May 10 - The hype surrounding the reimagining of Top Thrill Dragster intensifies as Cedar Point is now open for the 2023 season. We continue to closely follow the progress and are grateful to Lake Erie Lifestyles for their most recent video update which is embedded below from May 9 which shows excellent footage of the current site.
The large triangular footer which begun to appear back in March is being filled with dirt in what looks like the final stage of creation. The video incorporates the footage taken from March and each update since to clearly track the progress from the beginning to its current state which is very interesting to see.
The Iron Dragon pond has now been refilled with water and there is significant work being done in the track infield where a large trench approximately 18 meters wide has been dug between the launch and return track stretching from the middle of the bleachers to the front of the station which could be for the rumored rear spike.
The new footing by the old loading area looks to be the base track support. It appears that the concrete has been added and has dried and the wooden forum has been removed. This new footing aligns perfectly with the large triangular footer and the original Top Hat track giving further evidence that a large rear spike could be coming to Top Thrill Dragster.
However, in an interview on Fox 8 News with Director of Communications, Tony Clarke as well as saying that further details will trickle out during the summer said this, "I can tell you that as a coaster enthusiast but not a totally crazy coaster enthusiast that I am looking forward to it, it is going to be an attraction that our guests are going to really love and provide that thrill and in Cedar Point fashion doing something nobody else has done."
Although not giving much away, Clarke's comments "in Cedar Point fashion doing something nobody else has done" has led to speculation that this project may not include a traditional rear spike at all and will actually be something completely different.
So, perhaps we have been wrong being so caught up with the question, how big will the rear spike be? And, from the point that Clarke gave saying that he is a coaster enthusiast but not a totally crazy coaster enthusiast and he is really looking forward to it, perhaps that is a hint that we will not be seeing a record breaking rear spike if we will indeed be seeing a rear spike at all.
With all that said, it could just be an media stunt to keep us all guessing and intensifying further the mystery around this highly anticipated project and a large rear spike is planned which the current construction work on site leads us to believe.
We will continue to closely follow the progress of this hugely anticipated Top Thrill Dragster reimagining. Let us know what you think could be coming to Top Thrill Dragster and also what you would like to see coming by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.
February 13 - The ongoing story of Top Thrill Dragster's reimagining is indeed an exciting one and we are pleased to be closely following its progress.
From the tweet below from Updates About Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster, we can see that work is progressing fast and all that now remains of where the queue line stood is a hole in the ground.
A hole in the ground where the Top Thrill Dragster queue used to stand. pic.twitter.com/pMPsB2rKxg
— Updates About Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster (@ttdupdatescp) February 12, 2023
There is a continued debate whether Intamin is involved in the reimagining of Top Thrill Dragster? Although Intamin has not worked with Cedar Fair since 2010 due to a number of issues with its installed rides at the parks, it would seem sensible with all the developments in reliability that Intamin has made in the last decade that Cedar Point would want their input for this extensive project because surely who best to do the job but the original creators of the attraction.
Theme Park Predictions & More! take a deeper dive into this in the video below. We will continue to follow the development and progress of the reimagining of Top Thrill Dragster which is slated to open in 2024 here at Theme Park Tourist.
January 10 - Since September 2022 when it was confirmed that this legendary coaster would indeed be reimagined, all eyes have been on Cedar Point and the construction progress of the iconic Top Thrill Dragster. Yesterday, Cedar Point announced through a simple video posted to their official twitter page that the reimagined Top Thrill Dragster will return in 2024.
As you can see from the video which is embedded below, the only words which appear are "A NEW FORMULA FOR THRILLS" "COMING 2024". This could be seen as a reference to Formula One racing (and, perhaps accidentally, to the world’s fastest roller coaster, Intamin’s Formula Rossa in Abu Dhabi).
— Cedar Point (@cedarpoint) January 9, 2023
Top Thrill Dragster fans have been speculating the possibilities over the the last few months of what this reimagining will include and although nothing is still officially confirmed, what we do know for certain is that the hydraulic launch will be replaced by a LSM launch track. There have been recent rumors that Cedar Point could increase the theming of both the rollercoaster itself and the surrounding area. This is where the Formula One aspect could potentially come in.
To read the full story about Top Thrill Dragster from start to finish, check out our recently updated featured article, TOP THRILL DRAGSTER: The High Octane Story of Cedar Point's Coaster Wars Icon... And Its Post-Pitstop Second Life.
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