Different spin on bruising ride

G-FORCE: The Gravitron, a ride run by Mahon Amusements at the Wairarapa A&P Show at Clareville near Carterton at the weekend. PHOTO/FILE

The Wairarapa Times- Age online community has helped reveal another side to the story about a young Martinborough boy who endured a bruising ride at the Wairarapa A&P Show.

Jacob Gerritsen, 12, had been at the annual show on Friday night a week ago when he took a turn on the Gravitron. Passengers lean against padded panels on the ride as it gains speed and spins fast enough for riders to experience three times the force of gravity.

The boy said the padding had slipped from beneath him and he flipped backwards into the ride's steel framing, where he was "tossed around" while screaming in vain for the ride to stop.

Noah Moyes posted on the Times-Age Facebook page that he had been on the ride at the time and the boy "was showing off and climbed up the seat".

"I'm not blaming the boy, I'd actually hate to be in that position, but it wasn't just the ride that made him fling back."

Sasha Cohen said: "This is true, I was in the ride at the time this happened, when he tried to go upside down."

Madi Edwards, who was also a witness, said: "Yup, what Noah Moyes says is 100 per cent true."

Rochelle Latimer said her daughter "was on that ride on Saturday and Sunday" and their experience had been "far from the good old sideshow back in the days".

"I found the same last year so I believe it might be time to revamp the show."

Cath O'Driscoll said: "Not sticking up for Mahons but with all the screaming on the ride it's hard to tell if it's real or not, plus even if emergency stop was activated it takes a while for ride to fully stop."