Thunderbolt Petapa

Thunderbolt at Mundo Petapa

We had an exciting opening towards the very end of 2019 that was sadly, and understandably, lost in discussions due to COVID. We were excited that our smallest Thunderbolt might be one of our best yet. Relámpago, a 375 meter (1,230 foot) ride opened at a great park, Mundo Petapa in Guatemala.

It stands 21 meters (70 feet) tall and features three inversions. The property is already home to three other Zamperla coasters: Dragon (a Powered Coaster), Moto Bala (a Moto Coaster) and Raton Loroco (a Twister Coaster), so the thrills Relámpago provides wonderfully compliment the park’s existing coaster line-up.

When it opened Manuel Valdez, General Manager at IRTRA, the park’s ownership group, said,

“[It’s] Very good! I loved testing it with the directors of the Chamber of Industry who came with the first ride, which officially tested it. I can testify that the attraction is very enjoyable. The coaster is manufactured in the Antonio Zamperla SPA company, located in Altavilla, Vicentina. I know the company, it is a very important company that has built attractions for famous parks such as Disney, Universal, Six Flags and they have installed rides practically all over the world.”

The ride begins with the Thunderbolt’s trademark vertical lift. After that it speeds down a near-vertical drop, through a Vertical Loop, an Immelman and a Corkscrew.

Commenting on the launch of the new Family Zone, Bianca Sammut, General Manager of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, said,

It fills us with great pride and joy to officially open the Family Zone at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. We can finally show our younger guests what it’s like to be a ‘big kid’ at our legendary theme park! The addition of these attractions is a key milestone in our 10-year journey and a testament of our dedication to continuously elevate the guest experience at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi.

The coaster opened on December 20, 2019. While the park was not able to run as consistently as they would have liked due to COVID shutdowns, the coaster has been operational and thrilling guests whenever Mundo Petapa opens its gates.