The Roller Coaster Capital of the World® has decidedly not announced the details of Top Thrill 2, the successor to the famed Top Thrill Dragster, coming to Cedar Fair in 2024. Their manufacturing collaborator, the Italy-based coaster manufacturer Zamperla, posted ride specs to their website one day before Cedar Point intended to announce them.
The leaked specs are confirmed to be genuine– the leak was quickly scrubbed from the Zamperla website almost immediately but is available through the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Several highly-anticipated details for the coaster are:
- A forward launch at a speed of 119 km/h (74 mph), which leads into a new crowd favorite – the rollback
- A second backward launch reaching a speed of 163 km/h (101 mph), climbing at a 90-degree angle on the new, 128-meter (420-foot)-tall vertical spike.
- A third launch that clocks in at the ride’s top speed of 193 km/h (120 mph) and speeds over the 128-meter (420-foot) top hat before diving into a 270-degree spiral leading to the finish line.
The ride features Zamperla’s Lightning train, which powers this incredible coaster with cutting-edge racing performance with its innovative design. Aluminum-milled chassis and carbon-fiber bodywork reduce train weight, allowing them to accelerate faster than some of their Cedar Point counterparts.
The Lightning Train vehicle is not a new announcement, though. A Youtube video posted by Zamperla in 2022 details their development of the vehicle, leaving many to speculate its inclusion in the Top Thrill Dragster revamp. Other key specs regarding the length, height, and vehicle situations are as follows:
- Total Track Length: 1043 meters (3422 feet)
- Maximum height: 128 meters (420 feet)
- Number of Trains: 3
- Vehicles per-Train: 5
- Passengers per-Train: 20
- Height Restriction: 120 cm (48 in) minimum
As these stats come to light, the ethicality of the leak itself is only somewhat questionable. More likely than not, the early post was an accident and meant to be released a day later. The leak certainly poses a hurdle for Cedar Point to maintain momentum to stir up hype for the ride’s official announcement. Even if an accident, the post has breached a degree of trust between Cedar Fair and Zamperla. These specs are formerly protected information, and their release could potentially stamp out fans from watching the coming announcement.
A New Formula For Thrills.
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?08.01.23?#CedarPoint #CP24PHP pic.twitter.com/ZAn3H8rPhu
— Cedar Point (@cedarpoint) July 25, 2023
The reopening of the Top Thrill Dragster is itself a matter of notable controversy. The ride has stood static since August 2021 following an incident where a Michigan woman got hit by a falling metal bracket that came loose from a green ride vehicle. The metal bracket reportedly caused traumatic brain injuries, skull fractures, and a net loss of $13.2M from hospital fees.
It is unclear how much the family seeks for compensation, and Cedar Fair has not released a public comment regarding the incident. An Ohio state investigation took place following the incident and concluded that there was no reason that the ride was unsafe or Cedar Fair acted illegally. However, the woman and her family are again seeking legal compensation for their damages as news of the reopening of the Top Thrill Dragster looms.
With the newly-released details from Zamperla, however, it seems unlikely that such an accident is highly unlikely to occur a second time. The Lightning vehicles, track setup, and current-day construction standards are key components to the Top Thrill 2 becoming a safe and thrilling coaster for Cedar Point enthusiasts to experience in 2024.
What are your thoughts? Are you excited for Top Thrill Dragster 2? Are you disappointed that neither the height record or the speed record will be beaten? We eagerly await whatever the official announcement from Cedar Point will bring today and will update you with our reaction to it.
