Cedar Point, with New Top Thrill 2 Coaster, Opens Saturday

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Top Thrill 2, the world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch coaster, will open to the public on Cedar Point’s opening day, Saturday, May 4.

Described as a “strata” coaster (higher than 400 feet), the ride was pioneered by Cedar Point in 2003 and originally called Top Thrill Dragster.

The new and reimagined Top Thrill 2 dominates the park’s skyline with two 420-foot-tall track towers.

Riders on the world’s only dual-tower vertical speedway sit in open-air trains that look like racing vehicles, providing expansive views as they climb.

On the start, using an all-new linear synchronous motor launch system, riders peel out down the straightaway, reaching speeds of 74 mph, racing toward the sky on Top Thrill 2’s original 420-foot-tall “top hat” tower. After experiencing weightlessness during the “rollback” – the fan-favorite moment when the train’s momentum isn’t great enough to make it up and over the tower – the train shifts into reverse and into its second launch, reaching speeds of 101 mph.

Riders get a view of Cedar Point unlike any they’ve seen before as they speed into a backward climb at a 90-degree angle on a new, 420-foot-tall track tower. After a second moment of weightlessness, the train shifts into drive and races forward into its third launch, clocking in at the ride’s top speed of 120 mph.

Crossing over the top hat tower, the train decelerates momentarily before diving into a 270-degree spiral and crossing the finish line.

“Cedar Point has a long-lasting legacy of record-breaking roller coaster innovation, and Top Thrill 2 delivers everything a thrill-seeker could want, including staggering height and speed,” said Carrie Boldman, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point.

Cedar Point has introduced some of the tallest and fastest rides on the planet. In addition to being the home of the world’s first roller coasters over 200 feet tall (the Magnum XL-200 hyper coaster), over 300 feet tall (the Millennium Force giga coaster) and over 400 feet tall (the former Top Thrill Dragster strata coaster), Cedar Point is now home to the world’s first and only reimagined strata coaster. With its three distinct launches, increased ride time of nearly two minutes and its second vertical tower, Top Thrill 2 redefines the Cedar Point skyline.

The park is home to 68 rides, including 18 roller coasters, the Cedar Point Shores Waterpark, a mile-long beach, marinas, hotels and more.

For the park calendar and other information, go to cedarpoint.com.

Pictured at top: The view from the front seat as a Top Thrill 2 train approaches a 420-foot tower at a speed of 120 mph.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.