7/27/10

- Mount Vernon, OH Monster Truck
Exhibition Photos!!
- Sylvester Ready to Defend Bristol Freestyle Title Tomorrow Night!!

7/24/10

- Time Flys "Smashing the Shortage" to
Support Donate for Life!!

7/22/10

- Obsession Racing Press Release!!

7/20/10

- All Star Monster Truck Tour Debuts In Rutland, Vermont!!

7/16/10

- Bristol Motor Speedway Brings Back Monster Madness!!

- Obsession Racing Press Release!!

7/15/10

- MLB 2010 All-Star FanFest Features CHEVY Bigfoot!!

7/14/10

- More Cincinnati, OH
Monster Jam Photos!!

- TNT Monster Truck Unveils New Look Supporting Canadian Beast Cancer Foundation!!

- Monster Trucks Coming to the Franklin County Fair!!

7/13/10

- Cincinnati, OH
Monster Jam Photos!!
- Bloomsburg, PA Monster Truck Thunder Drags Photos!!

7/12/10

- Warrenton, MO Monster Truck Show Highlight Video!!

- TMB Summer
Odyssey Continues!!

7/10/10

- Jim & Christopher Allen's Del Mar / Pomona Coverage!!

- Bigfoot 4x4 Open House Highlights!!

7/07/10

- New Ballistic Scheme Photos!!

7/02/10

- TMB Summer
Odyssey Begins!!

Mount Vernon, OH Monster Truck Exhibition Photo Gallery!!:  TMB's Paul Harry was back at it last night at FMG Events brought monster trucks and FMX to the Knox County Fair in Mount Vernon, Ohio for the first time!!  Team Beast's Bobby Holman and Shane Smith would go head to head in wheelie, timed run and freestyle competitions with the boss, Bobby Holman sweeping the night in his Beast machine. A big thanks to Brian Sharenow and the FMG Events team for their hospitality and to Team Beast for a great show. Check out the link below to see all of Paul's awesome shots from the event!!  (07/28/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAUL HARRY'S MT. VERNON, OH MONSTER TRUCK PHOTOS!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

Sylvester Ready to Defend Bristol Freestyle Title Tomorrow Night!!:  (Bristol, TN) Ask Joe Sylvester and he will agree Bristol Motor Speedway is the perfect place for a monster truck freestyle session. He returns to the July 29 Thompson Metal Monster Truck Madness as the defending freestyle champion.
    In just five short years, Sylvester has turned himself into one of monster truck racing’s up-and-coming freestyle stars.
    “Last year (at Bristol), was great, especially for the first year,” he said. “I won freestyle last year, so I’m hoping to repeat that. The truck is working better and we have another season under our belt. I’m ready to come back and put on a good show.”
     Sylvester’s success in freestyle probably can be attributed to the fact that he sees it as an opportunity to showcase the abilities of himself and his truck, named Bad Habit.

