Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

Those of you still hoping for Zamperla over Intamin may want to skip over this.

I put together the below comparison of tower supports. The 2023 supports match up well with Intamin's Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka designs.

Exhibit A: Note how the bottom flange and bolt circle is constructed.

Exhibit B: Note the feature below the flange circled with yellow and shown in CP's Twitter post.

It's possible Zamperla modeled their own supports off of Intamin. I'm sure if they do own this, they have the original designs. However, I'm going with Intamin. Less than 2 weeks to know for sure!

Ok someone online mentioned this. “Smoke the competition”. There is one form of racing that smoke is an integral part of the entire race. It also has highly acrobatic sky maneuvers like the top hat AND the color scheme makes sense looking like clouds:

That 'feature' is called a shear key. It's found in almost every large structural steel construction out there. It would not signify anything either way.

The shear key design of the new footer is identical to Top Thrill Dragster’s and Kingda Ka’s design. For comparison B&M uses an I-beam cross sectional shape. Of course Zamperla could copy Intamin, there’s nothing proprietary about the design.

You might be on to something. Project high point might be called Pylon

All I know about the Vs is they better be consummate Vs, consummate Vs!

For anyone still holding out hope for an air time hill on the launch

Well, that's a bummer. An extension of the layout seemed like a tough sell. I thought it would have been nice to have a (simple) hill on the launch or brakes just for a little something new but I guess the supports going (back) in pretty much seals that idea. Blah.

Formula V Air Racing is a motorsport based on a small airplanes

Ahhh.. this is making much more sense, and explains the “V” and “Drive the Sky”

Formula V Air Racing

I'd like to see how they'd theme the trains for that

Y'know... part of me wanted to say that ya'll are reading into the VVV too much, but now I'm glad I didn't say anything because they're leaning into it hard.

Wonder if there will be a tunnel at all? Could be a fun feature.

If they are going with formula V a set of pylons around the spike (or whatever would be back there) and in the infield could be cool.

Gravity:

Did we forget TTD's launch used to have a smoke effect upon launch?

Yes, yes I certainly did.

Sam87:

The shear key design of the new footer is identical to Top Thrill Dragster’s and Kingda Ka’s design. For comparison B&M uses an I-beam cross sectional shape.

It could be that the load scenario dictates the design of the shear key rather than the manufacturer.

CPkid77:

Wonder if there will be a tunnel at all?

Forget a tunnel. I want a shed!

‘Load Scenario’ would be a dreadful band name.

The whole thing with the V’s, could it be as simple as Roman numerals? Could we see a height of 555’? Maybe, but 555 would translate to DLV not VVV, however it’s just marketing/branding.

Also, besides the color, the shipping/transport bracing for the brake run track is identical to Sidewinder Safari. Check out how the track is stacked on top of each other in the laydown yards. Leads me to believe the track of both coasters originated from the same fabrication facility. From what I’ve seen, most fabricators are shipping with timber as supports.

Just thought I’d fuel the speculation fire after about 20 years of inactivity and a lost account.