Kevin Poore & Project X Join the Backflip
Club!!:
Last night in Redding, California Kevin Poore became the third monster
truck driver to complete the backflip at the Monster X Tour event at the
Redding Rodeo Grounds!! Kevin's first attempt of the weekend
resulted in a rollover, but on the second attempt, the truck came just far
enough around for the front wheels to pull the truck the rest of the way
over. Congratulations to Kevin on a great accomplishment, only the fourth
successfully landed monster truck backflip!!
(06/28/09)
From the TMB Video Archives: MLMT
2007 Highlight Video!!:
While working on some other projects here at TMB this weekend, we ran
across some of our footage from the 2007 Major League of Monster Trucks
season and thought it would be fun to put together a quick highlight video
of some of the best monster truck racing action we've seen since starting
the Blog. While the MLMT national series concept never ended up panning
out in 2008, 2007 saw great events across the country and TMB was on hand
for all but one of them. From The Dirt Tracks at Lowe's, Texas, and Las
Vegas Motor Speedways to Kentucky Speedway to the Memphis Motorsports Park
drag strip and even the Nashville Superspeedway, it was a ton of fun and
now you can see the best of the action in one TMB highlight video. Check
it out, a thanks once again to Rajeana Bonar, Lynette Bonar and Kaedon
Berry for the great footage!! (06/28/09)
Obsession Racing Press Release!!:
(Menifee, CA - By Jill Swanson)
Obsession Racing
has been in the Pacific Northwest six out of the last eight weekends. The
first event started out in
Roseburg
Oregon on the first and second of May for three Monster Jam events. The
competition consisted of King Krunch, El Matador, TMNT, Caption USA, and
Grave Digger. This was a straight line course where Rick shined round by
round all three days in racing, much to the fans delight. From Oregon we
were fortunate enough to leave our tractor trailer at Dan Rodoni’s shop
(driver of Patriot) so we could fly home to work on Obsessed during the
following week.
Our
next show was in Salinas California, also for Monster Jam. Salinas is one
of Northern California’s most established events. It consists of three
days of displays before the show, with a pit party during Saturday’s
display. We would like to make a special thanks to Mike Pappas (driver of
Tropical Thunder) for getting our Semi to the Salinas show grounds and
tiring Obsession up so it could be ready for the first day of the
displays. We would also like to thank Daron and Aaron Basl for piloting
our trucks back and forth to be put on display. Not many independents are
invited to this show, but we have always been fortunate enough to be
there, nine out of the last ten years. The competition consisted of King
Krunch, El Matador, Patriot, Tropical Thunder, Escalade, Blue Thunder,
TMNT, Grave Digger and Maximum Destruction. This is a very competitive
field to be running against. Rick worked his was through the field taking
out some big named trucks including the Ford sponsored Blue Thunder. As
with all Monster Jam events Rick made a solid freestyle run. We don’t like
to go off of the judge’s scores because the crowd’s response and energy is
the only honest approval we need.
Memorial weekend we started our Northwest tour with WHR
Motorsports in Monroe Washington. The trucks that competed in this tour
were, King Krunch, El Matador, Airborne Ranger, Time Flys and Fired Up.
Monroe was a two day event and Rick was fortunate enough to have the
fastest qualifying times both days. This is always an advantage when
pairing up the rounds for racing. Because fastest goes up against the
slowest, which means the two fastest trucks can not see each other until
the final round. This ended up with Obsession verses King Krunch both
nights in the final rounds. This was David Smith in King Krunch’s weekend
to shine taking both finals. Due to the noise restrictions in Monroe,
Washington they only got to do a quick freestyle to please the fans. From
Monroe, we all traveled to Spokane, Washington for the next WHR event.
Thursday morning media (ABC’s Spokane’s affiliate) came bright and early
having Rick doing donuts and jumping the cars in Obsession. They also put
Eric in the morning news making rounds in his matching Obsession trophy
kart. When anchor man asked Rick when does Eric get to drive the big
truck? Rick stated “right now for your show if you would like”. So they
let Eric hop in the big Obsession and also do some rounds for the ABC
news! Spokane was an extended Chicago Style course. Rick was able to do
very well in qualifying both nights. As he worked his way to the finals he
would see David in King Krunch Friday night in the finals and his team
mate Daron Basl in El Matador on Saturday. This weekend was Rick’s weekend
to shine!