     “Freestyle absolutely is my favorite,” Sylvester said. “It allows the drivers more creativity and allows us to show our personality a little more on the track. It is good for our sponsors too, because we have a few minutes where you are the only truck out there. Everyone on television and in the stands is looking at one truck. From a sponsor standpoint, that is really cool. I think freestyle is where it is at with the trucks…I try to concentrate my game on freestyle.”
     Even more impressive than his freestyle skills, the 26-year-old from Boardman, Ohio is the youngest owner/operator in the monster truck business. An acute business sense helped him achieve his goal of racing monster trucks.
     “Since I was a kid,” he explained, “I’ve been around vehicles and machinery. I started running machinery when I was five. I’ve always liked monster trucks since I was a kid. I’ve raced cars, bicycles, motorcross. I did freestyle on bikes and quads. I decided I wanted to move on and monster trucks were the next thing I wanted to do.
     “I worked with Randy Moore from Bristol. He helped me get my feet wet. I went to college for a few years. My family is involved in business with a construction company, and I’ve got a business mind. I was able to propose a business plan to the bank and was able to get the funding for a professional monster truck team. I bought a used monster truck team. I’ve got a different hauler now, and I built a new truck last year.”
     Sylvester completely funds the business himself. He also drives the monster truck and the transporter. Not only does he work on the truck, he completely built it. With such a hands-on knowledge of the sport, Sylvester knows exactly what it takes to keep the machines running at the top of their game.
     “It is a never ending battle,” he said. “The way we drive is hard on the trucks. You have to plan ahead to make sure you have spare parts on the trailer and back at the shop. The more fabricating and things you know how to do yourself helps. It is more cost effective and you don’t have to rely on anyone else.
     “We build our own parts, we keep up on maintenance and we go over the truck with a fine tooth comb every week. If something looks like it is about to break, we replace it before it becomes a problem.”
     Fans will have a chance to see Sylvester’s handiwork up close during the pre-race pit party at Monster Truck Madness.
     “There is no other sport that offers something like that where fans have that hands-on experience with the drivers,” he said about the pit party. “It is cool to meet our fans and talk to them and answer their questions. It helps them relate to us and realize we’re all just regular guys trying to put on a good show for them.
     “In today’s economy, people work hard for their money and they want to see a quality show. That is all part of the show we give them. We like to be personal with our fans and see what they are about and let them see what we are about.”
     Sylvester has experienced much success in his relatively brief career, and he offered a few words of advice to kids hoping to find themselves in the same place.
     “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it,” he said. “Keep your head up and keep a positive mental attitude. Don’t let drugs or alcohol get in the way of your goal, because that stuff will only hinder your performance and hold you down like a boat anchor from accomplishing your goal. Keep a positive outlook. When someone talks down to you, let it go in one ear and out the other. As long as you are willing to work and not let anything stand in your way, you’ll accomplish it. It is a mental thing.”
     Eight of the biggest names in monster truck racing come to town for a show that will be just exciting as the ones on television. Trucks currently scheduled to appear are War Wizard, Avenger, Brutus, Equalizer, Gun Slinger, Tailgator, Raminator and Bad Habit.
     Fans will see the trucks go head to head in racing, followed by freestyle. For those that want to get even closer to the action, the pre-race pit party allows fans to come to the infield of the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” to meet the drivers, get autographs and pose for pictures next to the trucks. Merchandise from the drivers also will be available for purchase.
     Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the gate. Coupons for $5 off adult admission tickets purchased on the day of the event will be available at Thompson Metal Services in Kingsport, Roadrunner Convenience Stores, and area Fas Mart locations. Children 10 and under are only $5.
     To purchase tickets in advance, please visit the BMS ticket office located on the first floor of the Bruton Smith administration building or call (423) 989-6900. For more information, check out www.BristolMotorSpeedway.com!!  (07/28/10)

Time Flys Team "Smashing the Shortage" to Support Donate Life America Charity!!:  (Watsonville, CA) Living the Dream Racing and their Time Flys Monster Truck are Smashing the Shortage and bringing the awareness of the need of Organ donors to a show near you.

     At the San Diego County Fair on July 2, the team had a great opportunity to meet 8 Organ recipients (3 heart, 2 kidney, 2 liver and 1 lung) and their families with Donate Life San Diego. One of the heart recipients drove over 45 miles one way to be there. He was so amazed that he drove home to get his family to come back to the shows.

     The reason behind the Donate Life flag on the truck is that crew member Patrick Carroll is facing a heart transplant in the future. He approached Kelvin and talked to him about running a flag on the truck to bring awareness of the need of Organ Donors.

     Donate Life America assists in mobilizing the transplant community to educate the American public on the need for organ, eye and tissue donation and motivating the public to make an actionable donor designation. For more information, please visit www.DonateLife.net to find out how to sign up in your state. (07/24/10)

Obsession Racing Press Release!!:  (Menifee, CA) Obsession Racing celebrated the Fourth of July holiday weekend with two big shows at the San Diego State Fair on the 2nd and 3rd. Then on the 4th we were in Pomona California for their Annual Forth of July Kaboom show for WGAS Motorsports. For the Friday show Rick only ran our Obsession truck for an exhibition run. He once again pleased the crowd with his performance. On Saturday we were booked to run Obsession and Obsessed.

