Hyperia (roller coaster)

Loggers Leap opened in 1989 in the southern corner of the park, where it became the tallest log flume in the UK at the time of its debut. The ride operated through to 2015, but failed to open the following year and was addressed by park representatives as being "under redevelopment".[3] In February 2019, Thorpe Park confirmed that the attraction had been permanently closed, stating that "the area [which] Logger's Leap once dominated will be forming part of our long term development plans".[4] The rest of Old Town officially closed for good in October 2021, which included the retirement of the park's Rocky Express.[5]

In December 2021, Thorpe Park officially held a public consultation for their new coaster project in Old Town, releasing various renders and information online.[6] Codenamed Project Exodus, the proposed ride promised to become the tallest coaster in the UK at 236 feet (72 m) tall, displacing The Big One's 213-foot (65 m) height at Blackpool Pleasure Beach after nearly three decades.[7] Although a manufacturer was not listed at the time, park officials confirmed that they'd conducted noise tests on "a similar ride in Turkey" (correctly assumed to be Mack Rides' Hyper Coaster at Land of Legends Theme Park).[8]

On 14 March 2022, Thorpe Park submitted an extensive planning application to Runnymede Borough Council detailing the proposed redevelopments of Old Town and Project Exodus construction.[1][9] While the council eventually supported the park's development, sustained flood risk concerns from the Environment Agency prompted a project referral to the Secretary of State, who posed no objections to the project.[10] Runnymede Borough Council officially granted permission for Project Exodus on November 2, 2022, although the application's case officer Christine Ellera would later criticize the Environment Agency's poor communication in the approval, stating that, "A rollercoaster which was partly in the functional flood plain was never going to be straight forward planning application but it should not have been as difficult as it was. We had a positive working relationship with both the planning agents, Lichfields UK and the applicant Thorpe Park. The difficulty was the lack of ability to engage effectively with the Environment Agency. I’m sure the level of service they are providing or lack there of, is not how they want to deal with matters".[11][12]

On 9 February 2023, Thorpe Park launched Club 236, a passholder competition to visit the park with the chance of being among the coaster's first public riders in 2024.[13] It was also confirmed that Project Exodus would be built by Mack Rides.[14]

In August 2023, it was announced that the rollercoaster would not only be the UK's tallest coaster but also the fastest.[15]

The name of the rollercoaster was announced on October 2023 and accompanied by a promotional video that not only introduced the coaster's name but also presented its slogan, "Find your fearless." The video further provided a point-of-view (POV) glimpse into the ride experience. The choice of the name "Hyperia" is a reference to the coaster's classification as a "hypercoaster" with the themeing of the ride is inspired by the fearless goddess, Hyperia, aligning with the slogan "Find your fearless".

Demolition of Logger's Leap and the Old Town area began in December 2022.[16]

In July 2023, the first delivery of supports for the ride arrived.[17]

The ride is expected to be opened in 2024.