Our next event was Missoula, Montana which is our
fourth year going to Missoula for WHR Motorsports. This was also a two day
event. Friday night Rick had to work hard to get to the finals because in
the first round of racing he broke a sway bar but came back as fast looser
and made the semi finals. On Saturday night Rick made it to the finals and
he was the first one over the finish line, but unfortunately he rubbed a
turning pole knocking it over and gave the win to Darron Basl in El
Matador.
Our next stop was Butte, Montana. This was the first
time WHR Motorsports has done an event in Butte. It was like the last
three events as far as it being a Chicago Style track. On both Friday and
Saturday night Rick was able to get fastest qualifying time and work his
way towards the finals. On Friday night Rick was unable to make the call
to the finals, because coming out of the last corner of the semi finals he
blew an input shaft in his transmission. Rick won the race but it ended
the night for racing and freestyle. On Saturday morning David Smith (King
Krunch) took our broken transmissions apart to make one good one. Within a
few hours they completed one and put it back in the truck for Saturday
night’s event. We were very grateful to David for all of his help so we
could make Saturday’s event. Saturday night it was Rick and David in the
finals. It was a good clean run by both trucks with King Krunch taking the
win.
WHR Motorsports let the trucks freestyle at each of
their events for novelty runs and to show our appreciation to the fans. We
would like to thank all of the sponsors, teams and promoters for making
this last tour an enjoyable work environment. For more information on the
Obsession Racing team, check us out at
www.ObsessionRacing.com!! (06/28/09)
Monster Spectacular Tour Update - "3 Shows,
2 Provinces, 1 Fantastic Weekend"!!:
(By Doug De Nance)
“This is how we
roll” shouted the man they call Mr. Excitement. Jim Koehler,
the
driver of the 2003 World Freestyle Champion Avenger was talking about a
wild monster truck roll over – and it wasn’t Avenger. But his comment
could have easily been applied to the entertainment extravaganza called
Monster Spectacular during the final central Canada leg on the 2009
country wide tour.
The first show was located just north of where Koehler
and Team Scream call home. Just over the twin bridges linking the U.S. and
Canada Sarnia, Ontario hosted a wild night of action that featured total
Team Scream monsters. Each driver knew each truck intimately, so it really
was a battle of driver skills and strategy.
In between Freestyle Motocross action and full contact
XLR – Extreme Lawnmower Racing, the 8 foot tall mini-monster named
Firestarter tossed out tons of t-shirts to the ravenous fans to rev them
up for monster competition. Avenger launched toward the roof of the
building like a missile lifting off to the moon during the Monster Truck
Wheelie Contest and clinched the first win of the evening.
Racing saw Avenger defeat Jeff Anderson in Spike to
advance to the final. Koehler faced off against Rich “H-bomb” Hilgendorf
in Brutus after the H-bomb beat Koehler’s younger brother Steve in
Wrecking Crew. Racing is great when the video judges have to be called in
and this final went to video replay to award Avenger his second win of the
night.
“It’s time for MOOOONNNSSSTER TRUCK
FRRREEEEEEEEESTYYYYLLLLEEE” screamed Koehler, his face as red as his hair,
as the trucks revved up for the final competition in Sarnia. Wrecking Crew
was first out and seemed tentative – Steve Koehler perhaps intimidated by
his older brother’s insane reputation. But on his last hit, Wrecking Crew
pogo’ed on the car stack from a sky wheelie to a twelve o’clock slap
wheelie, dragging the wheelie bar across the cement as the sparks flew.
As one big dog exited the track, another big dog was
ready to take a bite at Freestyle. Once Spike completed his run it was the
bark of Brutus who set the crowd to howling. As aggressive as a pit bull,
Brutus attacked the course. Just as the time was set to expire it appeared
Brutus had bit off more than he could chew. Hilgendorf slammed the truck
down crooked and bounced up into a bicycle riding on two wheels. Showing
the driver skill that’s expected at the level of competition that Monster
Spectacular is famous for, H-bomb drove the truck out of what appeared to
be certain disaster.
