As many of you know, me and a good friend own and operate BGEscape.com, so obviously Ive been looking forward to writing this review since March 06, ever since spray-painted markings started popping up all over the late Le Mans Raceway  And now the time has finally come to compose a review on Griffon, the first coaster worth giving a damn about to debut in Virginia since 1999... 
The eight-year coaster drought at Busch Gardens Europe was well-worth the wait, however...as I found out yesterday, May 13th 2007. Looming for all to see in the French portion of the park, Griffon is truly a majestic piece of engineering craftmanship. The layout is among the most asthetically pleasing ones I have come across, and in my opinion, much more eloquently executed than SheiKra (at least judging from photographs of Griffons sister-coaster).
The experience begins with the epic dropping of the floor. Somehow 10-wide trains make this now mundane coaster feature much more impressive. The trains themselves are stunningly beautiful with brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges adorning the massive front end. The seats, like all B&Ms, were roomy and comfortable, however elbow room was scarce at times. After the floor drops, you dip out of the station, with nothing above or below you. The lift hill is extremely steep, and you end up basically lying on your back for the 205 foot tall journey.
Once the lifthill is crested, you suddenly realize that you are looking DOWN on Alpengeist, which is a mindblowing experience to say the least. In the distance you can see an expanse of beautiful water and the thick foliage that blankets Busch Gardens Europe. The train rounds the bend and creeps over the edge menacingly. Most people are flipping a crap at this point...with many a "OH SHIT"s and "DAMN"s to be heard from all three rows. Then in a flash, Griffon releases you from his talons, and the 10-wide school-bus-of-a-train hurtles towards the earth with much floater air for all passengers on board. I found that the backseat provides the most ejector air, but even in the front seat there is a precious ass-draft to be cherished!
Then its on to the bridge, which provides some nice armchoppers for those sitting on the outside seats but fails to deliver the headchopper we were hoping for. The Immelmann is massive, and provides some bizarre airtime in the back and outer seats. The turn into the MCBR is fun, but I can see where some would prefer the low-to-ground banked turn that SheiKra features. After the MCBR brings the train to an almost absolute halt, it is on to the secondary, 87 degree drop. It is this second half of the ride where I believe Griffon destroys SheiKra (even though I have not ridden SheiKra as of writing this review). The second drop is as intense as the first, but obviously much shorter. I frankly could not tell that it was not 90 degress. As for the second Immelmann, I think it was much more intense than the first...I cant figure out how, but it rockets through that maneuver! The bunny hop that leaps into the splashdown provides a nice pop of floater air, especially in the front right region of the ride and in the back row. The splashdown is pretty spiffy on the outer seats in the front row with absolutely nothing underneath you, and the carousel turn is taken at a surprisingly decent speed. Even the last bump into the brakes jolts riders out of their seats one last time before coming to a smooth stop!
In short, Griffon is a fantastic experience from start to finish. It exceeded my already semi-high expectations and has claimed the #2 spot at Busch Gardens Europe for me personally, beating out Alpengeist just barely. It really is pure adrenaline rush and it compliments the parks ride line-up beautifully. Its hard to say that Griffon makes BG even better, because I already thought the park was flawless. Think of Griffons installation as s
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