity	832 riders per hour
G-force	3.4
Height restriction	52–78 in (132–198 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 16 riders per train.

It is a 689m Standard "Mark 3" model of the Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC), and was the first of its kind to be suspended entirely over water.^[1][2][3][4]

History

Traumatizer at Pleasureland Southport in 2006

Infusion was initially located at Pleasureland Southport, Pleasure Beach's former sister park, where it was known as "Traumatizer" and sponsored by the soft drink Tizer. It opened at Pleasureland Southport in 1999. When Pleasureland Southport closed in 2006, the ride was moved to Pleasure Beach Resort, where it has operated since 2007. The ride originally featured red track with teal supports, but the track has since been repainted blue. The ride cost a total of £8 million to construct.^[5][6][7]

Characteristics

Infusion's support structure

Infusion operates two trains. Each train has eight cars that seat two riders, for a maximum of 16 riders per train. The track is 689 metres (2,260.5 ft) long, and the lift hill is 33 metres (109 ft) tall. The ride reaches top speeds of 80 km/h (50 mph). Infusion has a maximum capacity of 832 riders per hour.^[1][3][8] The ride subjects riders to a maximum of 3.4 Gs.

Ride experience

Upon dispatch, the train climbs a 33 metre (109 ft) tall lift hill before arching into a steep curved incline. The train rises up into a butterfly loop (two half loops connected by a corkscrew) before pulling upwards into a banked apex. From here, the train drops sharply into a sidewinder (a loop that transitions into a corkscrew). A tight helix follows, providing a near-miss with Big Dipper, before the train straightens out and pulls into a double inline twist. The train subsequently enters a 90 degree turn before pulling downwards and ascending into the brake run. It then returns to the station. A full ride experience of Infusion lasts approximately one minute and 45 seconds.

In popular culture

• The ride was the subject of a large marketing campaign and featured on BBC Newsround, the Daily Star and Daily Express newspapers, and GMTV.^[9]
• The ride was featured in a Specsavers advertisement where two elderly people rode the coaster after mistaking the ride's seats for a park bench.^{[citation needed]}