Avenger then roared onto the track, green headlights
glowing ominously. Mr. Excitement lived up to his name as he threw Avenger
around the course like a demon car. “It has a mind of its own and it does
want it wants” Koehler had said of the 1957 Bel Air, and Avenger had a
mind to blow the minds of the Monster Spectacular spectators. While Chris
Arel, the master mind behind the most unique competition format in monster
trucks, keeps the scores secret until the very end of the Monster
Spectacular tour so that every truck will perform like a potential winner
every night, Avenger need no coaxing beyond showing his Team Scream
teammates why he is the boss.
The trucks were scraped into the haulers and the team
drove all night to be sure they could arrive on time for the next day’s
show in Ottawa. The citizens of Canada’s capital came out in droves and
filled the home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators to the point of bursting.
They knew that Monster Spectacular had lined up something personal. While
some of the big name independents in the monster truck business would be
there, they came to see one fight in particular – Jim Koehler and Avenger
would face off against the reigning Monster Spectacular champion, Mike
Vaters and Black Stallion.
Always the master showman, Chris Arel staged Avenger
and Black Stallion within spitting distance of each other for the VIP Pit
Party. The two veteran competitors stole glaring glances at each other as
they were mobbed by the fans. By the start of the show, the tension was so
thick it was palpable in the air.
Arel’s clever formatting forced that tension to fester
further, as monster truck competition would not begin until the close of
the first half of the show. Fans were delighted with BMX and FMX –
including a series of back flip variations from two time Canadian
Freestyle Motocross champion Ben Millot. Quads battled, Sport bikes
dazzled, and tons more t-shirts were tossed as DJ Karl rocked the house.
Then it was time for the big boys with the big toys and the big noise.
Trey Meyers and Iron Warrior was the first truck to hit
the fresh cars in the Monster Wheelie Competition. The man who holds a
Masters in Business Administration did not look like a master this night.
Launching off the first car, Meyers landed the chassis of Iron Warrior
squarely on the last car, wedging it tightly between the front and rear
axles. He was stuck tight. Arel gave him a moment to try and dislodge the
truck, and then sent the next monster to the track.
Three trucks worked their wheelies on the other car
stack as Meyers struggled to free Iron Warrior. Then Vaters launched Black
Stallion straight at his team mate. Slamming the front end of the
monstrous steed into the face of Iron Warrior, Vaters put on a clinic of
driving skill as he worked his truck to set Iron Warrior free. Vaters,
ever the gentleman, then backed off to let Meyers have his second pass at
the Wheelie Competition. Unfortunately for Meyers, the second pass was to
no avail, as Vaters took the Wheelie competition in the cheer off.
Every so often, a miracle occurs. It seemed that was
the case this night in Monster Truck Racing. Vaters could have taken his
champion’s bi into the Final. But Vaters always wants to earn his way and
demanded that Black Stallion be allowed to race his way to a win.
Considering that Vaters rarely ever loses a straight ahead monster tuck
drag race, the smart money would have been on the six time Monster
Spectacular Champion. But a long shot blew Vaters transmission and blew
Avenger out of the winner’s circle this night. Steve Hearley blasted the
original monster, Godzilla, past all competitors to a racing win.
“I spent two days earlier in the week at the base
welcoming the Canadian soldiers back from their middle east tour”, said
Hearley. “This win is for all they do for Canada and the free world”.
Earlier Koehler was quoted as saying “this is how we
roll.” He was speaking of Monster Freestyle in Ottawa. The roll he was
talking about was by his team mate Brutus. The previous night, Hilgendorf
had managed to drive out of sending the truck up on the driver side two
wheels. Not this night. Over went Brutus as pieces of the roof flew
through the air and the crowd roared their approval. The heavy equipment
could not seem to solve how to get the big dog back on his paws. But
Koehler took a page out of Vaters' playbook and used Avenger to pull
Brutus upright.
Again the tour team drove all night to be ready for the
final stop of the weekend. And what a treat it was. An outdoor show in the
picturesque province of Quebec and the even more beautiful town of Trois
Rivières. Plenty of room to open up the monsters and have some throwback
style motorsports entertainment.
