The Flash: Vertical Velocity (Six Flags Great Adventure)

Dutch manufacturer Vekoma first unveiled their new shuttle launch coaster layout through the EAP Magazine in November 2021.[2] Dubbed the "Super Boomerang" as a tribute to their long-running coaster model, the coaster would use multiple banks of LSM launches to ascend spikes on either side of a tower. The design subsequently premiered in July 2023 as the Cloud Shuttle at Fantawild Wonderland in Tongshan, China.[3]

In February 2022, Six Flags' corporate – under newly instated CEO Selim Bassoul – announced that they would step back from capital investments at their theme parks in favor of food and the overall guest experience.[4] An integral piece of the strategy was raising prices in order to lower daily park crowds, thus improving the park experience for higher-paying guests. Bassoul would later go on to draw ire for remarks on this strategy, in which he sought to transform the company's average guest from, "the Kmart, Walmart to maybe the Target customers," adding that heavy discounting in previous years had turned the parks into "a day care center for teenagers."[5][6]

By November 2022, attendance had plummeted 33% across the chain as noted in Six Flags' third-quarter earnings call, with sharp drop-offs in revenue and stock raising concerns that they were instead alienating park guests overall.[7][8] Seeking to reverse course, Six Flags sent a team of representatives to the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida that month, where a series of last-minute ride deals were signed off with multiple manufacturers.[9] Vekoma was among those approached by Six Flags, from whom they eventually purchased a junior coaster. Taking the form of Rookie Racer at Six Flags St. Louis, the project's delivery opened the door to Six Flags conducting further business with Vekoma.[10]

In August 2023, Six Flags' Chief Financial Officer Gary Mick confirmed that a new roller coaster would be built at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2024, stating that, "We have a 50th Anniversary coming up at our park in New Jersey, and we had an opportunity to add a nice ride kind of late in the game. And that's a little bit rare because it takes generally a while to design and build a coaster. So we had a fortunate opportunity, and we decided to take it".[11] Concurrently, Great Adventure released a teaser presenting various numbers, which were determined to be statistics lining up with Vekoma's Super Boomerang model.[12][13]

Six Flags Great Adventure officially announced The Flash: Vertical Velocity on August 30, 2023, set to become the park's 15th roller coaster and the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.[14] Billed as a part of the park's largest investment in 20 years, it will be joined by the overhauled Safari Off-Road Adventure, Wild Safari Park luxury glamping, and various other park refurbishments.[15]