Cedar Point announced “Top Thrill 2,” its record-breaking replacement of Top Thrill Dragster, on August 1.
Top Thrill 2 will open in 2024, said Cedar Point, and will be “the world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch strata roller coaster.”
Cedar Point is located in Sandsusky, Ohio.
“With its three distinct launches, increased ride time of nearly two minutes and its second vertical tower, Top Thrill 2 will make its mark on roller coaster history and redefine the famous Cedar Point skyline,” said Cedar Point in a press release announcing Top Thrill 2.
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A “strata roller coaster” refers to a roller coaster with a height over 400 feet.
Top Thrill 2’s predecessor, Top Thrill Dragster, was the original “strata” roller coaster when it opened in 2003, said the company.
The only other strata coaster in the world is “Kingda Ka” at New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure.
Top Thrill Dragster has been closed since a 2021 incident, in which a woman was struck by a “small metal object” that had come off the ride.
Cedar Point announced “Top Thrill 2,” its long-anticipated replacement of Top Thrill Dragster, on Tuesday, August 1. (Artist concept rendering. Courtesy of Cedar Point.)
The amusement park announced in 2022 that Top Thrill Dragster would permanently close.
The new coaster “will be the boldest and most advanced roller coaster Cedar Point has ever introduced. It’s another one-of-a-kind that could only be built at Cedar Point,” said Carrie Boldman, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point, in a statement released by the park.
“Our stamp on the industry is in roller coaster innovation, and today, that’s solidified as we redefine the strata coaster into a mega-thrill that our guests will come from far and wide to experience,” she added.
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Top Thrill 2 will feature the original “top hat” of Top Thrill Dragster, but with a new 420-foot tower that will provide the extra momentum needed to clear the structure.
“Riders will immerse themselves as they join the CP Racing Team and climb into one of three, sleek hig-performance racing vehicles,” said the park in its press release.
“Our stamp on the industry is in roller coaster innovation.”
The trains will provide “heart-pounding views on the world’s first and only dual-tower vertical speedway,” the park added.
The reimagined Top Thrill 2 will feature an “all-new linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system,” said Cedar Point.
Top Thrill 2 will keep the same “top hat” structure as its predecessor, Top Thrill Dragster. (Artist concept rendering. Courtesy of Cedar Point.)
“Riders will peel out down the straightaway reaching speeds of 74 mph, racing toward the sky on Top Thrill 2’s original 420-foot-tall ‘top hat’ tower,” they said.
The trains will then “roll back” through the station and be launched again — backwards.
“After experiencing weightlessness during the ‘rollback’ – the coveted fan-favorite moment when the train’s momentum isn’t great enough to make it up and over the tower – the train shifts into reverse and into its second launch, reaching speeds of 101 mph,” said the park.
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The train then will accelerate backwards up a 90-degree, 420-foot-tall, track tower.
“After a second moment of weightlessness, the train shifts into drive and races forward into its third launch, clocking in at the ride’s top speed of 120 mph,” said Cedar Point.
Riders on Top Thrill 2 will be launched backwards up a 420-foot track tower before being launched once again over a 420-foot “top hat.” The roller coaster is expected to have a top speed of 120 miles per hour. (Artist concept rendering. Courtesy of Cedar Point.)
The ride concludes with a “270-degree spiral” on the way down the top hat, and riders will then cross the “finish line” of the race.
To create Top Thrill 2, Cedar Point worked with Zamperla Rides, a roller coaster manufacturer.
The original Top Thrill Dragster was built by Intamin.
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“My sincere congratulations to Cedar Point on the announcement of this incredible project. Today, with pride and excitement, we embark on this collaborative journey together,” said Antonio Zamperla, president and CEO of Zamperla, in the press release announcing Top Thrill 2.
“It is an honor for Zamperla to add our signature on The Roller Coaster Capital of the World®. I cannot wait until next year when we see this record-breaking scream machine come to life,” he added.
Top Thrill 2 will launch riders three times during its two-minute-long ride, said Cedar Point. (Artist concept rendering. Courtesy of Cedar Point.)
Cedar Point describes itself as the “industry leader in roller coaster innovation,” and is home to 16 roller coasters.
Top Thrill 2 will be the 17th.
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“In addition to being the home of the world’s first roller coasters over 200 feet tall (the Magnum XL-200 hyper coaster), over 300 feet tall (the Millennium Force giga coaster) and over 400 feet tall (the former Top Thrill Dragster strata coaster), Cedar Point is now home to the world’s first and only reimagined strata coaster,” said the company.
The Cedar Fair, parent company of Cedar Point, operates 17 amusement and water park locations across the United States and Canada.
