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TheMonsterBlog.com 2007 Preview Series continues as we take an Inside Look at the Australian Monsters Tour of Destruction series with owner Clive Featherby.
We’re really excited to have had the opportunity to speak with Clive Featherby recently. Clive Featherby is the owner of KC's Fireworks Displays and promoter of the Austalian Monsters Tour of Destruction series. Clive talked to us about the challenges of bringing U.S. style monster truck shows to Austalia and about some of his plans for the upcoming season.
What exactly does a Monsters Tour of Destruction show consist of? At any one of the over 40 shows promoted by KC's Fireworks each year, you can see any combination of the following entertainment acts: four or more competing monster trucks and a ride truck, a freestyle motocross show, two jet cars, Transzilla the fire-breathing dinosaur, the human inferno stunt act, a demolition derby, support motorbike acts, a laser light show, and/or two very large fireworks displays. Through the use of a top-notch, concert-quality PA system and many moving lights during the shows, fans are treated to a well produced three and a half hour thrill ride.
The monster truck
portion of the show has really evolved in the last few years. The series
is only just recently introducing head-to-head monster truck racing as
part of their events, but the freestyle is much the same now as that seen
in America--cars, double-stacked carsets, vans, and yes, even motor homes.
But all of this is a far cry from the state of the industry in Australia
not too long before Clive Featherby and KC's Fireworks came along.
Even just five years ago, monster trucks had such a negative connotation attached to the name that many venues had banned them for performing. After years of the only show in town consisting of old, mechanically unreliable trucks and poor show promotion, venues made the decision to quit booking the shows due to the overwhelming complaints they would receive from people who had attended. This is one of the many hurdles that has been faced by the Featherby's, but one in which they have persevered through. KC's Fireworks now does shows in many of the country's major indoor and outdoor venues with an average of seven to eight thousand in attendance!
Additionally, the Australian Monster Truck Association is another area in which positive things are happening. Membership has surpassed 60 members, there are well-trained safety officials, and of course, all of the trucks are equipped with remote ignition interupters, built-in fire extinguishers, and other safety devices. Drivers are required to wear full double-layer F.I.A. approved firesuits, fire-proof socks, underwear, gloves, etc. Every show must have an ambulance in attendance, as well as a fire truck with fully-trained fire crew.
KC's Fireworks has also been building up their stable of monster trucks. There are currently four competitive trucks in the stable, with three more on the way. Familiar names Monster Patrol and Bearfoot USA are included in those currently running, as well as Australia's own Captain Crusher and Outback Thunda. The team also operates the Monster Patrol ride truck.
Two of the three trucks on the way have recently been purchased from the United States' Don King. Most will recognize them as the two trucks from King's stable that have been running as Bearfoot and Monster Patrol. They will be joining the KC's Fireworks stable in January after major overhauls. The trucks will also be running new names, ones based on cartoon characters that are instantly recognizable to people all around the world--but no more can be disclosed on this at the present time. Watch for the announcement here on The Monster Blog!
The two trucks purchased from Don King that will soon join the KC's Fireworks stable.
The third truck coming soon is currently being built from the ground up and will be Clive Featherby's new ride, taking the place of the chassis currently under Outback Thunda. The frame was built by Rich Inman and shipped from St. Louis, MO to Australia where James Tigue II is now working with two top of the line Australian racecar builders to assemble the new truck. Outback Thunda #2 will run Pablo Huffaker's stage three suspension and wheels,a brand new fully-worked aluminum 540 big-block Chevy motor, and a 24-inch profab transfercase powerglide transmission.
Drivers for the KC's Fireworks team include quite the diverse mix: Clive Featherby himself; son Billy, who at 14 years old is the world's youngest monster truck driver; Australia's only female driver Sherri Shaffer; and one of the oldest monster truck drivers currently competing, Barry Gaunt, age 62. The team also "borrows" drivers from America's Paul Shafer Motorsports from time to time, including Rich Inman, and currently, 2005 PSM World Freestyle Champion James Tigue II. The Australian monster truck drivers have gained much experience and have reached the skill level of many American drivers. This includes Clive Featherby's son Billy, driver of Captain Crusher. Young Billy has beaten USA's James Tigue head-to-head, and was even originally slated to compete in the 2006 edition of the Paul Shafer Motorsports World Finals here in the U.S. before the event was cancelled.
Billy Featherby tries to save Captain Crusher before experiencing his first rollover during a media day event.
As far as Clive and his associates have come in building up monster trucks in Australia, it hasn't been easy. The road has been long, the progress slow, and the cost enormous. Clive Featherby has sunk well over two million dollars of capital investment into the monster truck side of his business. One of the larger costs associated with operating a monster truck team in Australia is due to the lack of necessary parts in the country--these parts must be imported from the United States. A transfer case that costs $7,000 in the U.S. will cost Clive over $20,000 once it arrives in Australia due to shipping and handling, and the duties slapped on by the Australian government as the parts come into the country. A monster truck tire--total cost of $9,000 once shipped from Chicago, IL--not to mention the fact that it takes almost three months for it to arrive from the time of purchase. Even small parts sent by Fed-Ex air take three weeks to arrive by the time they are cleared through customs.
Even with the challenges he has faced, Clive Featherby is making it his goal to continue working his hardest to truly establish monster trucks in Australia for at least another two years. If it doesn't work out, Clive will simply return to focusing on his fireworks business, but will have had one heck of a ride. In the meantime, the next two years are going to be kicked off in a big way when the Monsters Tour of Destruction comes to Brisbane on January 20th, 2007.
The "World Monster Nationals" will take place at the RNA "Ekka" Showgrounds in Brisbane, Queensland and is currently planned to feature 12 monster trucks including all eight of Clive's. This will be the debut of the two overhauled trucks purchased from the U.S. and their new famous cartoon character identities, and the brand new Outback Thunder #2. No less than four American drivers will also be brought in to compete. The show will also feature an all-star lineup of side acts including the 2007 Australian Supercross masters, the Demons of Dirt Freestyle BackFlip Extravaganza, Australia's biggest ever stadium sky-show fireworks spectacular--over $50,000 of fireworks in only 12 minutes, a fifty-car demolition derby, Jet Wars--four jet cars and a jet plane in a meltdown showdown, Transzilla versus Robomonster, Aussie rock band sensation "Drawcard" playing live while FMX performs above them, and lots more!
Clive is convinced that the World Monster Nationals will truly match the quality of the Las Vegas World Finals event--certainly not in the truck department, but in the overall show quality as a family entertainment spectacular. The venue holds over 20,000 people, and 1/2 the tickets for the event have already been sold. Tickets can be purchased through the Monster Hotline--for more information, visit KCsFireworks.com. The event will be huge and Clive and the KC's Fireworks are hard at work in preparations for this monstrous event.
The Monster Blog is proud to have had the opportunity to speak with Clive Featherby of KC's Fireworks, the man behind the largest monster truck promotion organization in Australia, and we look forward to working more with Clive in the future. We thank Clive for taking the time to speak with us. There are exciting things happening down under, and we are privileged to be kept in the loop on all the happenings with monster trucks in Australia. Expect to see more coverage of the Australian Monsters Tour of Destruction here on The Monster Blog in the coming year. In the meantime, be sure to head over to KCsFireworks.com to learn more about the series, and to order a copy of the Monster Thunda DownUnder DVD which contains footage of Bearfoot USA, Monster Patrol, and Outback Thunda in freestyle action!
(Photos featured above
courtesy
www.KCsFireworks.com and used with
permission of owner Clive Featherby). TheMonsterBlog.com 2007 Preview continues soon... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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