Less than a week after the trains arrived on site at Thorpe Park, Hyperia – the UK's tallest and fastest roller coaster – has completed its first test run.

Since the moment the trains were first spotted at the park, enthusiasts across Surrey and beyond have gathered at the park in the hope of being among the first to watch this iconic moment.

Originally, speculation brewed that Hyperia might test on Saturday 13th or Sunday 14th April, especially with the train making a few movements in and around the station. Then, on Monday 16th April, with the appearance of Merlin Magic Making creatives, TV crews and Mack Rides employees on-site, the excitement really began to build. Would Hyperia make its first circuit through the record braking layout?

No.

However, less than a day later, on Tuesday 16th April 2024, Hyperia awoke. It crawled around the outer bank following the station and approached the bottom of the enormous lift hill.

Fans were suddenly uncontrollably excited. iPhones were pointed skywards, vloggers started their livestreams and theme park fans stood and watched in awe as this long-awaited moment happened. All around Thorpe Park, wait times suddenly plummeted to zero with everyone eager to watch. Here is a selection of videos from that fateful first run.

There's not much that can be said about this first-ever test run of Hyperia that seems a fair analysis of what the ride might look like when it opens in five weeks' time. Any criticisms you have at the moment can be answered with the phrase 'it was its first test run'. Look, watch:

'It looks slow.'

'It was its first test run.'

See!

For now, we'll reserve judgement. But when the ride opens on 24th May, that judgement will very much be unreserved. We won't pretend like we didn't see it almost valley during the stall turn, though.

Not our first rodeo

If you're concerned about the current speed of Hyperia, cast your mind back a couple of months to when we got our first glimpse of Nemesis Reborn testing, and how slow it crawled through the vertical loop. At one point there were even rumblings that it might valley for the first time in its life.

But look at Nemesis Reborn now, careening around the track like nobody's business to the point where it's developed a rather questionable rattle.

It's safe to say that the same will happen to Hyperia (hopefully sans questionable rattle) as tweaks are made and it warms up as it makes lap after lap after lap during the testing and commissioning phase.

The opening is on the horizon

Now that Hyperia has reached this fantastic milestone in its construction phase, there aren't many comparable in its lifecycle until its queue line opens and guests can start making their way towards the station for the very first time.

But, there are still several weeks until that happens. And until then, we'll continue to enjoy watching it test through our fingers and wondering just how insane that first drop and outer banked turn are going to be.

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