Caripro

Hans Gubbels was the owner or held a high level position with Caripro. Sometime in the 2000-2001 timeframe Vekoma purchased Caripro. No roller coasters using the Caripro design were ever sold under the Vekoma ownership. In August 2001, Vekoma declared bankruptcy and part of the reorganization was liquidating the newly acquired Caripro division. Hans Gubbels purchased the intellectual property of the former Caripro company and formed "Cari-Co". This new company existed from about 2001 to 2004. Parts and service were advertised on the former Cari-Co website, but not new roller coasters. About the time Cari-Co disappeared, Premier Rides started advertising suspended roller coasters using the Caripro design. It is thought that Premier Rides may have purchased the rights to the Caripro design.

While the prototype Caripro Batflyer is thought to have been the Batflyer at Duinrell in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, there is Batflyer that may complicate this. The Batflyer at Lightwater Valley in Ripon, UK opened in 1996 -- one year prior to the Batflyer at Duinrell being built. While the Batflyer at Lightwater Valley shares the same name, it isn't known if this was built by Caripro. This Batflyer has a smaller main rail diameter, different cars and a different lift system. Other rides at Lightwater Valley were built using a combination of in-house and out-of-house design and manufacturing. Perhaps it was the building of this roller coaster that lead to the creation of the Caripro company.