Blue Tornado is a steel inverted roller coaster at Gardaland in Castelnuovo del Garda, Italy, near Lake Garda and the city of Verona. Built by Dutch manufacturer Vekoma, it opened to the public in 1998 as one of the park’s marquee thrill attractions, and a decorative model of a Panavia Tornado fighter jet perched atop its station gives the ride its name.
As an extended Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster, Blue Tornado sends riders through 765 meters of track with their legs dangling freely below the train. Nearly three decades after opening, it remains a signature ride at Gardaland, Italy’s largest amusement park, drawing riders looking for inversions, hang time, and views over the Veneto countryside.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Gardaland, Castelnuovo del Garda, Italy
- Manufacturer: Vekoma
- Model: Suspended Looping Coaster (765m Extended w/ Helix)
- Opened: 1998
- Height: About 108 ft (33 m)
- Top Speed: 49.7 mph (80 km/h)
- Length: About 2,510 ft (765 m)
- Inversions: 5
The Ride Experience
Riders board trains seating 20 people, arranged two across per row with legs hanging free beneath the track for the entire circuit. The layout sends the train through a roll over, a sidewinder, and a double in-line twist for five inversions in all, the standard element set of Vekoma’s Suspended Looping Coaster design used at parks worldwide.
The full course takes roughly one minute and 42 seconds to complete, moving riders through Gardaland’s themed landscape at speeds up to 49.7 mph before returning to the station beneath the ride’s fighter-jet centerpiece.
A Longtime Gardaland Fixture
Blue Tornado opened in 1998, part of an era when inverted looping coasters from manufacturers like Vekoma and B&M were spreading across European parks. It has remained in continuous operation at Gardaland since, making it one of the longer-tenured thrill rides at Italy’s most-visited amusement park.
Its design places it among a family of similar Vekoma SLC installations found at parks internationally, though each park’s version varies in layout and track length. Gardaland’s build uses the extended 765-meter version of the model, giving it a longer circuit than the manufacturer’s standard layout.
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Blue Tornado FAQs
Who manufactured Blue Tornado?
Blue Tornado was built by Vekoma, the Dutch roller coaster manufacturer, using its Suspended Looping Coaster model in an extended 765-meter configuration.
When did Blue Tornado open?
Blue Tornado opened at Gardaland in 1998 and has operated continuously there since.
How many inversions does Blue Tornado have?
The ride features 5 inversions: a roll over (two inversions), a sidewinder, and a double in-line twist (two inversions).
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Photo: Stefan Scheer / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.