Stampida
| Industry | Amusement ride / Roller coaster |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Salou and Vila-seca, Catalonia , Spain |
| Products | Wooden racing roller coaster |
Stampida is a wooden racing roller coaster located at PortAventura Park in Salou and Vila-seca, Catalonia, Spain. This attraction, crafted by John Wardley, Dennis McNulty, and Larry Bill, debuted in 1997 and was constructed by Custom Coasters International. Positioned within the Far West area of the park, the ride is designed around a wagon race theme set on the American frontier. It reaches a height of 84 feet, features a 52-degree drop, and attains speeds up to 46 mph. Each of its two tracks extends 3,127 feet, providing riders with approximately one minute and forty seconds of excitement.
History
John Wardley, who worked for The Tussauds Group—a company holding a 40.01% ownership in PortAventura Park—played a key role in the park’s original layout. For the subsequent expansion phase, Wardley proposed introducing a dual-track wooden racing coaster to increase visitor interaction. His design included a distinctive tunnel segment where the two tracks diverge and then converge closely, generating a near-collision sensation. Wardley teamed up with engineers Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill from Custom Coasters International (CCI), the firm commissioned to build the ride. Having previously collaborated with CCI on Oakwood Theme Park’s Megafobia, Wardley contributed to Stampida’s development, which became one of only two dual-track wooden coasters constructed by CCI—the other being the now-closed Twisted Twins at Kentucky Kingdom.
Initially, Stampida operated with trains manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC), each consisting of twelve cars seating two riders per row side-by-side. Every seat was equipped with an individual mechanical lap bar, allowing for a theoretical throughput of 2,500 guests per hour. The coaster stands tall and stretches long. Next to Stampida was Tomahawk, a smaller single-track wooden coaster also built by CCI targeting younger visitors; its track layout runs parallel to Stampida’s with several points where the two coasters interact visually and spatially. Both attractions opened simultaneously on March 17, 1997.
In 2007, PortAventura enlisted KumbaK to modernize both rides. The original PTC trains on Stampida were replaced with four new trains from KumbaK that maintained the previous seating arrangement. Each seat retained an individual lap bar but no seat belts and incorporated onboard video cameras provided by Ridercam from Germany. Additionally, KumbaK upgraded the control system and installed magnetic brakes, resulting in an increase in capacity by approximately 15%.
Theme
Located within the park’s Far West section, Stampida embraces an American frontier motif. The narrative portrays a land dispute during the European discovery of America, featuring two families—the Conneries and Cranberrys—each constructing one side of the coaster’s track. The racing trains are styled as competing wagons vying for territorial claims.
Layout
Upon departing the station, riders ascend side-by-side chain lift hills reaching a peak height of . This ascent is followed by a right-hand turn leading into a 52-degree plunge that propels trains up to . The track then climbs through another right turn before descending to ground level and navigating through elements including a double up, left turn, and double down sequence. Inside a tunnel, the two tracks separate: the red track descends with a twisting right curve spanning 270 degrees, while the blue track takes an elevated right turn followed by an almost full 360-degree left curve. This design creates an intense near-miss effect as trains approach each other head-on. The paths merge again before ascending a final hill and making a right turn into the brake run.
Incidents
On 5 July 1997, a 32-year-old tourist from the Canary Islands was thrown from a roller coaster while navigating the right-hand curve following the initial descent, resulting in a fall of approximately . Although his lap restraint was secured when the ride returned, he succumbed to his injuries while being transported to a medical facility in Tarragona.