SANDUSKY, Ohio — The secrets have been revealed!
After months of speculation, Cedar Point released details of their revamped Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster early Tuesday, announcing that Top Thrill 2 – the tallest and fastest triple-launch strata roller coaster – will make its debut for the 2024 season.
This ride evolution will change the Cedar Point skyline forever as Top Thrill 2 features a new 420-foot spike.
"Top Thrill 2 is the only vertical speedway in the world, featuring not one, but TWO, sky-dominating towers," according to Cedar Point. "The existing 420-foot tower will give every rider a guaranteed rollback – that unmatched moment when your racer doesn’t quite complete its lap and returns to the launch in reverse. You’ll have commanding views of Cedar Point as you’re launched backward and straight up the all-new, 90-degree tower, looking straight down at Iron Dragon, Rougarou, Power Tower and even coaster icon Millennium Force before enjoying even more airtime. Top Thrill 2 is the ONLY dual-tower strata coaster in the world!"
So what will it be like to ride Top Thrill 2? Check out this animation video for a closer look...
3News was at the park Tuesday morning to watch construction crews as they installed the first support beam on the ride's new 420-foot spike. You can watch that moment in the video below:
NEW RIDE EXPERIENCE
Here’s how Cedar Point describes Top Thrill 2...
Riders will immerse themselves as they join the CP Racing Team and climb into one of three, sleek high-performance racing vehicles. Each of Top Thrill 2’s trains will feature open-air seating, providing heart-pounding views on the world’s first and only dual-tower vertical speedway.
On the start, using an all-new linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system, 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. 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.
Riders will then see Cedar Point unlike ever before as they speed into a backward climb at a 90-degree angle on a new, 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.
Crossing over the top hat tower, the train decelerates momentarily before diving into a 270-degree spiral and crossing the finish line.
“Top Thrill 2 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. “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.”
RIDE STATS
- Top height: 420 feet
- Top speed: 120 mph
- Ride duration: Two minutes
- First launch (going forward): 74 mph
- Second launch (going backward): 101 mph
- Third launch (going forward): 120 mph
BRINGING TOP THRILL 2 TO LIFE
Cedar Point has partnered with Zamperla Rides and its Roller Coaster Business Unit to create the Top Thrill 2 ride experience.
"Top Thrill 2 is one of the first roller coasters in the world to utilize Zamperla’s 'Lightning' trains, capable of high-speed aerodynamics, performance and rider comfort," Cedar Point explains. "The ride’s new high-tech LSM launch system delivers smooth and quiet acceleration while giving riders the chance to feel the rush of motorsport racing."
3News' Austin Love talked with a representative from Zamperla to learn more about the new ride, which you can watch in the video below...
2024 SEASON PASSES NOW ON SALE
As Cedar Point announced details of Top Thrill 2, the park also revealed that 2024 season passes are now on sale -- including the popular Gold Pass, which is listed at $99. The Gold Pass includes admission to Cedar Point, Cedar Point Shores, HalloWeekends, free parking, in-park discounts and more. Park officials say the Gold Pass price will go up on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
THE END OF TOP THRILL DRAGSTER
Earlier this year, Cedar Point confirmed their reimagined Top Thrill Dragster would open for the 2024 season while announcing in September the current ride experience was being retired after 19 seasons.
"Cedar Point’s legacy of roller coaster innovation continues with a one-of-a-kind addition to the park’s world-renowned ride lineup, coming in 2024," the park said back on Jan. 9. "Our entire team is hard at work, creating a new formula for thrills. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting new coaster coming to The Roller Coaster Capital of the World. We can’t wait for you to experience it!"
Construction walls appeared around the attraction toward the end of the 2022 season as crews began working to dismantle pieces of the track.
You can watch POV footage of the original Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster in the player below:
The ride has been closed since August 2021 after an incident in which a bracket came off the ride and struck a 44-year-old woman in the back of the head. She has since filed a lawsuit in connection with the incident.
A 620-page report released in February 2022 by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which oversees the state’s amusement parks, declared there was “insufficient evidence to find the action or inactions of Cedar Point violated any of the laws.” You can review that report HERE.
“Cedar Point has cooperated fully with ODA throughout its investigation into the incident and we will closely review the substance of ODA’s report," park officials said in a statement after the ODA report was released.
When it first opened in 2003, Top Thrill Dragster became the first roller coaster in the world to top 400 feet. Here's how the attraction was initially described:
Put the pedal to the metal because no speeding tickets are cited to Top Thrill Dragster. Three point eight….that’s 3.8… seconds. That is all it takes to go from a complete standstill to 120 miles per hour. You’ve never experienced speed like this. Even with a true drag strip “Christmas tree” light counting down the launch, you’ll never be ready for the pure adrenaline rush packed into a 17 second race. Riders are launched in the blink of an eye before sprinting straight up at a 90-degree incline. If you dare to open your eyes at the top you will see spectacular views only viewed by the bravest 420 feet in the air. But look quick, before you know it, you’re hurtling back to the ground in a 270- degree twist before crossing the finish line. We aren’t kidding when we say that this high-octane sprint to the checkered flag knows a thing or twenty about horsepower.
