image courtesy of Cedar Point
image courtesy of Cedar PointThe new version of the roller coaster will have a second tower that is 420 feet tall.
“Top Thrill 2 will be Cedar Point’s most daring and advanced roller coaster ever. “It’s another one-of-a-kind ride that could only be built at Cedar Point,” said Carrie Boldman, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point, in a statement. “We put our mark on the industry by coming up with new roller coasters, and today that’s set in stone as we change the strata coaster into a mega-thrill that people will come from all over to try.”
Zamperla Rides, based in New Jersey, is redesigning and building the ride. It will be the first coaster to use the company’s new “Lightning” trains and LSM launch system.
“I want to congratulate Cedar Point on the news of this amazing project. In a statement, Antonio Zamperla, president and CEO of Zamperla, said, “Today, we are proud and excited to start this journey together.” “It’s privileged for Zamperla to sign The Roller Coaster Capital of the World. I can’t wait for this record-setting scream machine to come to life next year.”
People have been working on the roller coaster for months, and this weekend, a giant crane and many roller coaster tracks arrived at the park.
Did the plans for the new Top Thrill Dragster version get out?
In the months since, some posts on social media claim to be the plans for the new roller coaster.
A few weeks ago, a post said it was a screenshot from Cedar Point’s website and had information about the new roller coaster.
In a rare move, Cedar Point immediately said the post was fake.
Amusement park fans shared a post over the weekend that they said were screenshots of a mistaken post by ride maker Zamperla that said it was working with Cedar Point to reimagine the Dragster.
The mistaken post was right because the announcement made on Tuesday was the same as what had been going around online.
The new version of Zamperla has three launches before the coaster train goes over the 420-foot-tall hill that is already there.
Traffic and travel: People going to Cedar Point will have to take a different route on the Ohio Turnpike until August because of road work.
People will get into the coaster cars, then move to the main track.
They will launch from the station at 74 mph and go partway up the existing tower. They will then roll back to the station and launch backward up a second tower at 101 mph. They will then roll back to the station and launch over the existing tower at 120 mph a third time.
Accident with the Top Thrill Dragster
After the accident in August 2021, the roller coaster was shut down immediately and has never been open again.
A state investigation was started, and loose bolts, signs of wear, deformation, and impact marks were found on train cars and sections of track near where a metal plate fell from the ride and hit the woman, who was 44 at the time.
In its final report, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which is in charge of inspecting amusement rides, said that Cedar Point didn’t know the ride was dangerous on the day of the accident.
State investigation: Cedar Point didn’t know Top Thrill Dragster “was in an unsafe condition,” says the state.
Rachel Hawes, who lives in Michigan, was hit in the head by a piece of metal about the size of a hand. She has just filed a lawsuit. In the lawsuit, it is said that she will never be able to work again and has already spent about $2 million on medical care. Her future medical costs are expected to be more than $10 million.
A woman was hurt in 2021 by a metal piece from Top Thrill Dragster, and she is suing Cedar Point.
The rocky history of Top Thrill Dragster
The Top Thrill Dragster is the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster. When it opened at Cedar Point in 2003, it was the tallest and fastest in the world.
In 2005, the Kingda Ka roller coaster broke those records at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.
Before it shut down, the roller coaster was used by about 18 million people. It shot riders into the air at 120 mph in just 3.8 seconds.
Roller coasters: Cedar Point’s new Wild Mouse roller coaster is unreliable, leaving roller coaster fans stuck.
From the beginning, Top Thrill Dragster had problems that forced it to close often. This was because the park’s original hydraulic system was very finicky.
In the past, there have been two accidents on the coaster that hurt people. In July 2004, four people were hurt when a piece of a frayed metal cable flew off and hit them. In 2016, two people were hurt when a launch cable came loose from the coaster.