SANDUSKY, Oh. (WWJ) - Cedar Point announced the new Top Thrill 2 on Tuesday morning, saying the record-breaking roller coaster is sure to bring park guests an exhilarating, high-performance racing experience unlike any other.
Park officials said Top Thrill 2 will be the world's tallest and fastest triple-launch strata coaster, towering 420 feet above Lake Erie and reaching top speeds of 120 mph.
Riders can expect the new experience to last 2 minutes -- a vast improvement over the original Top Thrill Dragster where the ride began and ended in less than 20 seconds.
"This record-breaking, next generation motorsport machine races a course unlike any other on the planet," the park said in a prepared statement. "Sleek, aerodynamic vehicles launch you not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES as you drive the sky in an epic competition to reach the finish line."
Its first launch reaches 74 mph, while the second 101 mph and the third reaches its top speed of 120 mph.
"Experience true weightlessness as you immerse yourself in three “free-fall” moments, including the coveted, fan-favorite “rollback” after you’re first launched forward," the release continued. "Then, launch backward and rise into the sky on a new, cloud-piercing vertical tower, giving you never-before-seen views of America’s Roller Coast. A third launch rockets you forward at 120 mph, sending you on a race to the stratosphere before reaching the finish line."
Top Thrill 2
Upon its completion, Top Thrill 2 will be the only dual-tower strata coaster on Earth and is the only "vertical speedway" in the world.
"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," officials added.
The park said the ride's three all-new, high-performance trains are compromised of "state-of-the-art chassis, milled from a single piece of aluminum and crafted with an aerodynamic fiberglass and carbon fiber body," making for a greater seat comfort.
Top Thrill 2's announcement comes almost two years since a Michigan woman was seriously injured after she was struck in the head by a metal piece that fell off the original Top Thrill Dragster on Aug. 15, 2021.
Officials ended up closing the ride for the 2021 and 2022 season before retiring it from service completely -- the iconic roller coaster opened to the public on May 4, 2003. It spent 19 seasons in operation with 18 million experiencing the world's first strata coaster.
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