Theme parks are locked in a roller coaster “arms race” as three rival parks debut terrifying new rides, including one that will launch riders 420 feet into the air at 120 mph, making it the tallest ride and fastest ever built.
At Six Flags Over Georgia, ‘The Georgia Surfer’ will debut, launching riders backwards down a 144-foot tower while spinning them in circles.
Meanwhile, at Dorney Park in Pennsylvania, ‘The Iron Menace’ will ‘suspend riders 160 feet in the air before plummeting to a 95-degree drop beyond vertical.’
The ‘Top Thrill 2’ at Cedar Point in Ohio will power rides 420 feet tall and reach 120 miles per hour, earning it the spot for the tallest and fastest ride.
The Top Thrill 2, opening at Cleveland’s Cedar Point next year, will launch revelers 420 feet into the air, park presidents said in a statement, before falling backward and then forward once again to speeds of 120 mph.
The ‘Top Thrill 2’ at Cedar Point in Ohio will power rides 420 feet tall and reach 120 miles per hour, earning it the spot for the tallest and fastest ride.
At Six Flags Over Georgia, ‘The Georgia Surfer’ will debut, launching riders backwards down a 144-foot tower while spinning them in circles.
At Dorney Park in Pennsylvania, ‘The Iron Menace’ will ‘suspend riders 160 feet in the air before plummeting in a 95-degree drop beyond the vertical.’
Themed after Top Fuel drag racing, the attraction, which has three segments and is classified as a “triple launch” coaster, will also feature a launch track designed like a race track, where straight-through speeds are ready to surprise the most experienced enthusiasts.
The “record-breaking next-generation motorsports machine races on a circuit like no other on the planet,” according to the course description. “Sleek, aerodynamic vehicles launch you not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES as you drive through the sky in an epic race to the finish line.”
To experience the highly anticipated ‘Top Thrill 2’ at Cedar Point, guests must meet specific safety requirements, including having three functional limbs, as noted on their website.
The attraction is powered by linear synchronous motor (LSM) technology. Riders will also experience the unique thrill of a guaranteed rollback when their racer momentarily returns to reverse takeoff from the existing 420-foot tower.
Top Thrill 2 riders will also experience the unique thrill of a guaranteed rollback when their racer momentarily returns to the reverse launch from the existing 420-foot tower.
Dorney Park is preparing to introduce ‘The Iron Menace’, the North East’s first diving coaster.
Scheduled for release in 2024, this thrill ride suspends riders 160 feet in the air before launching them down a beyond-vertical 95-degree drop, with four mind-blowing inversions and speeds reaching up to 64 miles per hour.
Meanwhile, Six Flags Over Georgia is gearing up for the debut of ‘The Georgia Surfer,’ another terrifying attraction that combines a roller coaster with unique water features.
Although it may seem simple, this roller coaster offers a thrilling experience as riders travel across nearly 590 feet of U-shaped track, reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour before plunging onto a scenic water platform.
In 2019, there were 1,299 injuries from amusement park accidents in the United States, with approximately four deaths per year associated with roller coasters, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Just last year, the first roller coaster in history to reach 200 feet in height had a mechanical problem that caused it to come to a complete stop and forced guests to make the terrifying descent.
The first roller coaster in history to reach 200 feet in height had a mechanical problem last year that caused it to come to a complete stop and forced guests to take a terrifying descent.
The revamped Top Thrill 2, set to open at Cleveland’s Cedar Point next year, will launch revelers 420 feet into the air, park presidents said in a statement, before falling back and then forward once again at speeds of 120 mph.
The incident, which was caught on video, occurred on the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
A mechanical problem caused the ride to stop near its peak and video showed riders having to slowly walk up the wobbly staircase with nothing but a thin metal handrail to hold on to.
Tony Clark, a spokesman for the amusement park, referred to it as similar to a “check engine light” on a motor vehicle at the time.
While he called it a “standard travel stop,” it could not be restarted and therefore had to be evacuated, Fox News reported.
When it opened in 1989, the Magnum XL-200 was celebrated in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the world’s tallest rim height.
It was also, at the time of its debut, the fastest and steepest full-loop roller coaster in the world, reaching top speeds of 72 miles per hour.
It was the first attraction to exceed 200 feet and received historic landmark status in 2004, according to the park’s website.
The tour, which lasts about two minutes and 45 seconds, is also famous for its views of the Canadian coast.
Cedar Point, which opened in 1870 and is the second-oldest amusement park in the United States, also faced bad publicity earlier this summer.
Cedar Point, which opened in 1870 and is the second-oldest amusement park in the United States, is bringing back a revamped version of what was once the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster, after the original was closed when a malfunction injured a waiting guest. .
It’s the second time Cedar Point has made headlines in a week last year, after the park unveiled a revamped version of a roller coaster that closed after a woman was seriously injured while riding it in 2021.
In 2021, a guest was seriously injured by a metal support while queuing outside the roller coaster and the park’s previously intact reputation took a hit.