      The original plan was for Rick and Jeff to drive. After Eric doing the Albuquerque show he was itchin' to drive again but he thought that he wouldn’t be able to do the Del Mar event. Dad was happy to fulfill another one of his dreams by telling him that John Borba agreed to let him drive because he was confident in Eric’s driving abilities, and knew he would put on a great show! Eric and Rick were put up against each other in racing. It was a round a round course. Eric had Dad on the line but slid out in the last turn and Dad took the win!

      This made Eric all the more eager to out shine Dad in freestyle! Racing ended with Rick and Jimmy in Bounty Hunter in the finals for Racing. For freestyle Eric caught some wicked air off the back side of the racing jump. I think he caught some of the biggest air that day! Then he had to try one of Dad’s famous donuts, but the truck slid into the jump and popped the bead off the wheel which the crowd thought was really cool! It was a cheap fix so Mom and Dad were ok with it. Rick had to one up Eric with a donut by taking the steering wheel off and throwing it out of the window! Obsession happily placed second in freestyle!
      For more information on Obsession Racing, visit www.ObsessionRacing.com!!  (07/22/10)

All Star Monster Truck Tour Debuts In Rutland, Vermont!!:  (Sarasota, FL) The All Star Monster Truck Tour blasted through the Vermont State Fairgrounds this past weekend with 5 of the nation’s best monster trucks battling it out each night to become the king of the hill. The Friday Night Wheelie Contest went to Greg Winchenbach in Crushtation putting up a score of 28, narrowly edging out Jeremy Slifko’s score of 27. Chicago-Style Racing was up next with the brackets being set by the wheelie contest finishing order. The brackets made their way down to the finals and it was Jeremy Slifko in Backdraft edging out Mike Barnes in War Eagle for the racing victory. Jeremy’s final round win earned him the coveted 5th and final spot in the freestyle order. All the drivers put it on kill for monster freestyle, with each driver scoring a well-deserved 27 or better. Jeremy Slifko made the most of his final freestyle spot and laid down a fantastic run to score a perfect 30, which put Jeremy as Friday Night’s King of the Hill.

Truck / Wheelie / Racing / Freestyle / King of the Hill

Backdraft - 27 - 30 - 30 - 87/90
Crushtation - 28 - 24 - 29 - 81/90
War Eagle - 23 - 27 - 27 - 77/90
Eradicator - 24 - 24 - 27 - 75/90
Razin Kane- 19 - 21 - 28 - 68/90

      The second and final night of the All Star Monster Truck Tour kicked off with a bang with Greg Winchenbach trying to make it 2-for-2 in wheelie wins scoring a 29 for his effort, but by the luck of the pre-show hat draw, the final truck out was Mike Barnes in the War Eagle who threw his Chevrolet into the air and destroyed his wheelie bar on the landing en route to a perfect score of 30 and the wheelie contest victory. Mike Barnes continued his hot streak making into his 2nd strait final round appearance of the weekend, this time facing off against Crushtation. When the dust settled, literally, the "monstah lobstah" was able to reach the finish line first and take the 30 racing points heading into freestyle. The night wrapped up with another wild freestyle contest, which again saw all the competitors scoring no lower than a well-deserved 26. Tonight was ended up being about the man from Maine as Crushtation was able to throw up three 10s to knock down a perfect 30 and end up with only 1 point away from a perfect night in the King of the Hill standings.

Truck / Wheelie / Racing / Freestyle / King of the Hill

Crushtation - 29 - 30 - 30 - 89/90
War Eagle - 30 - 27 - 28 - 85/90
Backdraft - 23 - 24 - 27 - 74/90
Eradicator - 19 - 21 - 26 - 66/90
Razin Kane - 25 - 24 - DNR - 49/90

     The response from the fans and the Vermont State Fairgrounds staff was loud and clear, the All Star Tour will return in 2011 with an even bigger and better show. For more information on the All Star Monster Truck Tour, visit them online at www.AllStarMonster.com!!  (07/20/10)

BMS Becomes Playground for Monsters As Thompson Metal Monster Madness Returns!!:  (Bristol, TN) Bristol Motor Speedway prepares for a high-flyin’, car-crushin’ good time during the Thompson Metal Monster Truck Madness on Thursday night, July 29.
     Eight of the biggest names in monster truck racing come to town for a show that will be just exciting as the ones on television. Trucks currently scheduled to appear are War Wizard, Avenger, Brutus, Equalizer, Gun Slinger, Tailgator, Raminator and Bad Habit.