The Demolition Devil Scott Turkowtiz started things off
with a bang – literally. The stuntman from Green Bay, Wisconsin launched a
car off his custom built ramps to fly 30 feet into the car stack, making a
loud dent in the third crush car. Ben Millot again provided upside down
back flip variations in Freestyle Motocross, but this time it was twice as
dangerous as the wind blew hard enough to twist his Suzuki off axis for
landing. And ATV’s battled for the bragging rights as Team Quebec beat
Team Ontario in both the drag race and oval track events.
The Monster Wheelie competition saw four or five passes
with a central card stack and two van stacks at play. Vaters couldn’t wait
to test out his new tranny and roared onto the track before Brutus had
even managed to get back to the pits. The trucks pulled out everything
they had and the judging was so close it had to be called by the track
officials. Black Stallion’s aggression paid off and Vaters won the Wheelie
Contest.
The Demotion Devil rolled a car to start the second
half and seemed to predict what might happen in Monster Freestyle. It was
all out war on the track as the monster trucks flew through the air. Arel
had dreamed up a most unique obstacle, stacking an extra car on an angle
at each end of a five car stack, creating a monster half pipe. This
launched trucks to crash down on their tailgates or front bumpers in the
centre of the stack. Al that is except Vaters. Black Stallion hit the half
pipe so hard that Vaters cleared the entire obstacle for the biggest air
of the tour.
Vaters had burned up the track with Black Stallion
during Monster Truck Freestyle. Then he really burned up the track to wrap
up the show. He had brought Kamikaze, the world’s only jet ATV back from a
European tour just for this show. Backing the 30,000 rpm jet engine within
inches of a van from the stack, Vaters blasted the jet into the van and
burned it to ashes.
As the black smoke billowed into the setting sunset,
Monster Spectacular closed out its final show in central Canada. But wait,
there’s more!! The final date on the 2009 Canadian tour is still to come.
Make your travel plans now as a champion will be crowned in the western
wilds of northern Canada when Monster Spectacular roars into Dawson Creek,
check out the tour website at
www.MonsterSpectacular.com for more
information!! (06/28/09)
Frank Krmel to Make Blue Thunder Debut @
Monsters on Mainstreet!!:
(Aurora, IL)
Feld Motor
Sports, Inc. announced today that Frank Krmel, a seasoned veteran of the
Monster Jam® tour, will be introduced as the newest driver of Blue
Thunder® to fans this Saturday in Tuscola, Ill., at the fourth-annual
Monsters on Mainstreet promotion brought to you by Ford Trucks and Monster
Jam.
The 30-year-old Krmel, a Detroit native, has been
racing monster trucks for the past seven years. After a breakout 2009
season driving the Donkey Kong™ monster truck, Krmel took home the Double
Down trophy during the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas with the
fastest qualifying time.
“I
couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to join the Built Ford Tough
Blue Thunder Team,” said Krmel. “I’ve had the privilege of driving for
many great teams in my career, and this is truly an honor. It really is a
dream come true for me to get behind the wheel of Blue Thunder. Being from
the Detroit area, it makes me even prouder to represent a legendary brand
like Ford Motor Company. Linsey Weenk and I have one goal, and that is to
get Blue Thunder into the winner’s circle every week, while entertaining
the great Monster Jam fans in the process. I couldn’t think of a better
way to get started with the Build Ford Tough Blue Thunder team than with
the winner of Monsters on Mainstreet.”
“We knew that Frank was the right guy for the Blue
Thunder team,” said Kevin Schebil, Experiential Marketing Manager, Ford
Motor Company, “and we are confident that his driving and mechanical
experience, strong performance record and warm interaction with fans will
add up to Frank being an outstanding representative of the Built Ford
Tough brand.”
Krmel joins veteran Blue Thunder driver Linsey Weenk on
the Built Ford Tough Truck team who also debuted at a Monsters on
Mainstreet grand prize event in Crete, IL in 2007.
“Frank is a huge asset to any team; I’m excited he
joined the Built Ford Tough Blue Thunder® team,” said Linsey Weenk, Blue
Thunder Team Driver. “He’s a great friend and great competitor. I think
you will see a World Finals style Frank Krmel at every one of his shows -
he always aims to impress.”
