A symphony of thrills

Cedar Point’s Top Thrill sequel surpasses the original

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4.25 (out of 5)

As a fairly seasoned roller coaster vet, I generally don’t get rattled all that much riding the rails. But I’m a bit chagrined to admit I emerged from Top Thrill 2, the remake of the iconic Top Thrill Dragster that is debuting this season at Cedar Point, a bit breathless and weak-kneed. It’s that intense.

Sure, the original Top Thrill was plenty intense. When it debuted in 2003, it was the world’s fastest and tallest coaster, accelerating from 0 to 120 mph in mere seconds and scaling a 420-foot top hat tower. But with the train coming down the other side of the tower and hitting the brakes moments after launching, the wham-bam ride was over so quickly, it was hard to process what just happened, let alone get too unnerved by the experience. That’s not the case with TT2. The ride time is nearly three times the duration of TTD. That gives passengers plenty of time to take it all in. And there is a lot to take in.

The 420-foot-tall top hat tower (Arthur Levine)

“It’s like a symphony, with all of these different notes as opposed to one trick,” notes Adam Sandy, sales and marketing director for Zamperla, aptly comparing the new Top Thrill with its predecessor. The Italian ride manufacturer handled the makeover of the coaster.

So, let’s break down the movements of this captivating symphony. The whole area has been redesigned with spiffy signs inviting spectators to watch the coaster do its thing in the “CP Racing Paddock.” The track is gray to emulate the asphalt of a speedway, according to Clayton Lawrence, corporate creative producer and head of design for Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, the parent company of the park. There are red and white track sections on the ride’s two towers, which correlate to the slow zones on the curves and banks of a high-performance race track. Yes, I said two towers; more on that in a moment.

Before entering the queue, passengers are required to remove all loose articles and place them in lockers next to the ride’s entrance. Some parks that require riders to empty their pockets provide complimentary lockers. That’s not the case at Cedar Point, where some guests will not be too pleased about having to pay extra to satisfy a policy requirement. (Granted, the fee is nominal, and the safety protocol makes sense; nobody wants to get conked by an errant, flying cell phone.) And don’t even think about trying to get past the line attendants by claiming, for example, that you have zipped pockets. Passengers have to pass through a detector to show that they are free of all items. Glasses are allowed, but only if they are secured by a strap.

The view of the top hat tower from the bleacher viewing stands (Arthur Levine)

The trains are sleek with prominent noses that resemble Formula One cars and enormous aluminum road wheels that are designed to help dissipate the considerable heat from the high speeds that they endure. The restraints, which are hydraulically powered, over-the-shoulder lap bars are substantial, but feel comfortable. The train’s open design and unobtrusive restraints leave passengers feeling exposed and vulnerable.

After dispatching from the station, the train rounds a bend and stops on the long straightaway leading to the top hat tower. A switch track enables passengers to load and unload, while another trainload of riders rockets back and forth alongside the station. As with the original ride, countdown lights signal the mayhem about to ensue and then, blam, LSM motors rev the train up to 74 mph. (Unlike the original TTD, which was built by Intamin and featured a temperamental hydraulic launch system, TT2 incorporates a more tried and true magnetic launch system. Here’s hoping the reborn ride will be more reliable than its predecessor.) That’s enough juice to climb about halfway up the vertical tower and deliver the first of the ride’s three delirious airtime moments. Stalling out, the train free falls down for the coaster’s second act. While it’s not the same height as most of the (rare and much-coveted) rollbacks of its predecessor, TT2’s guaranteed mini-rollbacks are nonetheless a heckuva lot of fun.

Passing through the LSM motors a second time, now facing backwards, the train accelerates to 101 mph. 74 mph is fast, but 101 mph is wicked fast (as we say in the Boston area). And even though I knew it was coming, it felt surprising to get a jarring jolt of backwards-facing acceleration. That sends the train careening up the ride’s new 420-foot-tall, vertical spike tower, where it eventually slows to a halt at about the 350-foot mark.

Top Thrill 2’s new vertical spike tower (Arthur Levine)

For me, this was the highlight of the ride, and one of the moments that truly distinguishes TT2 from TTD (and every other coaster for that matter). The backwards boost was wildly intense, and the free-floating, reverse-facing air was dreamy. Rising so high that I could see above the park’s 300-foot-tall Power Tower really put the ride’s wacky stats in perspective. Just hanging there, facing straight down and anticipating the ride’s third and final act, I felt momentarily, blissfully frozen in time.

What goes up eventually must come down, and the train plummets, picking up considerable speed on the way. A third and final pass through the LSM motors gooses the speed up to a full-throated 120 mph, which enables the train to go up and over the top hat. It hits the apex with more oomph than I remember TTD delivering. It is so forceful, in fact, that the maneuvers up there–the car’s 90-degree vertical spiral to scale the top of the tower and the 270-degree spiral on the way down the other side–felt a little too out of control. I dinged the ride a few tenths of a point in my rating because it was momentarily rough at that point and had me flailing. The airtime I felt while scaling the top hat may be the most potent I have ever experienced. It’s simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying, which is pretty much the definition of a great, extreme roller coaster. Dropping down the top hat, the train races to the finish line, and brakes quickly slow it down for its return to the station.

Kudos to Cedar Point for salvaging one of its legendary rides and, in my opinion, improving upon it. Its lineup of world-class thrill machines, including TT2, makes the park nirvana for coaster geeks. Coming over the causeway and seeing the wild arsenal of rides that awaits is always a giddy, heart-fluttering moment. When fans make the trek to the peninsula that juts into Lake Erie this year, they’ll see something different.

“We’ve changed the skyline here at Cedar Point once again with the new 420-foot spike tower,” says Cedar Fair’s Lawrence.

Congratulations also to Zamperla for retrofitting TTD and creating TT2. The manufacturer has focused attention on its expanding coaster division, and the Cedar Point ride, which represents the first of its Lightning line of launched rides, is a high-profile calling card.

“We put some Italian emotions into Top Thrill 2,” says Antonio Zamperla, president and CEO of the company that bears his family’s name, gesturing to the reimagined ride.

“This is a milestone for Zamperla,” adds Sandy. “It’s one of the starting points of what’s coming next.”

So, park fans surely want to know, what might be on tap?

“Only good stuff,” promises Zamperla.

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Some coaster fans were sad to see Top Thrill Dragster go and skeptical about Top Thrill 2. After reading about it, are you reassured about the reborn ride? Do you plan to ride it this season?