     After two rounds of qualifying, the trucks will line up to race each other through a course filled with crushed cars, ramps and anything else Speedway officials can throw at them. The trucks will race until only one is left standing as the overall champion.
     If the racing action is not enough to get the adrenaline pumping, the massive machines will roar back onto center stage for everyone’s favorite event, freestyle.
     Fans will see Bristol’s very own Randy Moore try to defend his house against “Mr. Excitement” Jim Koehler and the rest of the field as they tackle the obstacles to see who can cause the most mayhem and destruction.
     Kids young and old will enjoy watching these 10,000 pound behemoths defy gravity and cause a little carnage in Thunder Valley.
     For those that want to get even closer to the action, the pre-race pit party allows fans to come to the infield of the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” to meet the drivers, get autographs and pose for pictures next to the trucks. Merchandise from the drivers also will be available for purchase.
     In addition, the Team FMX freestyle motocross team will put on a stunning display of awesome jumps and stunts just like the ones seen on TV. The routines are always a crowd-favorite and the Team FMX riders always are happy to put on an amazing show for their screaming fans.
     New to this year’s event is a junk car burn down. A jet car, chained to an old junker, will turn on the afterburners and torch the car until it melts to the ground. The evening ends with a fireworks show to light up the skies above BMS.
     The Monster Truck Madness Pit Party begins at 6 p.m. and takes place on the backstretch. Racing action begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the gate. Coupons for $5 off adult admission tickets purchased on the day of the event will be available at Thompson Metal Services in Kingsport, Roadrunner Convenience Stores, and at area Fas Mart locations. Children 10 and under are only $5.
     To purchase tickets in advance, please visit the BMS ticket office located on the first floor of the Bruton Smith administration building or call (423) 989-6900. For more information on the event, check out www.BristolMotorSpeedway.com!!  (07/16/10)

Obsession Racing Press Release!!:  (Menifee, CA) Over Fathers Day weekend, the Obsession Racing team celebrated owners Rick and Jill's wedding Anniversary doing an event for WHR Motorsports in Missoula Montana, which was held on June 18th and 19th. Fathers Day and our Anniversary are very emotional days for us as Rick’s father had passed away on those two days. Having to race on these days Rick competed with all of his heart to win racing/freestyle in honor of his Father and also for our Anniversary. He managed to full fill his wish as he won racing and did an awesome free style which I am sure made his Dad proud. I was also pleased to have him win on our Anniversary! It was a very special gift that you could not purchase! Eric also got to work the track with the tuff trucks for the first time. He did a great job and had a lot of fun.

     From Missoula Rick and Eric drove to Albuquerque New Mexico for a benefit show for the Tingly Children’s Hospital. I flew to tend to the house and dog until I found out that they wanted Eric to do the event. Of course I wanted to be there to see Eric run for his first time of racing! I booked a plane ticket and flew there to meet them. The event was for two days held on June 25th and 26th. Eric did an incredible job!! It was like he had been driving for years. Friday night he had a wheelie competition and won! Then he got the fastest qualifying time and made it to the semi finals. He freestyle was cut short by an electrical problem that we were able to fix for the show the next night. On Saturday night he got 2nd place in the wheelie competition and made it to the finals with Ben Winslow in the Cult Energy drink truck. He was unable to freestyle because his driveshaft broke in his final round of racing.

      The crew totally enjoyed seeing Eric perform and couldn’t believe he was only 14 and how well he handled truck! Everyone was stopping him and asking for autographs and pictures with him on his through the stands. Rick and I are so very proud of him and enjoyed every minute of his success!  We would also like to thank our friends Lisa and Morley for their hospitality and taking care of us in Albuquerque!
      For more information on Obsession Racing, visit www.ObsessionRacing.com!!  (07/16/10)

MLB 2010 All-Star FanFest Features BIGFOOT!!:  (Hazelwood, MO)  Yes, you read it correctly - BIGFOOT was a featured vehicle at the 2010 MLB All-Star FanFest weekend. We were brought aboard to help represent Firestone, which is the "Official Tire of Major League Baseball" and the "Official Tire of BIGFOOT".

