FirleFranz

Description

FirleFranz is a family steel coaster built by Gerstlauer Amusement Rides and opened at Bayern-Park in Reisbach, Bavaria, on 28 April 2023. Its theming was completed during the 2023/2024 off-season and officially unveiled at the start of the 2024 season on 4 June. The ride is named after the park's mascot, the lion Franz-Xaver, who according to the backstory cobbled the coaster together from spare parts out of sheer boredom. What makes FirleFranz genuinely unusual is its combination of two coaster concepts in a single layout. It operates as both a launched coaster, using tire-driven acceleration at four points along the course, and a shuttle coaster, featuring an open-ended spike that forces a reversal of direction. A switch track positioned at the junction between the station and the main circuit is the key to the whole sequence: it rotates each time the train is on the main course or executing a direction reversal on the spike, allowing the same stretch of rail to be ridden twice in opposite directions. The result is a total travel distance of 550 m from a physical track length of only 240 m. The ride cycle begins with the train being launched backward out of the station building by tire drives, climbing the spike, then returning through the station in the forward direction. The switch track then routes the train onto the main course: an airtime hill, a right-hand helix, a straight tire-propelled boost section reaching 47 km/h, a shallower airtime hill, and a left-hand helix. The train re-enters the station, passes through, and climbs the spike again, this time traveling forward before reversing and repeating the entire main course sequence in the backward direction. Tire drives in the station bring the train to a controlled stop at the end. The difference between the highest and lowest points of the course is 15.5 m, with the structure reaching 16 m at its peak. The single 10-car train carries 20 riders per cycle. Height requirements run from 90 cm (with an accompanying adult) to a maximum of 210 cm, and the minimum age is 3 years.