Cedar Point to launch Top Thrill 2 coaster in 2024

Cedar Point has announced the replacement for its record-setting Top Thrill Dragster coaster: Top Thrill 2.

And it’s set to debut in 2024.

The ride will maintain the Sandusky, Ohio, park’s iconic 420-foot-tall arching tower and add a second 420-foot-tall tower on the opposite end. The coaster will have three launches — one forward at 74 mph, riding partly up the original tower, then launch backward at 101 mph and up the new tower at a 90-degree angle. Then, riders launch forward again — at 120 mph — and up and over the original tower.

Carrie Boldman, the park’s vice president and general manager, told Cleveland.com the ride is Cedar Point’s “boldest and most advanced roller coaster.

“It’s another one of a kind that could only be built at Cedar Point. 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.”

The original iteration of the park’s strata roller coaster (those with a height between 400 and 499 feet), debuted in 2003 at a height of 420 feet. At the time, it was the world’s fastest and tallest coaster.

With Top Thrill 2, Italian ride manufacturer Zamperla will be using an all-new linear synchronous motor launch system, which uses magnets instead of the original coaster’s hydraulic system. The previous system proved to be tough to maintain, with the ride oftentimes shutting down for long periods of time.

The new ride will restore Cedar Point back to having 18 roller coasters, which is the third most in the world. Only Six Flags Magic Mountain in California and Poland’s Energylandia have more.