For more information on Monster Jam, head on over to
www.MonsterJam.com!! (06/23/09)
Larry Quick Does It Again: Backflip #2 In
Cheynne, WY!!:
Larry Quick has done it again, completing the monster truck backflip for
the second time last night at the Monster X Tour event held at the
Frontier Rodeo Grounds in Cheynne, Wyoming. Congratulations to Larry on
another great accomplishment, only the third successfully landed backflip
in monster truck history!! Word is that another truck and driver
will be attempting the feat next weekend at the Monster X Tour event in
Redding, California - stay tuned!! (06/20/09)
Bigfoot 4x4 Unveils New Snake Bite Paint
Scheme!!:
(Hazelwood, MO)
Bigfoot 4x4 has
just finished giving Snake Bite a more updated and modern look. The NEW
Snake is booked at several events this summer and fall. The team had
planned to give this truck a new identity the first of next year, but
after it suffered significant damage in Lima, OH, we realized that now was
the perfect time!
We
created the paint scheme with the help of our graphics man Jeff Cook, and
painter Randy Lenger. This whole project was completed from start to
finish in 2 WEEKS. Not too bad for a custom paint job!
There
is even a new Snake Bite shirt available for sale already! Check out
our website at
www.Bigfoot4x4.com for more information on the design, a
schedule of where Snake Bite can be seen this summer and to get your
t-shirt today!!
And
be sure to look for the all new Snake Bite at an event near you - you
never know who will show up behind the wheel!! Who is that masked
man?? (06/17/09)
Monsters On Mainstreet Autograph Session at
Tim Mooney Ford!!:
(Aurora, IL)
The
fourth-annual Monsters On Mainstreet event is heading to Tuscola, Ill.,,
where the Blue Thunder® Race Team will appear at Tim Mooney Ford for a
free, open-to-the-public autograph session on Friday, June 26 from 4:00 –
7:00 p.m., and again on Saturday, June 27 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Tim
Mooney Ford is located at 46 East Southline, Tuscola, IL 61953.
Earlier this year, Tuscola native Michael Ruggles, a huge Monster Jam fan,
was one of more than 54,000 people who registered for a chance to win a
2009 Ford F-150 XLT and their very own hometown Blue Thunder BBQ in the
Built Ford Tough Monsters On Mainstreet sweepstakes. As one of three
finalists, he and his guests were treated to a VIP trip to Las Vegas and
the Monster Jam World Finals at Sam Boyd Stadium. Then, before a sold-out
crowd of almost 37,000 fans, Ruggles randomly selected the key that
started a Built Ford Tough F-150 pickup – making him the Grand Prize
winner.
The autograph sessions kick off the Tuscola festivities
that culminate with a backyard Blue Thunder BBQ, compliments of Ford
Trucks. As the Grand Prize winner, Ruggles will host 25 friends and family
for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Blue Thunder monster truck
team, including veteran driver Linsey Weenk, and Frank Krmel – making his
first appearance as the new addition to the Blue Thunder team – will be at
the BBQ in Ruggles’ backyard, along with the Blue Thunder ride truck.
Check back to
www.MonsterJam.com for details on how the
Built Ford Tough Blue Thunder team will take over Michael's backyard.
Tuscola will never be the same! (06/17/09)
TMB TV Episode 2.9 - LaPorte, IN Monster
Truck Nationals!!:TMB TV is back with our biggest episode ever as we feature
monster trucks from LaPorte, IN!!
An incredible fourteen trucks competed in racing and freestyle in three
action packed shows, featuring Bounty Hunter, Summit Bigfoot, Amsoil Shock
Therapy, Excaliber, War Wizard, Geter Done, Cult Energy Activator and many
more!!
With TMB TV Host Ross Bonar
and video master Colby Marshall, along with a second angle from Shane
Skinner, we kick off the summer with an incredible episode. Don't wait any longer, click the
link below to watch over 2 hours of non-stop action from LaPorte, Indiana!! (06/13/09)
The La Porte County Herald-Argus - RPM Fest
Post Event News:
The La Porte, Indiana local news organization, the La Porte County
Herald-Argus, has had some articles of note to industry persons regarding
this past weekend's RPM Fest, see them
below:
Australian Monster Tours of Destruction
Update!!: Clive
Featherby and the KC’s Fireworks bunch have been having another great
Monsters Tour of Destruction in 2009 and there are many exciting
new things in the works! New trucks are being built, new names are
debuting, the current trucks are getting big updates and the South Pacific
World Finals is returning to Brisbane in November!!
