News about Thunder 2 Zeus

In October 2022, the story of the backward-facing seats on Tonnerre 2 Zeus took another turn. When the ride reopened, Parc Astérix charged 12 euros for the option and soon lowered the price to 8 euros. In autumn, the experience became completely free. That meant all visitors could use the reversed rear seats without paying extra. Looopings linked the decision to the possibly limited lifespan of the feature. Project manager Damien Thibault had already told Brakesection Magazine that the two backward-facing seats would probably be removed later and replaced by four forward-facing seats. That would improve capacity, an important issue for a popular wooden coaster with a striking but limited extra experience. For fans, the free period was therefore especially interesting: it might be a temporary opportunity to experience Tonnerre 2 Zeus in its most unusual form. In the attraction’s history, the article marks the moment when Parc Astérix let go of the premium model and made the distinctive ride variant more widely accessible.

Less than two weeks after Tonnerre 2 Zeus reopened, Parc Astérix already adjusted the way it offered the backward ride. On 17 April 2022, Looopings reported that the price for the reverse-facing seats had been lowered from 12 to 8 euros per person. The original fixed price had been explicitly printed on leaflets and marketing material, but apparently proved too high during the busy Easter period. Guests could reserve the seats through Filotomatix, the park’s digital line-skipping system. The change is interesting because it shows that the renewal was not only technically exciting; it also had to make commercial sense to visitors. The backward seats were a striking extra with limited capacity, but willingness to pay had limits. At the same time, the renovation itself remained substantial: Tonnerre 2 Zeus had received new trains, layout changes and a tunnel with special effects. For fans, this became an early sign that Parc Astérix was experimenting with the balance between special experience, capacity and price.

On 9 April 2022, the renewal of Tonnerre de Zeus reached its key milestone: the wooden coaster reopened as Tonnerre 2 Zeus. According to Looopings, Parc Astérix invested 7 million euros in the 25-year-old ride. No less than 85 percent of the track was renewed, and The Gravity Group made several changes, including a 90-degree turn and a tunnel with lightning flashes and smoke. The ride experience was made more pronounced as well. Looopings reported that passengers experience seventeen moments of airtime and that Gravitykraft Corporation supplied two new trains with 26 seats. The final row faced backwards, allowing guests to ride the coaster in reverse. Because capacity was limited, Parc Astérix initially charged 12 euros per person for that option. The article is a key moment in the attraction’s history: the rough wooden classic from 1997 did not return as a nostalgic museum piece, but as a visibly modernised crowd favourite with new effects, trains and a bold extra experience.

Shortly before the reopening of Tonnerre 2 Zeus, Looopings reported that Parc Astérix was offering a remarkable piece of coaster history. Fans could buy an old Tonnerre de Zeus car for 950 euros, provided they arranged transport themselves. The sale showed how extensive the transformation had become: the 1997 wooden coaster was not only receiving new track sections and backward-facing seats, but completely new trains as well. The old cars, delivered in 2007 by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, were leaving regular operation. For enthusiasts, this was more than a curiosity. A real coaster car is a tangible remnant of the attraction’s original era, precisely at the moment it was being converted into Tonnerre 2 Zeus. The article also mentioned that old bolts, safety belts and track pieces were being offered. In that sense, the renovation became a farewell to the former hardware. For visitors, the message was practical too: the familiar ride would return with a clearly new generation of trains.

In March 2022, shortly before the reopening, Parc Astérix revealed how it planned to offer the most eye-catching feature of Tonnerre 2 Zeus. The final seats of the new train would face backwards, allowing guests to experience the entire wooden coaster in reverse. The park charged 12 euros per person for that option. A technical and creative idea therefore immediately became a practical visitor issue as well: capacity for the backward seats was limited, and Parc Astérix attached a fixed price to it. Looopings placed the news within the broader renovation. The Gravity Group modified the layout, new trains were added, and the ride gained sharper turns, hills and a tunnel with special effects. The name changed from Tonnerre de Zeus to Tonnerre 2 Zeus, while the French pronunciation remained almost the same. For fans, the price was especially striking because the backward ride became a distinct experience within an existing coaster. For visitors, the renewed classic was no longer only different to ride; it also came with a premium choice.

