On the 22nd August 2019 we were invited to Energylandia in Poland for the opening of new RMC hybrid roller coaster Zadra.

Zadra (the Polish word for splinter) features a 90° first drop and 3 inversions including a Zero-G Stall.

The new coaster is 63.8 metres (209.3 ft) tall, 1316 metres (4318 ft) long and reaches a top speed of 121 km/h (75.2 mph) making it the world's tallest and fastest hybrid coaster. 

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The impressive opening ceremony began with a welcome speech and a dramatic dance performance, followed by the ribbon cutting, inauguration and official first ride.

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The new coaster sits on its own pocket of land adjacent to the rest of the new Smoczy Gród area, with the station located on the opposite side, so the lengthy queue area winds its way through and under the structure.

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The queue area for Zadra is nice enough with some good viewing spots, but it's not themed to the extent of the park's other major coaster Hyperion. The station also has minimal decor. However, the front of the coaster's two trains are styled as very fierce-looking dragons.

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Rocky Mountain Construction has built the new coaster using their steel IBox track on a wooden structure. For this reason Energylandia are calling it a wooden coaster, however due to the use of full steel track Zadra is classified as a steel hybrid coaster.

We thoroughly tested Zadra (tried almost every row!) and can confirm that it's absolutely awesome. It's a real speed machine with a layout that doesn't waste any of the momentum. If anything it's slightly too fast, as the train slams into the brake run at such speed that you're almost guaranteed whiplash!

The stand-out moments:

• the 90° first drop from 63.8 metres (209.3 ft) descends into the structure of the ride so that you can't see where you are going.
• the Zero-G Stall under the lift hill delivers a sublime weightless feeling at an incredible height.
• the huge airtime hill in the middle of the ride.
• the first Zero-G Roll goes through the structure and dives down so that you are surrounded by a forest of wood supports.
• the second Zero-G Roll that is taken at considerable speed just before the ride comes to an end.

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The team from Rocky Mountain Construction were onsite to oversee the operation of the ride throughout the day. We spoke to them briefly about the project. In terms of intensity they placed Zadra just below Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point, making it more rerideable.

Zadra would benefit from a themed soundtrack, and the Smoczy Gród area was filled with the familiar sound of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' (the Alton Towers theme tune). 

The on-ride photos are available in a paper wallet, keyring or a really nice wooden frame that doubles up as a magnet, and there are some decent branded items in the new Zadra shop.

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The new hybrid roller coaster is part of a large new area at the theme park called Smoczy Gród (Dragon Castle). Visitors are able to explore a street inspired by the medieval period, finished with stone and wood. The style and themed elements have all been inspired by films such as 'Lord of the Rings', 'The Witcher' and 'Robin Hood'.

Smoczy Gród is a significant expansion to Energylandia and is located on the other side of a road from the rest of the park, accessed via a subway.

The main street is lined with shops, eateries and an arcade. A number of attractive passageways lead to the different rides. There's something a little 'Wizarding World' about it, not to the same standard, but on the whole it's nicely done minus the ugly air con units slapped on the outside of otherwise beautifully themed buildings!

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Other attractions in the new area include:

• Frida - a Vekoma Junior Coaster
• Draken - a Preston & Barbieri Family Coaster
• Fuego - a small nicely themed roundabout ride for children.
• Dragon Adventure - a 'pedal along' monorail with beautifully themed carriages.

A dark ride was originally planned for the area, but it wasn't confirmed whether this is coming at a later stage or not at all.

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The new area gives Energylandia what it desperately needed, breathing room. An issue with the main part of the park is that everything is crammed in so tightly, with completely mismatching themes, it feels frenetic. The wide open expanse approaching the main village of Smoczy Gród features two large play areas in a green space with lots of newly planted trees. Once in the area, everything has the same unifying theme. 

We returned to Smoczy Gród for our dinner at sunset, before gearing ourselves up for a final few rides on Zadra at night.

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Zadra is elevated to another level in the dark and immediately became the best nighttime ride we've ever experienced. The sensation of hurtling through the illuminated wooden structure at eye-watering speed is incredible. At key moments during the ride you lose perception of which way is up and down. Rarely have we witnessed such an emotional response to a roller coaster, with not only rapturous applause at the end, but during the ride. Some riders were moved to tears of pure joy. That was a remarkable moment that we'll never forget.

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Energylandia is located near the town of Zator, less than half an hour drive from Kraków. The theme park opened in 2014 and already includes 70 rides and attractions.