Reaching New Heights: Speculating the Peaks of Top Thrill 2

My brother-in-law, Kevin, and I are both hardcore roller coaster enthusiasts, buzzing with excitement for the new Top Thrill 2 (TT2) set to launch in just a few weeks. Our passion for thrill rides is something we take very seriously. So naturally, when TT2 came into the picture, it sparked a fiery debate between us over some of its specs.

We’ve been hitting Cedar Point for the last three decades (yes, that’s 30 years of adrenaline-pumping fun!) and it’s become a tradition for the past 10 years, bringing our families along for the ride. I was gutted when the original Top Thrill had to shut down a few years back – it was one of my all-time favorites. If you ever snagged a front-row seat, you know there was nothing quite like it. Going from 0-120 in just 4 seconds was absolutely INSANE!

Hearing about the reimagining of this coaster got me all hyped up, thinking I'd get to relive those wild moments. But I've got to admit, I'm a little nervous it won’t pack the same punch, with it being a triple-launch coaster now. The original's 0-120 thrill was my favorite part, but this time, the first launch only gets up to 74 mph. This is exactly where Kevin and I started with our disagreements. He believes that going from 0-74 will still be a thrill, especially since you're guaranteed a rollback every time – a rare treat with the original. For those not in the know, a rollback was when the train didn’t quite make it over the top on the first go, giving you a bonus reverse ride and then a second launch. Two rides for the price of one queue? Yes, please!

1st Launch with Top Thrill 2

But here's where I made my argument with Kevin – I just don’t think it's going to feel the same since you're only making it halfway up the top hat on that first launch. "Get out of here," he shot back, convinced the first launch would send us soaring over 300 feet. That’s where we placed our friendly wager.

To settle it, Kevin pulled up the Tony Clark Test Drive video so we could get a better look.

And I’ll give it to him, it looked like they got pretty high up there, but 300 feet? I wasn't sold. After a bit of digging around the internet, we hit a wall – no concrete info on the initial launch height to be found.

But were we defeated? Not a chance. We pieced together clues from ride photos and the video, and even double-checked our guesses with Chat GPT to ensure we were on the right track. And here's what we've got: based on my calculations and the video, it looks like the first hill might just send us up around 285 feet.

When you come zooming back down and hit speeds of 101 mph, the second spike shoots up 420 feet. Based on the video and hitting those speeds, it looks like the back of the last car could reach about 345 feet.

Dropping back down, you'll hit 120 mph, but it’s a more gradual climb than the original Top Thrill Dragster's instant 120 mph rush. From the moment you start dropping back down to the point you reach the top, it takes about 16 seconds. Funny enough, the entire original ride was only 16 seconds long. This REIMAGINED ride? It's going to last almost 2 minutes.

As much as I love the twists, turns, and defying gravity, I'm equally passionate about crunching numbers and diving into data. Stay tuned for a Power BI report I’m working on, where I’ll be diving deep into all things roller coasters, including a closer look at Cedar Point's latest marvel.

Sure, all of this is speculation, but that's part of the fun, right? What do you all think? Are you as pumped as I am to tackle the world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch strata coaster? With three heart-stopping launches and those elusive “free-fall” moments, Top Thrill 2 is shaping up to be a one of the best coasters in the world.

As the summer of 2024 approaches, let's keep this excitement train chugging along. Share your thoughts, get in on the debate, and let's ride this wave of anticipation together. Stay tuned, stay thrilled, and as always, keep the data flowing and the coasters rolling!