The Tonnerre de Zeus renovation received a surprisingly playful twist in November 2021. Parc Astérix asked fans which new underwear the giant Zeus statue at the coaster entrance should wear. Guests walking beneath the statue had long been able to see the god’s underwear, turning the detail into part of the attraction’s folklore. In cooperation with underwear brand Undiz, the park presented three designs, including cherries, lightning bolts and rubber ducks. The article shows how Parc Astérix used the technical renovation to bring the ride’s character back into the spotlight. The joke fitted the cheeky tone of the Asterix universe and gave fans something to discuss while The Gravity Group worked on the coaster. At the same time, the serious core of the project remained clear: Tonnerre de Zeus was getting new trains, modified track sections and a new name. The playful vote made the construction period more approachable and kept the relationship between fans and the attraction alive.

In September 2021, fans received their first tangible look at the renewed Tonnerre 2 Zeus. Parc Astérix presented a car from the new train at IAAPA Expo Europe in Barcelona. Its styling immediately told part of the story: turquoise paint, gold details, a new logo and a prominent image of Zeus on the front. The renovation was no longer only technical; it had become visually concrete. The article made clear that the cooperation with The Gravity Group went beyond replacement hardware. The modified layout would receive sharper turns and hills, while the final car would be installed backwards for guests who wanted to ride the wooden coaster in reverse. For enthusiasts, this kind of reveal mattered because it showed how carefully Parc Astérix was handling its wooden classic. The attraction remained recognisably Tonnerre de Zeus, but gained a fresher and more theatrical look. The new car became a symbol of the transition from a rough 1990s coaster to a modernised crowd favourite.

In June 2021, the previously announced renovation became much more concrete. Parc Astérix confirmed to French media that Tonnerre de Zeus would not simply receive maintenance, but a clearly refreshed identity. The Gravity Group was hired for the work, bringing new trains, changes to the layout and additional ride elements. The final car of the train would face backwards, allowing guests to experience the wooden coaster in reverse. The name would also become Tonnerre 2 Zeus, a French wordplay that sounds close to the original. The article marks the moment when the project shifted from a general refurbishment to a real reinvention of the attraction. Looopings described sharper turns, extra hills and a tunnel with special effects. Riders would experience fourteen moments of airtime. For enthusiasts, the choice of The Gravity Group carried extra meaning: former employees of original builder Custom Coasters International were connected to that manufacturer. The classic coaster was therefore being modernised without fully cutting ties with its own roots.

In July 2020, Tonnerre de Zeus made the news for a very different reason. A short Snapchat video, later shared on Twitter, showed visitors fighting with staff members in the station of the wooden coaster. According to comments below the footage, the argument started after a passenger lost a cap during the ride and employees refused to search for it immediately. The incident drew attention quickly because the video was viewed thousands of times within hours. Looopings reported that local media mentioned three arrests and that Parc Astérix was said to have filed a complaint for assault. The event took place shortly after the park had reopened on 15 June, at a time when face masks and social distancing were officially required. This is not technical or design news for the ride, but it is a notable operational moment in the history of Tonnerre de Zeus. It shows how crowds, emotions and safety rules can collide in a station environment.

Parc Astérix confirmed to Looopings in late 2019 that Tonnerre de Zeus would be renovated for the 2021 season. At that stage the park did not yet reveal which company would handle the work, but it was already clear that the wooden coaster was heading for a major round of maintenance and renewal. For coaster fans, that mattered. Tonnerre de Zeus had long been known as one of Europe’s rougher and more forceful wooden coasters, with a reputation built since its 1997 opening. The article places the decision in the ride’s wider history. Built by Custom Coasters International, the coaster stands 30 metres tall, is more than 1200 metres long and reaches almost 84 kilometres per hour. The announcement showed that Parc Astérix was not only planning new projects, but also investing in one of its established crowd-pullers. For visitors, the message was reassuring: a classic would not disappear, but would be prepared for a new chapter.