Guest reviewer, Trent from the Coasterblog, gives us his review of Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point. It was shut down right before I got to ride it, so here’s his review of the former speed and height World record holder.
Cedar Point was already known as the Coaster Capitol of the world before 2003. With 15 roller coasters they had more than their fair share of thrills. Then, in the summer of 2003, the park opened what would become their most insane coaster, Top Thrill Dragster. The ride would break the record of tallest and fastest coaster in the world. It would be the first continuous circuit coaster ever to reach above 400 feet into the sky and launch at an incredible 120 mph.
The ride’s position on Cedar Point’s midway is perfect. There are a set of bleachers from which non-riders can watch their friends and family be blasted off. Inside Top Thrill Dragster’s station there are checkered flags all over the place. The attendants load two trains at a time and launch them off with incredible efficiency. Even though the ride lasts all of 17 seconds they manage to run five trains at a time.
Top Thrill Dragster uses the same type of restraints as Millennium Force, a seat belt a small lab bar. Once the trains move out of the station they are stopped near a row of lights. A voice tells us to keep our arms down, head back, and hold on. Then the lights count down to green and then we’re off!
The launch is possibly the most forceful I’ve ever experienced. There is hardly any time to think about how fast we are going before the train goes vertical. Traveling up Dragster’s tower, we are convinced that the ride want’s to throw us into Lake Erie. At the top there is a brief moment to look around at Cedar Point from 420 feet up. Then, we drop. Nothing will get your heart racing like spiraling straight down toward the Earth at 100 
mph. At the bottom, the track levels off before magnetic brakes bring us to a halt.
Sure it was only 17 seconds, but they were possibly the most insane 17 seconds of your life. If Top Thrill could only keep up the intensity and have a few more elements after the launch, something like Storm Runner at Hersheypark, it would be perfect. Trent’s Final Rating – 9.0 (Excellent)
Here’s a POV video of Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point:
Top Thrill Dragster is rated ‘EX’ for Extreme. It is an insane 5 out of 5 on the Thrill Scale, thanks to its intense launch and incredible height.
Also, check out the most controversial Roller Coaster Showdown ever: Top Thrill Dragster vs. Kingda Ka.
And here are more Cedar Point coaster reviews:
Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200, Maverick, Mean Streak, & Mantis
Have you ridden Top Thrill Dragster? What do you think? Please comment. Awesome image courtesy of CoasterImage.