Top Thrill 2, the new triple-launch strata coaster at Cedar Point, will open to the public on the park’s opening day, Saturday, May 4. (A “strata” coaster is any roller coaster eclipsing a height of 400 feet.) The new and reimagined Top Thrill 2 dominates the park’s skyline with not one, but two 420-foot-tall track towers.
A new formula for thrills
Riders join the CP Racing Team, climbing into one of three racing vehicles. Top Thrill 2’s trains feature open-air seating, providing views from the dual-tower vertical “speedway.”
On the start, using an all-new linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system, riders speed 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 train shifts into reverse and into its second launch, reaching speeds of 101 mph.
Riders 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 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. “With the wide range of thrills for the whole family, Cedar Point is the place to visit this summer. We can’t wait for our guests to take their very first lap on the world-record-breaking Top Thrill 2.”
