What’s 12,000 pounds, has five-foot-six-inch wheels, and more than 1,500 horsepower and can do a 50-foot backflip?
A bevy of monster truck drivers are set to bring their unique high-flying high-adrenaline racing and stunts to Stampede Park this weekend in the latest stop of the Monster Jam tour.
Unlike some of the other stops on the tour in arenas, the full open experience at GMC Stadium is set to unleash the full potential of the truly monster trucks.
Camden Murphy, a monster truck driver for Classroom Crusher and a monster truck driver trainer, said that each of the 12-foot-tall vehicles are completely unique in the world of sports, and with that comes a unique experience for fans.
“Monster Jam’s unexpected, unscripted, an absolutely unforgettable experience. So you never know what’s gonna happen. Sometimes we are out there thrashing and crashing. That’s kind of part of Monster Jam,” he said.
Close to 95 per cent of each of the trucks is custom made in Florida—from the fibeglass panels that make up the coachworks for the trucks, to the 540 blown cubic inch motors that run on methanol fuel.
“It’s kind of based around a Chevy big block motor, but, yeah we build everything in house. We dyno everything in house. It’s pretty cool,” said Murphy.
Safety underpins experience at Monster Jam
Driving one of the trucks can be completely exhilarating, especially when it is to perform one of the tricks that sends crowds wild.
Kayla Blood, who is driving the monster truck Sparkle Smash for its second appearance in Calgary, said that the key to driving the trucks is to be completely committed to completing a maneuver.
“You have to be completely committed to running your truck into a wall and hoping it comes all the way back around. My biggest fear is under rotating a backflip. And that’s another number one question. Everyone’s like, what’s your biggest fear? Like, I really have no fear in my monster truck, unless it comes to under rotating a backflip. We don’t want to do that. But the the landed ones are always so nice,” she said.
Part of the reason why the drivers can pull off big stunts is because of the big focus on safety.
Each of the drivers has their own custom made racing seat, and each driver wears a helmet and neck support that wouldn’t be out of place at a NASCAR or F1 race.
Each truck also has a dedicated crew behind it to maintain the vehicles and keep them running in top condition.
Murphy, who himself raced in NASCAR in 2014, said that the Monster Jam prioritizes safety above all else, including that of fans at the events.
He said it means that fans get to be close to the trucks and to meet the drivers themselves.
“What makes us different from everybody else is just that the fan interaction, right? Monster Jam is unlike any other sport out there. We have the pit party… where you get to see the trucks drivers, up close and personal, signing autographs, having a great time. But man, meeting the fans is truly one of my favorite parts,” he said.
That also went for Blood, who as the only female driver competing in Calgary, said she wanted to represent the sport in a way that helps people understand it’s not just for boys and men.
“Having Sparkle Smash a part of the Monster Jam fleet now has been absolutely phenomenal. Having the little girls come that have never been to Monster Jam before, because they didn’t really want to go watch monster trucks, right? But now there’s a unicorn, so they want to go watch the unicorn,” she said.
“There’s something for everyone to like. It doesn’t matter, mom, pop, Dad, uncle, whoever, grandma, grandpa. You know, they come and they find something that they love about Monster Jam, and they want to come back time and time again, and that’s why we love it so much.”
For more details and tickets, see www.monsterjam.com.
