Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

PyroKinesis09

35 minutes ago
I dunno about you, but I would want my engineers to select fast and good, not cheap and good. Cheap things break.

Agree but it is sad that cheap is the way things go anymore. It always comes down to "how can we make it cheaper and more profitable". I am an engineer and always design for the best product on the market but when the bean counters get their hands on it they want the cheapest way to go. I cover myself by documenting everything and when it breaks I can then say "told you so".

Jeff:

The theme isn't likely to change, given the surgical precision with which they kept the existing stuff.

I disagree. I think they were waiting for the season to end to take out more stuff. Taking out the old station, taking the track off the old tower, and taking out old theming is much easier after the park closes. I would also be shocked if they keep the old race theme. I think that would cause more confusion for most park guests as to "What happened to dragster". They said that dragster as you know it is being retired. If it reopened just with a new launch I think most guests wouldn't notice or think of it as "new".

But a lot of this is of course based on the size of this project, how much exactly are they going to redo? I could be wrong.

Simplest explanation blah blah blah.

MagnumMatt: For ****'s sake, I changed the forum to eliminate previous quote posting and you copy and pasted it anyway. Do you repeat everything back to people talking to you before responding?

I have a tough time seeing them not changing the theme. I just don't see them going through this process to have the race theming in place for the "new" attraction. I kind of hope I am wrong as I do like the current theme, but I side with the fact they will probably want new completely new branding for the attraction.

Unless it’s not that big a deal. Maybe it’s just Dragster 2.0, or Dragster’s Return, or Revenge of the Dragster. Someone brought up X earlier and that ride didn’t see much of a change, save for lighter weight trains riddled with holes. Changes, yes, but nothing earth shattering.

I would think they would want to try to distance themselves from the incident so changing the theme would seem likely. I would think they would try to make it as far from it's predecessor as possible. And CP has a history of basically removing everything about the rides past when they refurbish a ride into something new. Just look at Rougarou and SV. Nothing about their previous iterations carried over to their current iterations. They just didn't slap the word Iron onto the old name like Six Flags tends to do. So I don't think it will incorporate the name Dragster at all. The christmas tree and finish line could easily be made into something else to go with the new iteration. And with the vacant Matterhorn spot across the way, I think that whole area of the park could be getting a facelift for 2024. Maybe this new iteration of TTD could be tied into whatever goes into Matterhorn's spot with some kind of theme. Power Tower and Corkscrew could even be part of this new theme. Just like how they tied SV and Maverick together with a new storyline when that debuted. Literally anything is possible at this point.

Smiler injured more people than Dragster, and it's still Smiler, so, hey, I suppose no name/theme change is certainly possible!

A severe brain injury is still worse and way more life changing than 2 partial leg amputations imo.

Another clue is that Wild Mouse will be the 18th rollercoaster (re-iterated in the latest blog post). This means 1 of 2 things in my book:

1. Dragster re-opens in 2023 with either a new name or its original name.
2. Dragster opens in 2024 under its original name. (If it opened in 2024 under a new name, then this new ride would be the 18th rollercoaster, not Wild Mouse. See Rougarou.)

And to think, the severe head trauma occurred without the victim even being on the ride nor was the incident a direct result of foolishly overriding the block zone safety system.

In regards to the CP “coaster” count. Does Pipe Scream ever truly coast? Or are the motors always engaged?

PyroKinesis09:

I would want my engineers to select fast and good, not cheap and good. Cheap things break.

You are misunderstanding "cheap" to mean "not good," when in fact "cheap" in this context simply means lower cost. Lower cost does not mean something will break. The "fast, cheap, good - pick two" thing is a simplified, dumbed-down version of the project management triangle.

• If something is to be done fast and good, it won't be cheap. You will get it quickly and it will perform well (i.e. not break), but you will pay a higher price.
• If something is to be done fast and cheap, it won't be good. You will get it quickly and at low cost, but it won't be good (i.e. it will break).
• If something is to be done cheap and good, it won't be fast. It will be relatively inexpensive and good (i.e. not break), but you will not get it quickly.

not that it matters, but RCBD doesn't consider Pipe Scream as a rollercoaster. https://rcdb.com/4529.htm

When they first said it added to their coaster count I remember thinking "really". I don't think i consider it a true coaster.

That silly claim came from Zamperla. They extended their Disk’O thrill ride by adding a hill and somehow thought that made it ok to advertise and name it as a coaster. I think Cedar Point was the only one that fell for it, CF’s Great America did not. (Although Survivor:The Ride was a Paramount addiction, CGA now runs it as Tiki Twirl.)

hm…. I just checked the Zamperla website and it seems they don’t even list the Disk’O coaster, not under coasters, family rides, or thrill rides. I’m pretty sure it’s still available and parks are putting them in.

I do like the attraction but a roller coaster it is not.
I especially enjoy the proper seating arrangement. the standard Disc’os with the outward facing seats leave little to be desired.

Cedar Point said Draster is retired as we know it. We know it as Top Thrill Dragster.

So im 100% sure theres a name change. They already ripped out the name on the signage.

The "racing" theme lends itself to the bleachers and a crowd, all of which are in the danger zone of the train hurling through. The exact risk issue its had. So im guessing they will remove the bleachers and the racing theme.

In 2022.. a space and rocket theme makes alot of sense. Look at movies and TV lately. Everything has been getting the space treatment.

Also, Cedar Fair used nearly identical language in the press release with Knotts and Montezuma's revenge. Nearly IDENTICAL.

That ride is getting new trains, a new launch, new theming, and dun dun dun.. a layout and element change.

Im still firmly in the layout change camp. I feel about 70% that were going to get some form lf added layout. Im 99% sure it WONT be the swing launch thing either.

I am 99% sure you are wrong about 25% of your predictions.

NextGen89:

That ride is getting new trains, a new launch, new theming, and dun dun dun.. a layout and element change.

Interesting. I don’t recall reading about any layout nor element changes for MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress. Just that the direction of the initial launch will differ (forward/reverse) with each dispatch.

what layout and element changes will be made?

djDaemon:

I am 99% sure you are wrong about 25% of your predictions.

Why does everyone on this site pounce on some ones predictions/opinions. So what? It's THEIR opinion/prediction. Let me guess YOU are 99% correct on 25% of YOUR predictions. Better yet YOU are 100% WRONG on 100% of YOUR predictions. Love this site but dang, all some of you do is pounce on peoples opinions when they do not align with yours. Kind of getting old.

We only pounce on the unfounded, unrealistic opinions. And if a fragile snowflake can't handle their opinion being criticized, they probably shouldn't share it on the Internet, much less a discussion forum.

All snowflakes are magical this time of year.