     When we read about Firestone becoming the official Tire of the MLB, we knew we had to figure out a way to be part of the 2010 All-Star game! With Firestone sponsoring our fleet of trucks and with BIGFOOT displays at Firestone dealers across the country, we knew this would be a hit for Firestone and their customers. We immediately had our graphics department put together a few sample drawings and presented those to the folks at Firestone for their opinion. We all agreed it was a GREAT idea, but Firestone needed to get approval from MLB.

     Drawings were sent in, tweaked, and finally approved. There was really only one major question: Since Chevrolet is the Official Truck of Major League Baseball, could the All-Star Firestone-BIGFOOT truck run a Chevrolet body, so BIGFOOT could be at the 2010 All-Star FanFest? The answer: YES! That very day we ordered ourselves a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado fiberglass monster truck body and got to work! We even went so far as to build a Chevrolet big block 540 cubic inch motor with Trick Flow heads!
     The truck turned out awesome with the Firestone-MLB graphics package! There were also a lucky 10,000 people who received a 1/64th scale die cast Firestone-BIGFOOT toy given out during the event!
     We would like to give a BIG thank you to Phil, Michael, Trent, and Trisha with Firestone for making this happen! We could not be more proud to have you all as our partners!!
     For more information the BIGFOOT 4x4 team, visit www.Bigfoot4x4.com!!  (07/15/10)

CP Action Art's Cincinnati, OH Monster Jam Photo Gallery!!:  You've seen all of Paul Harry's great shots from the Cincy Monster Jam, but we're not done yet as Chris Parrish was also on hand for the huge event!!  Check out the link below to see all of Chris's awesome shots and don't forget to check out his personal site, www.CPActionArt.com!!  (07/14/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CHRIS PARRISH'S CINCINNATI, OH MONSTER JAM PHOTOS!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

TNT Monster Truck Unveils New Look Supporting Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation!!:  (Medicine Hat, Alberta)  The Sheer Insanity Monster Truck Racing Team is pleased to announce the release of the new look for the TNT monster truck!  TNT is proud to be officially recognized as a sponsor/promoter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Prairies/NWT Region and the Susan G. Komen - Passionately Pink for the cure Organization in the USA. 100% of donations collected by TNT are given to the organizations.

     Our goal is to raise awareness to all fans in the monster truck world; all those directly or indirectly affected by Breast Cancer and encourage awareness on breast health. It is our passion and pleasure to entertain fans of all ages from one end of Canada and the USA to the other and hopefully inspiring someone else to live by the words that Kathy does... "You've got one life to live.... SO LIVE IT!!!"
     We are currently constructing a website where by you can share your stories, learn about breast cancer detection and prevention and of course keep up to date on the TNT monster truck and Kathy. Bookmark www.CrushingForTheCure.com and keep watch for the launch of this great new site sponsored by Wes Kibble and Off Road Action!
     The Sheer Insanity Monster Truck Racing Team is pleased to announce that they both won awards at the 2010 Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada at the end of March. Ged Barcroft is the 2010 Arena Wheelie of the Year Champion and Kathy Wills is the award recipient of the Humanitarian of the Year. This was an honor and a surprise for both of us.
     We would like to thank our current sponsors for their support and encourage potential new interested sponsors to contact us in regards to marketing and advertising opportunities of Canada's ONLY lady driven/owned truck and the Sheer Insanity Team!
     You can follow current activities of the TNT monster truck on Facebook - be sure to become a fan, and also add Kathy Wills to your friends list for another great way to keep up until the new website is launched and the Sheer Insanity Monster Truck Racing Teams website is updated.  (07/14/10)

Monster Trucks Are Coming to the Franklin County Fair!!:  (Hagerstown, MD)  Monster Trucks are coming to the Franklin County Fair!!  Come out to the Hampton, Iowa's Franklin County Fair Thursday, July 15th at 7PM to see all the monster action including elimination round racing, vertical sky wheelies and everyone’s favorite, 10,000 pounds of monster destruction freestyle competition.

