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    Closed for the season: Top Thrill 2 coaster reopening at Cedar Point postponed to 2025

    By Craig Webb, Akron Beacon Journal,

    3 hours ago
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2Q2AZQ_0v8L38Y900
    Cedar Point's Top Thrill 2 roller coaster makes its way over the 420-foot-tall hill. Craig Webb/Beacon Journal

    You will have to find your thrills on other rides this year at Cedar Point .

    The Sandusky, Ohio amusement park announced late Friday afternoon that its much anticipated Top Thrill 2 roller coaster will not reopen this year .

    The roller coaster that was a reimagining of the old Top Thrill Dragster coaster opened with much fanfare at the start of the season but closed just eight days later as problems arose.

    Crews from ride manufacturer Zamperela have spent the ensuing weeks taking the coaster trains apart and examining the track, making occasional late-night and early-morning test runs with empty coaster trains when the park was closed to guests.

    Cedar Point previously said the ride was not expected to be closed the entire season but has not publicly commented on what is wrong with the ride.

    But in the end, the apparent needed modifications could not be made in time to salvage the season.

    "We are extremely disappointed that we cannot open the ride this season, but remain committed to delivering a reliable, consistent and unparalleled coaster experience for our guests in 2025," the park said in its announcement .

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0P9ybV_0v8L38Y900
    Testing of the Top Thrill 2 roller coaster in March at Cedar Point. Image courtesy of Cedar Point

    Top Thrill has had a troubled past

    The Top Thrill 2 was born out of the original Top Thrill Dragster coaster that was closed after a mishap seriously injured a rider back in August 2021.

    The original design was problematic for the park ever since it opened back in 2003.

    The ride had frequent breakdowns with its unique original launch system that sent riders over a 420-foot tower.

    The revamped coaster used the original tower and added a second tower so all riders would get to experience the rollback that sometimes happened on the original Top Thrill Dragster when things didn't exactly go right with the launch system.

    The park spent several months last year rebuilding and testing the new Top Thrill 2 coaster that uses much of the old coaster's layout but with some twists, including a new launch system, sleek coaster cars and the second tower that also rises to the clouds.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2kfgkr_0v8L38Y900
    A view from the top of Cedar Point's second 420-foot tower for the Top Thrill 2 roller coaster. Image courtesy of Cedar Point

    Top Thrill 2 by the numbers

    The Top Thrill 2 is the world's fastest triple-launch strata coaster.

    It features two 420-foot-tall towers and launches riders three times at 74 miles per hour, 101 mph and finally 120 mph.

    The total track length is 3,422 feet, and it takes some two minutes from start to finish.

    Passengers board the coaster cars on the platform and, once secured, the loading track slides over to the main track for the three launches.

    There are three racing-themed coaster trains colored metallic blue, metallic silver and metallic black.

    This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Closed for the season: Top Thrill 2 coaster reopening at Cedar Point postponed to 2025

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