In an update on social media this morning, Cedar Point announced they are retiring Top Thrill Dragster. The release reads: “After 19 seasons in operation with more than 18 million riders experiencing the world’s first strata coaster, Top Thrill Dragster, as you know it, is being retired. However, Cedar Point’s legacy of ride innovation continues. Our team is hard at work, creating a new and reimaged ride experience. We’ll share more details and information at a later date.”
The wording on the announcement is very interesting and leads us to believe Top Thrill Dragster is not closing for good or being completely removed. It’s likely a major modification is in the works including a possible new name, theme, and general rebranding.
The 420-foot tall roller coaster has been standing but not operating (SBNO) since August 2021. A woman waiting in line was seriously injured when a metal bracket flew off the ride and hit her in the head. The Ohio Department of Agriculture investigated and concluded the park broke no laws. The future of the coaster has been unknown and hotly debated by fans and coaster enthusiasts ever since.
Top Thrill Dragster opened in 2003 and attracted fans from all over the world due to its intense launch: 0 to 120 miles per hour in just 4 seconds. From the beginning, the complex coaster has been plagued with mechanical issues and long bouts of downtime due to the hydraulic launch system.
The most popular theory for the future of Top Thrill Dragster is the launch will be replaced with a mechanically simpler launch system, such as LSMs (linear synchronous motors), that has no moving parts. Maybe the ride will even have a back-and-forth swing launch like Pantheon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, though that would require adding more track and a switch. If the same speed cannot be achieved with LSMs within the same length of track used by the hydraulic launch, perhaps they could add LSMs going up the vertical tower as well. We might also see other safety improvements, such as the queue moved from inside the coaster to the outside, further away from the track.
The next question is if it is indeed being reincarnated, will Top Thrill Dragster 2.0 be a 2023 or 2024 project? Cedar Point already has plans to open Wild Mouse, their 18th roller coaster, next year.
Do you think about Cedar Point Retiring Top Thrill Dragster? Do you think Top Thrill Dragster is gone for good or will re-open will some modifications? Let us know in the comments below.
This is a bombshell. I’m sad I will never get to ride dragster.
in its current form.