Junker (roller coaster)
{{Short description|Launched roller coaster in Finland}}
{{Infobox roller coaster
|name=Junker
|image=Junker_PowerPark.jpg
|caption=Junker in operation at PowerPark.
|location=PowerPark
|section=
|type=Steel
|type2=Launched
|type3=
|status=Open
|opened=30 May 2015
|closed=
|manufacturer=Gerstlauer
|designer=
|model=Infinity Coaster
|track=
|lift=Linear synchronous motor Launch
|height_ft=131.3
|drop_ft=
|length_ft=2821.5
|speed_mph=64.9
|inversions=3
|accessdate=29 June 2020}}
|angle=
|capacity=
|cost=
|acceleration_km/h = 104.4
|acceleration_in = 1.9
|gforce=4.5
|restriction_cm=130
|rcdb_number=12027
|coordinates={{coord|display=it|63|13|51.29|N|22|51|19.8|E|scale:1563}}
}}
Junker is a steel roller coaster located at PowerPark in Alahärmä, Western Finland. When opened in 2015 it was Gerstlauer's third Infinity Coaster installation after The Smiler at Alton Towers and Karacho at Tripsdrill.
History
In early 2015 Powerpark announced via a press release that it would be opening "the most thrilling coaster in Northern Europe" which would also feature an underwater tunnel.{{cite web |url=https://towersstreet.com/talk/threads/powerpark-2015-gerstlauer-infinity-coaster-junker.2748/#post-132239|title=PowerPark 2015: Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster, Junker|accessdate=29 June 2020}} The coaster was confirmed to have been designed by the German manufacturer Gerstlauer and would feature 3 inversions as well as an LSM launch. Construction was completed in April 2015, and testing was underway in early May.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdQ0cFY0xfk&feature=emb_title|title="Junker" Test ride #1 @ Powerpark, Finland|accessdate=29 June 2020}}
Ride experience
After dispatching from the station, the train navigates a short left-hand turn before rolling into the first and only LSM launch, accelerating riders from 0 to {{convert|64.9|mph}} in 1.9 seconds. The train ascends a {{convert|131.3|ft}} top hat, before pulling up into a large airtime hill followed by the Junker's signature Finnish loop.{{cite web |url=https://www.gerstlauer-rides.de/references/reference-list/europe/finland/junker/|title=Infinity-Coaster: Junker|accessdate=29 June 2020}} A mid-course brake run follows, after which a series of left and right-handed bends lead into the second inversion, a dive loop. The coaster then dips into an underground trench before rising back up into the last inversion, a corkscrew. A right turn subsequently takes the train into the brake run, and back to the station.
References
External links
- [https://www.powerpark.fi/en/speed-and-excitement/amusement-park/amusement-park-rides/junker Ride page on PowerPark's official website (in English)]
{{PowerPark Coasters}}
Category:Amusement parks in Finland
Category:Buildings and structures in South Ostrobothnia
Category:Tourist attractions in South Ostrobothnia
Category:Roller coasters in Finland
Category:Roller coasters introduced in 2015