Top Thrill 2
Top Thrill 2 is a launched roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The ride originally opened as Top Thrill Dragster in 2003, becoming the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, as well as the first ever strata coaster. The original was an Accelerator Coaster model from Intamin designed by Werner Stengel, featuring a height of and a drop distance of. It could accelerate from 0 to in 3.8 seconds and was themed to Top Fuel drag racing, with a launch track designed to resemble a dragstrip. Although its height and speed records were surpassed by Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2005, the ride consistently ranked as one of the world's top steel coasters.
Following a serious incident in 2021, in which a guest was severely injured while standing in line, Top Thrill Dragster was abruptly shut down and remained closed with an uncertain future. Nearly two years later, Zamperla was hired to create a new version of the ride, adding a second tower and replacing Intamin's hydraulic launch in favor of a linear synchronous motor launch system. Though less powerful, the LSM launch propels the train three times in a new launch sequence – forward, backward, and forward again – to reach the same maximum speed as the original design.
The coaster reemerged as Top Thrill 2 on May 4, 2024, featuring a new, longer riding experience. However, its inaugural season was cut short after only a week of operation, when an issue with its trains required modifications. The ride eventually reopened the following season in 2025, and after Kingda Ka closed, it briefly recaptured the title as the tallest roller coaster in the world. Falcons Flight claimed the title when it opened later that year.
History
According to Rob Decker, Vice President of Planning and Design, the park began working on a new project shortly after the debut of Millennium Force in 2000. The goal, as he stated to Intamin, "was to set another world record, and our parameters were the tallest, fastest roller coaster". After considering modern propulsion methods used on coasters at the time, Intamin ultimately decided to design a new hydraulic launch system that would provide the most cost effective solution in a small footprint.Construction
After the 2001 season ended, one of the park's Dodgem rides, which was located across from Magnum XL-200's entrance, was relocated to Michigan's Adventure to clear the way for the new ride. In April 2002, work began on the concrete foundation. The concrete footings were kept hidden behind a fence when the park opened for the 2002 season. In August, an informal announcement from Cedar Point confirmed the park was building a new ride for the 2003 season. Track pieces identified as Intamin were previously spotted near Mean Streak. Vertical construction by Martin & Vleminckx began in the fall season, months before the formal announcement. By October, the roller coaster had reached in height, and the highest peak was topped off in December. The construction of the record-breaking top hat element, which stands, required the use of two cranes that could extend up to in height. At the time, only four such cranes existed in the US.An official announcement revealing details on the new ride was made the following month on January 9, 2003. Officials for the park stated the goal was to build "the tallest and fastest roller coaster on earth", reaching in height and accelerating up to in 4 seconds. Its height also classified it as the world's first strata coaster, which is any full-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop between. The large investment tied it with Millennium Force as being the most expensive in park history. The structure was built by Intamin's subcontractor Stakotra. In March, Cedar Fair registered a trademark for the name "Top Thrill Dragster".
Operation as Top Thrill Dragster (2003-2021)
Top Thrill Dragster's media day was held on May 1, 2003, and it officially opened to the public three days later. It became the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, surpassing Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain in height, which had opened in 1997, and surpassing Dodonpa at Fuji-Q Highland in speed, which had opened in 2001. It lost both records to Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in May 2005. Intamin designed both Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster, and the two shared a similar design and layout that differed primarily by theme and an additional hill featured on Kingda Ka. Shortly after it opened, a faulty valve on the hydraulic system caused a short-term closure. The ride continued to experience a variety of issues dealing with its hydraulic system and launch cable, which frequently led to downtime early on in its tenure.During the 2017 season's opening weekend, Cedar Point temporarily renamed the ride "Top Thrill Cubster", referencing a lost wager with Six Flags Great America over the World Series. In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, timed boarding passes called "Access Passes" were used temporarily to comply with social distancing guidelines.
Closure
On August 15, 2021, a guest waiting in line to ride Top Thrill Dragster was struck in the head by a small metal piece that dislodged from a train, resulting in a severe injury that was described as a "serious accident". The ride remained closed the following two seasons pending an investigation by the Ohio Department of Agriculture and a redesign of the roller coaster, described as a "new and reimagined ride experience".At the time of its closure, Top Thrill Dragster had accommodated 18 million riders over 19 seasons. An update was released on social media in September 2022 stating, "Top Thrill Dragster, as you know it, is being retired." Officials provided limited details but confirmed that the roller coaster would reopen as a "new and reimagined ride experience". A portion of the roller coaster's track near the station was dismantled in late 2022. In January 2023, the park released the tagline "A New Formula For Thrills" on social media to describe the planned modifications.
Reemergence as Top Thrill 2
There was speculation that Top Thrill Dragster's hydraulic launch system would be replaced. In August 2023, the speculation was confirmed after Cedar Point announced plans to transform Top Thrill Dragster into a triple-launched roller coaster using a linear synchronous motor launch system, hiring Zamperla to redesign the ride. Although Zamperla was not a well-known name among major coaster manufacturers, they had experience working on large projects previously, had been growing their coaster division for most of a decade, and their 2019 "Lightning Train" model was well-equipped for the task. Adam Sandy, Zamperla's Director of Roller Coaster Sales and Marketing, noted that the switch to LSM would increase reliability and allow for lighter trains, which in turn would be manufactured with larger wheels to reduce cool down time and overall maintenance. Tony Clark, director of communications at Cedar Point, stated that the goal of the transformation was to "enhance the experience, make it more reliable".The modified coaster was set to reopen as Top Thrill 2. Zamperla reused the existing top hat element and added an equally-sized vertical spike at the opposite end of the track. While the maximum height and speed remained the same, the track length increased from. The vertical spike was topped out during construction in early December 2023, and testing began in early 2024.
Cedar Point held a soft opening media day event on April 25, 2024. The ride officially opened on May 4, 2024. A short time later on May 12, Cedar Point closed Top Thrill 2 unexpectedly, describing it as an "extended closure" while Zamperla worked to make mechanical modifications to the coaster trains.
The ride remained closed indefinitely through months of speculation and sporadic testing. On August 23, 2024, the park announced that Top Thrill 2 would not reopen for the remainder of the season, but that work would continue with the goal of reopening the ride in 2025. The issue with the trains was fixed in the offseason, and Top Thrill 2 reopened with the park for the 2025 season. It also reopened as the tallest roller coaster in the world following the closure of Kingda Ka in late 2024, but its record was eventually surpassed by Falcons Flight as it opened on December 31.