     The monster lineup includes Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Champion Jim Koehler in Avenger, Monster Jam World Finalist Black Stallion, Brutus and the Iron Warrior. Don’t miss the Extreme Freestyle motocross performing sick airborne stunts while jumping 60 foot gaps steel ramp to ramp. If that isn’t enough excitement for you than you don’t want to miss the jet powered 4-wheeler. The jet 4-wheeler will perform speed runs, flame show and a car burn. Spectators will be in awe as they witness the 1500 thrust horsepower engine, speed and flame show of this quad.
      You don’t want to miss this exciting show of thrills, horsepower and destruction at the Franklin County Fair. The fair opens at 10AM with the monster truck event kicking off at 7PM. For more information visit www.VatersMotorsports.com or www.FranklinCountyFair.com!! (07/14/10)

Cincinnati, OH Monster Jam Photo Gallery!!:  TMB's Paul Harry was back at it this weekend as Monster Jam invaded Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, OH for the first time!! A stacked field of 12 trucks competed in racing and freestyle with the legend, Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger winning racing and son Ryan in Spiderman taking freestyle. Click the link below to see all 12 trucks in action through Paul's awesome shots from the event!!  (07/13/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAUL HARRY'S CINCINNATI, OH MONSTER JAM PHOTOS!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

Bloomsburg, PA Monster Truck Thunder Drags Photo Gallery!!:  One of the most storied venues in monster truck history was the scene this past weekend for another round of the 2010 Monster Truck Thunder Drags - the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds. A season that started off with great competition for the championship between Dan Runte in the Retro Bigfoot and Mark Hall in the new Raminator has now become the yearly Hall Brothers Racing domination tour as Mark went 3 out of 4 in Bloomsburg, with teammate Geremie Dishman in Rammunition getting the other win. Hall's lead over 2nd place Runte is now massive after the dominant weekend and Bigfoot's championship hopes are beginning to dwindle. In addition to the racing, there was plenty of great freestyle action from all eight trucks as well. With the TMB crew scattered across the country this weekend, we have to send out a HUGE thanks to our good friend Jason Miller for submitting some absolutely gorgeous photos from Saturday in Bloomsburg - click the link below to check out his amazing work!!  (07/13/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW JASON MILLER'S BLOOMSBURG, PA PHOTO GALLERY!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

Warrenton, MO Monster Trucks Highlight Video!!:  Monster trucks returned to the Warren County Fair in Warrenton, Missouri last Friday night and TMB's Colby Marshall was on hand for all the action as Bigfoot, Cult Energy Activator, Ground Pounder and Prowler battled it out in wheelie, racing and freestyle competitions. Rich Hilgendorf took the wheelie win after making a great save to keep Ground Pounder on all fours, but it was all Rick Long in Bigfoot in racing and freestyle. Big thanks to Brandon Lagarde for his hospitality and to Colby for another awesome highlight video, click the link below to check it out!!  (07/12/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW COLBY MARSHALL'S WARRENTON, MO HIGHLIGHT VIDEO!!

(VIDEO GALLERY)

TMB's Summer Odyssey Update!!:  TMB's 2010 Summer Odyssey is just about complete as we've already seen four great shows and had a ton of fun hanging out here at Monstah Lobstah HQ in Jefferson, Maine. We finish up the trip with the All Star Monster Truck Tour event this weekend in Rutland, Vermont which will feature Crushstation, Backdraft, War Eagle, Eradicator, and Razin Kane competing on Friday and Saturday night. See below for just a quick sample of what we've seen so far, and stay tuned to the TMB Facebook page to keep up with all the action on TMB's 2010 Summer Odyssey!!  (07/12/10)

Jim & Christopher Allen's Del Mar / Pomona Coverage!!:  TMB is always proud to bring you great coverage from our friends out west, Jim and Christopher Allen, and this week that means lots of great photos and all the details from the 2010 Del Mar and Pomona, California events. Check the coverage out below and thanks to Jim and Chris for another job well done!!  (07/10/10)

