Tony Clark provides an update on Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point

At Cedar Point last year, the new star attraction, the Top Thrill 2 roller coaster, faced a setback shortly after its opening. It had to be closed for the rest of the 2024 season to allow the ride’s manufacturer to make necessary mechanical modifications to the coaster vehicles.

With 2025’s opening day set for Saturday, May 3, Cedar Point spokesperson Tony Clark says Top Thrill 2 should be ready to ride once again.

The Park’s spokesperson, Clark, mentioned that preparations were underway for the expected opening day of Top Thrill 2. The manufacturer was finalizing the modifications on the ride’s vehicles and expected to have them back within the next month. Subsequently, pre-season testing would be conducted, followed by the necessary inspections and licensing by the state of Ohio before the ride could be operational for riders.

Cedar Point is also set to debut their new Siren’s Curse tilt roller coaster later during the 2025 season.

Clark expressed the park’s anticipation for the reopening of Top Thrill 2 alongside another new roller coaster, Siren’s Curse. With both attractions available this summer, Cedar Point aims to provide guests with a unique experience as it is uncommon for the park to introduce two essentially new roller coasters simultaneously.

The exact opening date for Siren’s Curse has not yet been announced.

RELATED: The unique twist riders can expect on new Siren’s Curse roller coaster at Cedar Point: ‘It’s going to be a different experience for us’

Here’s a closer look at what happened with Top Thrill 2 last season…

Cedar Point held its media day for Top Thrill 2.

Cedar Point held a variety of preview events to allow season passholders the opportunity to ride Top Thrill 2 first.

Cedar Point opened for the 2024 season as Top Thrill 2 made its official debut to the general public.

Just days after Cedar Point opened for the 2024 season, the park announced on May 12 that Top Thrill 2 — the headlining new attraction for this year — was experiencing an extended closure. Here’s their full statement on the initial closure announcement:

Top Thrill 2 is currently experiencing an extended closure as Zamperla (the ride’s manufacturer) completes a mechanical modification to the ride’s vehicles. Once the modification is complete, Zamperla, the Cedar Point maintenance & operations teams and our third-party ride inspection partner will conduct a thorough review before approving both the modification and the reopening of the ride.

Though we cannot yet confirm a reopening date, we will provide updates at cedarpoint.com.

We know our guests are excited to experience this incredible roller coaster, and we share your disappointment that we are not able to operate it this weekend. We will do everything possible to reopen Top Thrill 2 as soon as we are confident we can deliver the ride experience that our guests deserve.”

In an update, park spokesperson Tony Clark provided the following statement to 3News regarding the ride’s potential reopening:

We don’t anticipate it will be a summer-long closure. We hope to provide an update soon (still not more to share other than what’s been said in the statement).

3News also asked what specifically caused the ride’s closure, but Clark did not elaborate.

Speculation was swirling on social media that an update on Top Thrill 2 would be provided during an IAAPA event on July 25.

“Get an insider look at the triple launch strata-coaster, Top Thrill 2,” the event’s page says. “Guided by members of the construction team, you’ll explore ride conversion, the construction process, engineering overview, and the launch system.”

A list of event highlights (as seen below) has also been shared on various social media pages — including one line that declares: “Get an engineering overview and the latest update on Top Thrill 2.”

We asked Clark for some clarification, and he sent 3News the following response: “They worded it that way, but there is no new news we’re providing at that event, other than what’s been publicly stated.”

After weeks with no official update, Cedar Point officially confirmed the news that the ride would remain closed for the rest of the season.

Top Thrill 2, which is the tallest ride at Cedar Point, is an overhaul of the original Top Thrill Dragster. The enhanced attraction features three high-speed launches between two 420-foot tall towers.

• Top height: 420 feet
• Top speed: 120 mph
• Ride duration: Two minutes
• First launch (going forward): 74 mph
• Second launch (going backward): 101 mph
• Third launch (going forward): 120 mph
• Height requirement: All guests must be at least 52″ tall to ride

Here’s how Cedar Point described the coaster experience…

Riders will immerse themselves as they join the CP Racing Team and climb into one of three, sleek high-performance racing vehicles. Each of Top Thrill 2’s trains will feature open-air seating, providing heart-pounding views on the world’s first and only dual-tower vertical speedway.

On the start, using an all-new linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system, riders will peel out down the straightaway reaching speeds of 74 mph, racing toward the sky on Top Thrill 2’s original 420-foot-tall “top hat” tower. After experiencing weightlessness during the “rollback” – the coveted fan-favorite moment when the train’s momentum isn’t great enough to make it up and over the tower – the train shifts into reverse and into its second launch, reaching speeds of 101 mph.

Riders will then see Cedar Point unlike ever before as they speed into a backward climb at a 90-degree angle on a new, 420-foot-tall track tower. After a second moment of weightlessness, the train shifts into drive and races forward into its third launch, clocking in at the ride’s top speed of 120 mph.

Crossing over the top hat tower, the train decelerates momentarily before diving into a 270-degree spiral and crossing the finish line.

Cedar Point partnered with Zamperla Rides and its Roller Coaster Business Unit to create the Top Thrill 2 experience.

“Top Thrill 2 is one of the first roller coasters in the world to utilize Zamperla’s ‘Lightning’ trains, capable of high-speed aerodynamics, performance and rider comfort,” Cedar Point previously explained. “The ride’s new high-tech LSM launch system delivers smooth and quiet acceleration while giving riders the chance to feel the rush of motorsport racing.”

The park’s original Top Thrill Dragster permanently closed in August of 2021 after an incident in which a bracket came off the ride and struck a 44-year-old woman in the back of the head.

When it first opened in 2003, Top Thrill Dragster became the first roller coaster in the world to top 400 feet. Here’s how the attraction was initially described:

Put the pedal to the metal because no speeding tickets are cited to Top Thrill Dragster. Three point eight….that’s 3.8… seconds. That is all it takes to go from a complete standstill to 120 miles per hour. You’ve never experienced speed like this. Even with a true drag strip “Christmas tree” light counting down the launch, you’ll never be ready for the pure adrenaline rush packed into a 17 second race. Riders are launched in the blink of an eye before sprinting straight up at a 90-degree incline. If you dare to open your eyes at the top you will see spectacular views only viewed by the bravest 420 feet in the air. But look quick, before you know it, you’re hurtling back to the ground in a 270- degree twist before crossing the finish line. We aren’t kidding when we say that this high-octane sprint to the checkered flag knows a thing or twenty about horsepower.