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Top Thrill 2

Top Thrill 2 is a launched roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The ride originally opened as Top Thrill Dragster in 2003, becoming the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, as well as the first ever strata coaster. The original was an Accelerator Coaster model from Intamin designed by Werner Stengel, featuring a height of 420 feet (130 m) and a drop distance of 400 feet (120 m). It could accelerate from 0 to 120 mph (190 km/h) in 3.8 seconds and was themed to Top Fuel drag racing, with a launch track designed to resemble a dragstrip. Although its height and speed records were surpassed by Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2005, the ride consistently ranked as one of the world's top steel coasters.

History
According to Rob Decker, Vice President of Planning and Design, the park began working on a new project shortly after the debut of Millennium Force in 2000. The goal, as he stated to Intamin, "was to set another world record, and our parameters were the tallest, fastest roller coaster". Construction After the 2001 season ended, one of the park's Dodgem rides, which was located across from Magnum XL-200's entrance, was relocated to Michigan's Adventure to clear the way for the new ride. In April 2002, work began on the concrete foundation. The concrete footings were kept hidden behind a fence when the park opened for the 2002 season. In August, an informal announcement from Cedar Point confirmed the park was building a new ride for the 2003 season. Vertical construction by Martin & Vleminckx began in the fall season, months before the formal announcement. By October, the roller coaster had reached in height, and the highest peak was topped off in December. The construction of the record-breaking top hat element, which stands , required the use of two cranes that could extend up to in height. The large investment tied it with Millennium Force as being the most expensive in park history. In March, Cedar Fair registered a trademark for the name "Top Thrill Dragster". Operation as Top Thrill Dragster (2003–2021) Top Thrill Dragster's media day was held on May 1, 2003, and it officially opened to the public three days later. It became the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, surpassing Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain in height, which had opened in 1997, Shortly after it opened, a faulty valve on the hydraulic system caused a short-term closure. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, timed boarding passes called "Access Passes" were used temporarily to comply with social distancing guidelines. Closure On August 15, 2021, a guest waiting in line to ride Top Thrill Dragster was struck in the head by a small metal piece that dislodged from a train, At the time of its closure, Top Thrill Dragster had accommodated 18 million riders over 19 seasons. An update was released on social media in September 2022 stating, "Top Thrill Dragster, as you know it, is being retired." A portion of the roller coaster's track near the station was dismantled in late 2022. In January 2023, the park released the tagline "A New Formula For Thrills" on social media to describe the planned modifications. Reemergence as Top Thrill 2 There was speculation that Top Thrill Dragster's hydraulic launch system would be replaced. In August 2023, the speculation was confirmed after Cedar Point announced plans to transform Top Thrill Dragster into a triple-launched roller coaster using a linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system, hiring Zamperla to redesign the ride. Tony Clark, director of communications at Cedar Point, stated that the goal of the transformation was to "enhance the experience, make it more reliable". The modified coaster was set to reopen as Top Thrill 2. Zamperla reused the existing top hat element and added an equally-sized vertical spike at the opposite end of the track. While the maximum height and speed remained the same, the track length increased from . The vertical spike was topped out during construction in early December 2023, and testing began in early 2024. Cedar Point held a soft opening media day event on April 25, 2024. The ride officially opened on May 4, 2024. A short time later on May 12, Cedar Point closed Top Thrill 2 unexpectedly, describing it as an "extended closure" while Zamperla worked to make mechanical modifications to the coaster trains. The ride remained closed indefinitely through months of speculation and sporadic testing. On August 23, 2024, the park announced that Top Thrill 2 would not reopen for the remainder of the season, but that work would continue with the goal of reopening the ride in 2025. The issue with the trains was fixed in the offseason, and Top Thrill 2 reopened with the park for the 2025 season. It also reopened as the tallest roller coaster in the world following the closure of Kingda Ka in late 2024, but its record was eventually surpassed by Falcons Flight as it opened on December 31, 2025. == Ride experience ==
Ride experience
Layout As Top Thrill Dragster (2003–2021) After leaving the station, the train entered the launch area. To the left of the launch area was a "Christmas tree" light, similar to those employed at the starting line of a drag strip. A message was played to the riders before the launch: "Keep arms down, head back, and hold on." Once the train was prepared to launch, a motor revving sound effect was played and its magnetic braking fins were lowered from the launch track. It then launched, accelerating to a speed of in 3.8 seconds. Shortly after reaching its maximum velocity, the catch car disengaged, and the train began its ascent up a 90-degree incline, twisting 90 degrees clockwise before climbing over the top hat. Upon descending, the track twisted 270 degrees before leveling out, allowing the train to be stopped by the magnetic brakes. Station, theme, and trains As Top Thrill Dragster (2003–2021) " The roller coaster was themed to Top Fuel drag racing, a category of motor racing that involves the world's fastest accelerating cars. An actual Top Fuel dragster weighs approximately one ton, while each train on the coaster weighed 15 tons.