The
South Pacific World Finals 2 will be held at the Brisbane International
Speedway this year, located in Archerfield, Queensland on November 14th,
2009. The Finals have been moved from the indoor Brisbane Entertainment
Centre to the outdoor venue so as to better accomodate the large crowd
expected. The venue is being completely revamped with more seating
installed to bring the total capacity to 12,000 and to create a more
“stadium-type” atmosphere. The outdoor venue, complete with catch fencing
will also allow never before seen obstacles at an Australian event.
This year will again see 10 trucks contesting the
racing and freestyle championships, with no less than 5 top USA drivers
taking on 5 of the best Australian drivers, who will be out to redeem
themselves after last year’s close loss. Three drivers have been announced
thus far, the first being Dan Patrick, who will not only return to defend
last year’s racing title, but will also drive his own truck Samson – more
on that in a minute.
Also returning to compete in the South Pacific World
Finals this year will be Paul Shafer, who will be taking on the
competition in the newly refurbished Monster Patrol. Competing in
Australia for the first time, the third American driver will be Paul
Jensen, former driver of the Spiderman and Kaptain Insano trucks.
In addition to the monster truck racing and freestyle
championships, fans will see the world’s biggest motorcycle, the 14 ton
monster motorbike, a stunning pyromusical fireworks and light spectacular
and the world’s first Hummer Jet vehicle. Keep watching
www.KCsFireworks.com for more information on this huge
event.
As previously mentioned, several new trucks are in the
works and the existing trucks undergoing big upgrades. The biggest news
involves two brand new identities from Warner Brothers. The Sony
Playstation 3 Motorstorm deal has ended and that truck has undergone a
complete transformation into Australia’s own unique version of the Taz
monster truck. The truck made its debut in Maitland, NSW, first unveiled
to the media on May 13th, and competing for the first time on Saturday,
May 16th. A big thanks to our good friend Darryl Smith for the shots of
Taz in action!
Soon
to join his Warner Brothers friends Batman, Scooby Doo and Taz on the
Monsters Tour of Destruction will be one of the most famous cartoon
characters of all time – Bugs Bunny! A brand new chassis is being competed
at Rich Inman’s Concussion Engineering shop in Ellis Grove, IL. The
chassis with parts from Patrick Enterprises will be assembled and shipped
to Australia to await completion of the wild new 3D body in the works for
“Bugs” (not "Bugsey's Revenge as shown in the concept drawing below).
Linsday Houston from LDI Kuston Signs and Designs will be heading up the
design once again after his great work on other KC’s trucks.
Dan
Patrick enjoyed winning the South Pacific World Finals event so much last
year, he’s coming back this year, this time with his own truck Samson! Dan
is building a brand new, state of the art truck that will be an exact
replica of his very own Samson truck right down to the famous bulging
muscle arms. This truck will be on par with any of the Grave Digger or
Blue Thunder trucks of the Feld Entertainment fleet and will continue to
bring Australian efforts up to yet another level. Dan has also returned to
Australia in the last couple weeks to oversee the ongoing upgrade of the
KC’s monster fleet.
Monster Patrol is due for an update as well, as the
truck is set to get a whole new facelift and will return to the public
arena as the K Zone Monster Patrol with a whole new police-themed look.
Gone will be the current Sheriff and in its place will be a more kids
friendly themed truck, similar to the CARS movie Sheriff. The flashing
lights will stay as will the green colors, but that's about the only
resemblance you will see to the old Monster Patrol.
Finally, the truck that started it all in Australia is
currently undergoing an extensive rebuild. The original Outback Thunda has
run its last show and has had a gas tourch run through it, cutting into
three pieces. The truck started its life as Rocky Mountain Thunder owned
by Nick Jackson and ran names like Lunatic, The Rock and Bronco Magic over
the years. Last year’s Australian freestyle champ Kreg Christensen and his
son Paul Jenson have been working 18 hour days to get the old Thunda’
turned into a new Thunda’. They have been slaving away for two weeks
modernizing the truck - gone are the old coil springs replaced by all new
shocks, new diffs, housings, a brand new motor, new steering and basically
half a new chassis built by Kreg and Paul. Once finished, the truck will
be outfitted with the Outback Thunda 2 Body and should be ready in time
for the July shows as basically a completely new truck.
