The Smiler is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, it opened in May 2013 as the world’s first 14 looping roller coaster. The Smiler is located in the X-Sector area of the park.
It beat the 10-loop Colossus at Thorpe Park and another 10-loop ride in China to become the rollercoaster with the most loops.
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Alton Towers launched a website announcing a new ride codenamed Secret Weapon 7 for the 2013 season.
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In January 2013, Alton Towers officially confirmed that the ride would be called The Smiler.
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In February 2013 a free game app was released containing a full 3D recreation of the actual ride.
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The Smiler is the equivalent of 10 football pitches of ride track.
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The rollercoaster was the biggest ever investment for a ride at Alton Towers, costing £18m to build, and celebrities were invited to open it back in 2013.
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The frame took more than eight months to build and suffered delays because of poor weather during construction.
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On May 31, 2013, The Smiler opened to the public, breaking the record for most inversions on a roller coaster.