WORTH THE DRIVE: Cedar Point to debut Top Thrill 2 in 2024

The world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch strata roller coaster – a roller coaster that tops 400 feet – will be a major attraction at Cedar Point next year.

Top Thrill 2, featuring three launches, a 120-mph top speed and two 420-foot-tall track towers, is fashioned to build on the adrenaline-pumping roller coaster tradition at the popular Sandusky amusement park. The ride is a reimagined evolution of Top Thrill Dragster, which shut down in 2021 after a guest was seriously injured in the ride’s queue.

“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, in a news release. “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.”

Triple the fun

Riders will climb into one of Top Thrill 2′s newly designed open-air, aerodynamic “Lightning” trains to embark on a heart-pounding journey skyward.

Launch 1: Forward launch at 74 miles per hour which leads into a rollback.

Launch 2: Backward launch at 101 miles per hour climbing a 90-degree, 420-foot spike.

Launch 3: Forward launch at 120 miles per hour climbing over the 420-foot iconic top hat before diving into a 270-degree spiral and crossing the finish line.

Thrilling partnership

Cedar Point is again partnering with Italian ride manufacturer Zamperla to create Top Thrill 2. Earlier this year, Cedar Point unveiled the twisty, turning Wild Mouse free-form spinning coaster, also a Zamperla creation.

While the iconic 420-foot top hat will remain, it will be joined by a new 420-foot track tower that riders will ascend backwards. The ride will utilize an all-new linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system designed for smooth and quiet acceleration.

“I cannot wait until next year when we see this record-breaking scream machine come to life,” said Antonio Zamperla, president and CEO of Zamperla.

Coaster innovators

Top Thrill 2, the first and only reimagined strata coaster, is just one of Cedar Point’s many firsts.

The amusement park is home to the world’s first roller coaster over 200 feet tall, the Magnum XL-200 hyper coaster, and the first coaster over 300 feet tall, the Millennium Force giga coaster. Top Thrill Dragster was the first strata coaster.

For more information, visit cedarpoint.com.

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