Another bit of U.S. influence is currently going on as
well, as Corey Clarke, the original driver of Blacksmith has arrived in
Australia and will be spending the next month touring with the trucks.
There is so many great things happening in 2009 for the
KC’s Fireworks crew as during all of this work, they are continuing to
tour Australia, performing in front of packed houses. A big thanks to
Clive and Tracey Featherby, Chris George and Darryl Smith for keeping us
up to date with all the goings on in Australia, stay tuned for more
updates as they become available. In the meantime, keep checking out
www.MonstersTourofDestruction.com to stay up to date with all
the action! (06/03/09)
Monster Spectacular Tour Update - “Jump the
Gun”:(By Doug
de Nance) “Wait, what’s he doing?”, screamed the announcer as Bounty
Hunter pulled out for the Last Chance Qualifier. “He had the fast time in
the time trials – he gets a bi straight into the Final!!!” The final day
of Monster Truck Racing in Abbotsford was suddenly a flurry of confusion.
Darren Migues always says he’s “gunnin” for the
competition” in Bounty Hunter. But this time he appeared to have jumped
the gun. Giving up his Monster Truck Racing Final position to his team
partner Joe Miller in Iron Outlaw, Migues roared to the starting line to
race his way into the Final against an always lightening fast Don Frankish
in Maniac.
Frankish had his own experience jumping the gun the
night before. On the first night in Abbotsford, BC, Frankish had seemingly
red lighted against Joe Miller on the way to a qualifying round racing
win. But the track officials ruled it a fair start and Maniac squared off
for the Final against team partner Gary Schott, Jr. in Jurassic Attack.
Perhaps a little gun-shy after coming so close to a false start moments
before, Frankish took the conservative approach. That is never a good
choice when it comes to Monster Truck Racing, as the big teal-colored
Triceratops blasted across the finish line for the win.
However, that first night Racing win and a wild
freestyle that included a standing start wheelie took its toll on
Jurassic. The monster managed to pull out for the final matinee VIP Pit
Party, but lost oil pressure and was unable to compete. Gary Schott, Jr.
would not have the chance to repeat as Racing Champion this weekend.
It may have been repeat Racing wins that was on Migues’
mind as he roared out for the LCQ that Sunday afternoon. For two weeks in
a row, his young team partner Joe Miller had beaten Migues in Racing.
Migues is highly competitive – as his back to back Monster Truck Wheelie
Competition wins that weekend proved – which is what makes him such a star
attraction driving the 2005 World Champion Bounty Hunter. So calm, cool
and calculating, it was unlike Migues to jump the gun and pull onto the
track when it was not his race.
As the track officials scrambled to make sense of the
move, suddenly it became so clear. Migues wanted to be sure he would face
Miller in the final. He was going to ensure the tiebreaker in his two week
war with Miller, by racing his way into the final against Iron Outlaw. But
it wouldn’t be easy. He was lined up opposite Don Frankish, and the four
time former Canadian Monster Truck Champion Maniac. There is truly nothing
more exciting than two titled trucks when everything is on the line.
Off the line it was a neck and neck drag race over the
cars. But Bounty’s nose dipped a split second before Maniac came out of
the arc over the car stack. Migues had earned his objective – to face iron
Outlaw in the Racing Final.
The tension was so thick that the crowd was dead silent
as the trucks were silenced by the remote ignition interrupter test. Not
once did Migues look at the official or the starting line. His intense
glare had only one subject – one Joe Miller in Iron Outlaw. As the trucks
fired to be staged for the start, the driver of Bounty Hunter slowly
shifted his eyed to the starting line.
The building literally shook as the two trucks launched
out of the start, the massive horsepower of the 2 Extreme Racing Team’s
star trucks combining for 3600 hsp. In the blink of an eye it was over.
But the celebration was just beginning. For the third week in a row,
Miller had beaten his team partner – the star power Bounty Hunter truck –
in Racing.
