When I walked into Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY, in October of 1988 to announce a monster truck race for the first time in my career as a broadcaster there is just no way I would have ever thought that this sport would eventually take me to Europe for one of the most amazing month’s of my life. But that is exactly what has happened. To enjoy these several countries for the first time in my life and to see how these new fans in nations thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean have fallen in love with this truly American sport has been nothing short of stunning.

The events that I was a part of were in: Arnhem, Holland; Zurich, Switzerland; and Antwerp, Belgium. In those three cities there were a total of ten Monster Jams, and each one was a sell out or just short of capacity, and the fans at each stop were on fire. The differences were many, but in the end the European fans clearly have a love for the monster trucks just like our millions of great fans in the United States do. One of the amazing things to watch at all of the European venues was how the crowd reacted at the beginning of the shows. The first time the trucks took to the tracks the fans were in awe, some mouths literally agape at what these drivers and machines can do. Sometimes I think we get a little spoiled, constantly waiting for Dennis Anderson or Tom Meents to perform the next career best freestyle or to see new speeds topped at the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas, so it returned some perspective for me to see the fans in Europe totally blown away right from the start, the first time these trucks fired up, whether the event began with qualifying for racing or with a Sky Wheelie contest. It didn’t take long for the awe to turn into sheer excitement, and the noise level from the crowd at every one of the events I was at was deafening. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many standing ovations for our competitors. The European fans spent more time on their feet than in their seats.

There are so many special moments we get to enjoy as a part of this sport, and one that will be at the top of the special moments list for me came in Zurich. After the end of the freestyle competition, with Charlie Pauken turning in a vintage Grave Digger freestyle, every fan was standing, applauding, screaming for their new heroes as all of the drivers came back on to the track to thank the fans with kind of a walking victory lap. It was at that point that the USHRA event director, Brian Welch, told me and some of the technical officials to follow the drivers into the autograph session and promised it was something we would not forget. Boy was he right. As the door opened from the floor into a corridor where the autograph tables were Pauken, Madusa, Lupe Sosa, Chad Fortune, Bobby Z, and Frank Krmel were greeted with this incredible rush of screams and cheers from a jam-packed hallway of fans. For a minute I thought I must have walked into the return of the Beatles! It was one of those moments that makes the hair on your arms and the back of your neck stand up, and it is hard to describe what it felt like to be there for that special moment with the drivers. I wish every announcer, official, driver, crewmember, or anyone who has any involvement with this sport could have walked into that autograph session just for that one feeling. It reinforces just how special this sport is and how truly blessed each of us is that gets the privilege of competing in, and/or working in the Monster Jam business.

On the track you have to salute the USHRA and Clear Channel Motorsports for taking our “A” game to Europe. With this being the first European appearance for the superstars of Monster Jam it would have been understandable if the USHRA brought over a small version of an American event to just give Europe a taste of Monster Jam. But that was not their philosophy. The best trucks, some of the most talented drivers and crewmembers in the entire sport, the hardest working officials and some of the business’ best and most creative event and production people made every Monster Jam Europe show every bit as exciting and competitive as the events we see in the states. Take Arnhem, Holland, for example. With the opportunity to compete in a state of the art stadium in Holland, the USHRA put on a true Speed Channel caliber event that included a star-studded ten truck line-up, a thrilling J-hook course that made for great racing, and a huge freestyle layout with an array of buses, vans, and huge jumps. The Dutch fans were treated to a major event that stacks up with the huge dome and stadium events that have become a staple of the winter season here in North America and on the Speed Channel television program, and believe me, those fans went absolutely nuts.

We always hear the term “growing your business” and I think it’s interesting that in the motorsports business many organizations really face some limitations. The biggest of them all, NASCAR, has been trying slowly to expand outside of this country with events in Mexico and Japan most notably. But I think NASCAR will have a tough time gaining popularity in some parts of the world, especially in Europe. Most of the world outside of the US borders considers Formula One racing the top of the line, and in Europe the F-1 fever is most prevalent. F-1 is racing to them, not NASCAR. However, when it comes to the big trucks, this year’s Monster Jam Europe tour is proving that Monster Jam has worldwide appeal, and because this American sport is so big, powerful, and unique, there is nothing to rival Monster Jam inside or outside of the US. Monster Jam will always be one of the ultimate American motorsports, but it is clear that the appeal of these trucks and drivers stretches well beyond the United States borders, and who knows, in the coming years fans in other parts of the world, not just in the US and Europe, will probably be able to “Live it Live” and see first hand why Monster Jam has become one of the most exciting events the world’s of sports and entertainment have ever seen.