     "Once again WGAS Motorsports invited teams of monster trucks to perform at Del Mar California’s San Diego County Fairgrounds and the fan favorite July 4th “KaBoom!” in Pomona. The teams were “Living the Dream Racing’s” own “Time Flys” and “Fired Up” driven by Kelvin Ramer and Justin Cluster, both “Obsession” and “Obsessed” with Rick Swanson and Eric Swanson behind the wheels and representatives of “2Xtreme Racing” in the form of Russell Steeley in “Iron Outlaw” and Jim Creten, as always, driving “Bounty Hunter”.
     Shout-outs go to Ron Johnson in his old school monster truck, the T-C Pig Ranch sponsored “Hog Wild”, who had some t-shirts to give away and Jake Blackwell’s awesome ride truck, the Thrasher Racing owned “Extinguisher” , who gave rides to fans young and old all weekend long. The first monster out was “Fired Up” and his freestyle performance set the stage as each driver tried to top the next. Rick Swanson showed why he was the Undisputed Champion from this event one year ago, doing very nice cyclones and rarely laying off the throttle; so much in fact, that steam was coming from the engine area as “Obsession” left the arena. Russell Steeley put Iron Outlaw through its paces, not stopping until everything on the track was hit. However, during the second show of the day he took the big mountain in the middle of the floor, hard broke the right front wheel off and rolled over slowly. Kelvin Ramer was up next and drove over every obstacle, finishing his final run in the evening show with a cyclone with his hands out the window. But the potential winner possibility goes to the former World Champion in Bounty Hunter, using tons of pure horsepower over every jump, getting great air and continuing long after the 90 second time period. It was a great first day in Del Mar.

     For the final day of monster trucks in Del Mar, the first afternoon show was racing only and the second afternoon show was freestyle only. Since only five trucks were competing, this created an interesting race bracket. “Bounty Hunter” would automatically be seeded into the semi-finals. Two winners of the heats would join him along with the fastest loser. From there, two finalists would advance and a racing champion would be crowned succeeding that race.
WGAS officials created a Chicago style race course with the finish lines on top of each trucks’ respective starting jumps. In the opening round, fan favorite Kelvin Ramer in “Time Flys” took out his own teammate, “Fired Up” driven by Justin Cluster to advance to the semi-finals and a shot at Jim Creten and “Bounty Hunter”. In the other quarter-final race, 14 year old Eric Swanson with “Obsessed” was on his way to victory over his own father in the team truck when he aver drove the final turn. Rick swapped trucks and raced “Obsessed” for the remainder of the racing show.

     The top half of the semis would see a close race between the former Monster Jam World Champion Jim Creten and the driver of the 1934 Ford, Kelvin Ramer. It was close, but the win goes to “Bounty Hunter” after Ramer spent too much time in the air over the second jump. Fastest loser “Fired Up” was denied a second shot at the championship round after following “Obsessed” across the finish line. The final race was dead even until the final turn when Jim Creten pulled away for the racing trophy.
     The final show from Del Mar for the year would be the only time freestyles were scored. Eric Swanson, back in “Obsessed”, got some great air with a sky wheelie and was in the middle of his first donut when he hit one of the racing ramps, breaking the bead on the left rear tire, flattening it. The judges gave him a 14 out of a possible 40. The “Fired Up” driver continued to with the freestyle competition and took the lead with a 28 point score. Next came “Time Flys” and “Obsession”, both of which hit all of the obstacles and took the lead with a score of 38.5. But there was a former Freestyle champion in the house, and he hit everything the track threw at him and got the undisputed big air of the weekend. He missed the perfect score by just one point, but it was enough to get back on the winner’s stage at Del Mar.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW JIM ALLEN'S DEL MAR, CA PHOTO GALLERY!!

(PHOTO GALLERY)