“I like the way it launches and I like the way it
lands”, said Miller of what made Iron Outlaw such a special truck. But
what made Iron Outlaw truly special was the 27-year-old certified sniper,
whose hair trigger throttle foot made it a special afternoon. The newest
faction of Monster Spectacular fans, the Miller Mob, mobbed their hero at
the VIP Post Show Pit Party.
Mark Monster Spectacular on your calendar now by
getting tickets today to the next show. Do it now, before the rivalry
heats up even more. You don’t want to miss a moment of the best monster
trucks in the business burning up the track. Plus motorsports
entertainment like Lawn Mower Racing, Sport Bike Freestyle, Freestyle
Motocross and much more motorized mayhem. Check out the schedule at
www.MonsterSpectacular.com! (06/03/09)
Monster Madness Tour Update - Ottawa & Peterborough!!:
The Monster Madness tour is continuing across Canada, as Public
Disturbance, Shell Camino, Bombshell and Easyriders have spent the last
two weekends in Ottawa and Peterborough in Ontario. Ottawa would see the
trucks competing in two shows on Saturday with Brad Campbell sweeping
racing in Public Disturbance. The ladies would be tops in freestyle as
Jenn Campbell took the afternoon win in Bombshell, while Shelley Kujat in
Shell Camino nailed down the victory Saturday night.
From
there it was off to Peterborough where things would get started with a
bang as Kevin Koszala took Easyriders over in the Saturday afternoon
wheelie contest for the win. Shelley would sweep racing while Brad swept
freestyle on Saturday. Koszala would return to take the Sunday race win,
while Shelley closed the weekend strong with another freestyle win. A big
thanks to Ron Kujat for the photos and for continuing to keep us up to
date with all the goings on on the 2009 Edge Tour!! (06/03/09)
Hall Brothers Racing Items for Sale!!:(Champaign, IL) Hall Brothers Racing is currently having a fleet
reduction Sale!! The following excess inventory is for sale: 2003
Freightliner Columbia condo tractor with 491,000 miles, Series 60, 10
speed, gets 7 mpg, $35,000; 2002 T & E Trailer - smooth side, spread axle,
ramp door, workshop, shower & toilet, central air conditioning, tons of
storage, shock rack, air compressor, tire lift, brand new 17.5 kW diesel
generator, Michelin radials, ready to load up and go to the raceing,
$125,000 with new white paint; 7.5 kW diesel generator set, water cooled,
very low hours, $4,500; 2007 Featherlite 28’ gooseneck trailer, Model
4941, 42” side door, perfect condition, $18,500; Joe Hunt H3 magnetos with
external coils and Dunn cross drives, 3 fresh - $850 each, 3 brand new -
$1,000 each; and 4 Detroit lockers for F106 Rockwell, $550 each. For more
information on these items, contact the team through email at
hallbrothersracing@earthlink.net. (06/03/09)
Monster Truck Racing Super Series Returns to Springdale!!:
The O’Reilly Monster
Truck Racing Super Series storms into Parsons Stadium in Springdale,
Arkansas for one wild, heartstopping weekend this Friday & Saturday, June
5th-6th at 7:30 PM both nights. See the top monster trucks in all out war
including Tail Gator, Barbarian, Geter Done, Havoc and Big Dawg in
head-to-head, side by side, wheel to wheel and Chicago-style racing
competition. Plus see the monsters in the wildest freestyle competition
ever. The Sergeant Smash monster ride truck will also be on hand for kids
of all ages to ride!
In
addition to the monsters, you’ll see the Tuff Trux – Pro Stadium Trucks
direct from TV as they fly over the obstacle course in all out motorized
mayhem. Also see the wild wheel to wheel Pro Quad Racing and all its
spills and thrills. Come to the Free Pit Party Friday from 6-7 PM and meet
the drivers, get their autographs and see these monster machines up close
(valid event ticket required).
Kids tickets only 5 Bucks!! Get your tickets early and
save $5 per kids ticket. Regular price is $10. Tickets are just $18 for
adults & $5 for kids. All tickets are higher at the gate. Don’t wait, get
your tickets now as they are on sale at all O’Reilly Auto Parts stores,
Parsons Stadium Rodeo Office or charge by phone 479-927-4530 or
877-927-6336. For more information, visit
www.ParsonsStadium.com!! (06/02/09)
