MONSTER TRUCKS SHOWDOWN

ESTADIO NIDO DE LAS AGUILAS - MEXICALI, MEXICO - 05/05/07

By Lauren Z. Bonar - (continued)

MONSTER TRUCK FREESTYLE (Continued)

The next truck out would be Wayne Tigue driving Amsoil Shock Therapy. The truck still seemed to be giving Wayne a hard time, but he muscled it into some great jumps over the bus stacks. Larry Swim came out in Carolina Crusher with the intention of going big. On only his third hit, he made a giant leap over the bus stack, but his jump was at a bit of an angle, so when he landed, the front tire hit the side of the tabletop. The force of the landing sheared the front wheel right off the truck, causing it to nose over onto its side. Thankfully Larry was ok, and he sure fired up the crowd with the big air over the bus!

Sam "The Man" was next onto the track, and put on a great show, as always, with wheelies, donuts, and some jumps over the bus stack as well.  James in Bearfoot followed, and started off his run with an incredible sky wheelie, going past vertical and spiking the rear of the truck into the carset. This move folded up both of the side panels, so what does James do?  He comes back around and does the same move again!!  Next it was in to a dusty, fast donut that ended with the truck breaking something and James having to quit after only three moves.

Kelvin Ramer is always a threat to win freestyle, and a put forth a great effort in his Natural High Chevy SSR. Wheelies, a donut, and a couple hits on the bus stack definitely put Kelvin in contention for the win. Only two trucks left and Big Dummy would be next up. Frank had a bit of a short freestyle, but definitely brought the crowd to their feet with a good donut and some gigantic air off one of the tabletops.

Last out was Rick Swanson looking for the sweep in Obsession. Rick cut a couple of good donuts, and had some jumps on the car stacks during his run, but what really fired up the crowd was his ending move. To end the show, Rick drove over to where his good buddy Frank parked Big Dummy and parked Obsession right up on Big Dummy's tires. The crowd loved this and that extra flair put Rick over the top, giving him the sweep of the first ever Monster Trucks Showdown in Mexicali!!

See below for photos of the rest of the freestyle action and be sure to stop by the Videos section and see the great video footage by Justin Feezer. Thanks again for all of your help Justin!!

AMSOIL SHOCK THERAPY

CAROLINA CRUSHER

UNNAMED & UNTAMED

BEARFOOT

NATURAL HIGH

BIG DUMMY

OBSESSION

After the show, giant trophies were presented to the top finishers in racing and freestyle. Rick Swanson received the two first place trophies for his victories. Frank Schettini received a second place racing trophy. James Tigue in Bearfoot received the second place trophy in freestyle, with Ronnie Sturges getting third. This is only the second event I have seen a promoter give away trophies for the top performers--very impressive and appreciated!  See below for photos of the top drivers and some of the aftermath of the show:
 

After tire-ing down and reloading the trucks back on their respective trailers, we were all invited to a very nice restaurant that just kept bringing different cuts of steak until all had their fill. This dinner brought the staff, as well as the driver and crews together for a victory celebration for all. There were speeches by Omar and Gerardo with Gerardo taking the lead. Rick Swanson the overall Mexicali Champ had some things to say. Frank Schettini and Sam Sturges said a few words, and they even invited me up to say a few things on behalf of TheMonsterBlog.com. I took that time to thank everyone, but to point out, if it was not for Sam Sturges and his crew / family, I would not be there. The night ended with many laughs and lots of congratulations as this Monster Trucks Showdown in Mexicali was a huge success.

THE FINAL WORDS

We hung out in Mexicali on Sunday, as there is no commercial traffic allowed across the border on the weekends. Bright and early Monday morning, everyone loaded up the trucks and headed back across the border, on their way home.
 

Talking on the phone with Omar after arriving home, he informed me that Pro-3 Entertainment far exceeded their expectations. From my point of view, for all the Salman’s and their staff did for the fans, drivers, crew and all the effort they put forth, there is no doubt there will be many more successful events from this group in the future!  Word is that they will be heading to a baseball stadium in Tijuana, Mexico this September, so start making your plans now!!  With that said, I want to offer my thanks again not only to the Salman’s, but to the fans as well. There was a great turn-out and with that kind of support, monster trucks have the opportunity to thrive in Mexico.

Thanks also go to all the drivers and teams that made the trip to Mexicali. It was a pleasure getting to see everyone, and it was also really nice to get to hang out behind the scenes and get to know everyone a little better off the track. Most of all I have to thank Sam Sturges and his team for their hospitality this weekend. The whole experience was one I will never forget and Sam treated us great. Hopefully we will get to head down to Tijuana with them again this fall!!

Finally thanks to all of the loyal fans of the Blog that are reading this coverage. Your support of the site is what keeps us out there covering shows!!  Be sure to stop by the Fan Forum and let us know what you thought of the coverage. Until next time...See you out there!
 

- Lauren Z. Bonar

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