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Zamperla partners with Cedar Point on Top Thrill 2

Press Release from Antonio Zamperla spa:


SANDUSKY, Ohio (Aug. 1, 2023) – Zamperla announces a partnership with Cedar

Point on Top Thrill 2, the world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch strata roller

coaster. Zamperla's Roller Coaster Business Unit engineered and designed a new

ride experience. It combines the ride's original and iconic top hat with a new 128

meter (420 ft) spike; adding its signature to The Roller Coaster Capital of the

World®.

“The partnership with Cedar Point, is confirmation that the investments made in

people and technologies over the past five years in our Roller Coaster Business Unit

are bearing fruit,” said Antonio Zamperla, Zamperla Group President and CEO. “In

every market segment we have entered (kiddie rides, family rides, and thrill rides),

we have excelled because of our commitment to quality and innovation. I know our

Roller Coaster Business Unit will see the same success. I cannot wait until 2024

when we will see this record-breaking scream machine come to life.”

The Lightning Train and its Cutting-Edge Racing Performance

Image Courtesy of Zamperla

Top Thrill 2 is one of the first roller coasters in the world to utilize Zamperla’s

“Lightning” trains. The launch version of these trains were first unveiled to the

public during IAAPA Expo 2022, the largest trade show for the attractions industry.

The Lightning vehicle is something the industry had never seen before: Zamperla’s

engineers worked to create the best roller coaster train in the world, keeping core

design values at the forefront: safety, ergonomics, pure fun, and the total cost of

ownership for buyers.


Image Courtesy of Zamperla

This vehicle was designed around two key factors: rider comfort and cost of

ownership. Zamperla spent years engineering these trains, performed design

studies and talked to hundreds of amusement park owners worldwide. Every step

of the way they integrated the end-user feedback into the vehicle design.

Using part of the old ride’s original track while re-designing the experience

required years of research and design from Zamperla’s engineers. The most

important attribute of the Top Thrill 2 Lightning train is the weight: thanks to the

aluminum-milled chassis and the carbon-fiber bodywork, it weighs less than

almost any other train of this type on the market.


Image Courtesy of Zamperla

The wheels are also a unique project component. They are sized to withstand the

high speeds of the record-breaking experience and use a polyurethane compound

that can stand up to the heat created from a high-speed acceleration.