Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster ride to break records

Race fans in the Midwest out for a drag racing-themed adrenaline rush should schedule a summer stop at the famed Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, where construction is underway on Top Thrill Dragster, a $25 million steel scream machine that will be the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world.

Riders will begin their experience by securing themselves into trains that resemble Top Fuel dragsters. The 16-passenger train will then move into a "starting line" position, where it will launch forward, reaching speeds of 120 mph in approximately four seconds as it heads up a spine-tingling 420-foot-tall first hill at a 90-degree incline and then plummets 400 feet at a 90-degree angle where the train will spiral 270 degrees in a free fall starting at the 330-foot level. After twisting for 115 feet, the train will complete the coaster's dynamic drop, reach speeds of 120 mph for the second time, and cross the finish line before returning to the station.

Top Thrill Dragster will be the first and only roller coaster in the world to break the towering 400-foot-tall milestone. Intamin of Wollerau, Switzerland, a prominent roller coaster engineering and manufacturing firm, teamed up with Cedar Point to create the layout of Top Thrill Dragster.

"Cedar Point has a strong tradition of breaking world records when it comes to roller coasters," says Daniel Keller, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. "Top Thrill Dragster will forever redefine roller-coaster-riding around the globe, while putting an exclamation mark on Cedar Point's ongoing commitment to being the leading thrill ride park in the world."

Cedar Point was the first park ever to introduce a roller coaster over 200 feet tall in 1989 with the debut of the venerable Magnum XL-200 at 205 feet; and was the first park to go beyond the 300-foot-tall threshold on a coaster in 2000 with the ultra-popular Millennium Force, which looms 310 feet tall.

Top Thrill Dragster will be the ninth world-record-breaking ride Cedar Point has introduced since debuting the internationally acclaimed Magnum XL-200 roller coaster in 1989. Plus, it will be the ninth roller coaster the park has added during this same time period.

Construction of Top Thrill Dragster is currently under way and will continue throughout the winter. Guests will be able to take their first ride when Cedar Point revs up for the 2003 season in May. To read more and follow the coaster's construction, [click here].