What better way to celebrate Independence Day than with five of the top monster trucks in the world? But not just monster trucks, also on hand were four high-flying, death defying FMX riders including Jimmy Fitzpatrick as the sole representative of the infamous Metal Mulisha. Finally, the “KaBoom!” tradition continues with a fireworks display as the grand finale.
     The five trucks competing in Chicago-style racing and freestyle on some of the biggest obstacles Pomona monster truck fans have ever seen include Kelvin Ramer with “Time Flys” and the teams of “Obsession Racing” with Eric Swanson behind the wheel of “Obsessed” along with his father Rick driving “Obsession” and the “2Xtreme Racing” trucks of Iron Outlaw driven by Nick Owens and Jim Creten, as always, behind the wheel of Bounty Hunter. Before the monsters hit the track, some of the FMX riders performed amazing airborne stunts including back flips.
     As “Time Flys” got the bye in the racing bracket and would wait to race until the semi-finals and would take on the winner of the first heat in Round 1. A fast loser would also advance and face the winner of the second heat of Round 1, making a four truck competition in the semi finals. From there, a standard four truck bracket was in place. All hopes of Eric Swanson avenging his loss to his father in Del Mar were dashed as he took the last turn too wide and “Bounty Hunter” showed who was boss in the second heat against his team truck, “Iron Outlaw”. “Obsession” would move to the finals as Kelvin Ramer made the same mistake as Eric during the run of “Time Flys”. The next scheduled race was the rematch Nick Owens wanted with the Bounty Hunter, but it never happened as a problem with the RII prevented Iron Outlaw from making it to the starting line and forfeiting the race. WGAS officials went straight to the finals between “Bounty Hunter” and “Obsession”. “Bounty Hunter” was too fastest and crossed the finish line first and was the racing champion.

     Freestyle featured both the small jumps from racing, two additional wheelie obstacles, two sets of motor homes, a large single jump and a HUGE double jump. There was also a “concession stand” on the dirt arena. That’s correct, a concession stand! Iron Outlaw put on an excellent opening freestyle. Eric Swanson emerged next, and got some huge air over the double jump. He earned a 35 out of a possible 40 for his efforts. Rick wanted to keep up the momentum but the transmission had other ideas, breaking an input shaft after just a single jump. “Time Flys” earned a perfect 40 from the judges, but Jim Creten had other ideas about who would be the victor. He hit every obstacle and did some great wheelies and donuts. He then hit the concession stand setting off the first fireworks of the evening. The crowd’s ovation left no doubt as to who was the winner. Scores were never given for “Bounty Hunter”, but Jim didn’t care. No fan was sitting down as Jim had done what he needed to do.
     WGAS creator and primary promoter John Borba was on hand, and was told by an anonymous fan that this was the best freestyle motocross and monster truck show the fan had ever seen. Fans were then treated to a great 4th of July fireworks show. Thank you for reading, enjoy the photos, and cheer on."  - Christopher Allen

CLICK HERE TO VIEW JIM ALLEN'S POMONA, CA PHOTO GALLERY!!

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Bigfoot 4x4 Open House Highlight Video!!:  The annual Midwest 4-Wheel Drive Open House was Saturday, June 26th and it was another great event as fans visited the home of BIGFOOT and saw two great car crushing exhibitions. TMB's Colby Marshall was on hand for all the fun and he's put together another of his amazing highlight videos - click the link below to check it out and thanks to everyone with BIGFOOT for a great time a the open house!!  (07/10/10)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW COLBY MARSHALL'S BIGFOOT OPEN HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS!!

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New Ballistic Scheme Complete!!:  A couple weeks ago, we showed you a quick sneak peek of the brand new Ballistic scheme - well now, the new body and wrap have been completed and Mac & Liz Plecker were kind enough to send us on over some shots of the finished product. The new design looks great and we can't wait to see out on track - check out their website to find out where you can see the new scheme at www.ExtremeTeam4x4.com!!  (07/07/10)

TMB Summer Odyssey Begins!!:  The TMB crew is off for one wild summer adventure as Ross Z. Bonar and Kaedon Berry leave tomorrow for a three week tour of the Northeastern U.S. First stop along the way will be Beckley, WV for the Monster Truck Summer Nationals featuring Bigfoot Bad Boy, Bad Habit, War Eagle, Razin Kane and Screamin Demon. Then its on to Maine for the 1st ever Monster Truck Mayhem event at Spud Speedway in Caribou which will have Crushstation, Backdraft, War Eagle, Eradicator, Razin Kane and Screamin Demon and finally Rutland, Vermont which is the same lineup minus Screamin Demon. During the two weeks we're out on the road, we'll be hanging at Monstah Lobstah HQ and the whole gang will be going lobster fishing one day. We'll be keeping you up to date with everything happening on the TMB Facebook page - become a fan so you can follow along on TMB's 2010 Summer Odyssey!!  (07/02/10)

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