(Rochester, NY) The 2007 Thunder Nationals Tour kicked off in beautiful Rochester, New York on Friday, January 5. A quick walk through the pits before the start of the event revealed some of the most beautifully-prepared Monster Trucks ever in the history of the sport. Several of the trucks featured chromed-out four link bars and tie rods while others were painted to the point of perfection.

A total of five Monster Trucks made the trip to Rochester including Virginia Giant driven by Diehl Wilson, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Deric Evans), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), and Grave Digger, piloted by North Carolina ’s Randy Brown. Thunder Nationals Technical Officials included Galen Ogden, John Ross, Bob Quint, and Kami Killinger.

The evening began with the Wheelie Contest. Diehl Wilson in Virginia Giant sent notice that he would not be easy to beat in 2007. Wilson Sky-Wheelied his Virginia Giant to a competition-winning score of 27 points. Mike Vaters in Black Stallion was second with 26 points, while Randy Brown took third with 25 points. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle earned 17, while Iron Warrior rounded out the scoring with 12 points.

Advance Auto Parts Monster Truck Racing action saw Grave Digger defeat Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Iron Warrior beat Black Stallion in Round One. Virginia Giant earned the Round One bye as a result of his Wheelie Competition win, and met with Fast Loser Black Stallion in the Semi-Final. Virginia Giant benefited from a great launch on the slippery starting line and defeated Vaters in Black Stallion in a very close race. The other Semi-Final saw Grave Digger defeat Iron Warrior.

The Monster Truck Racing Final pitted Grave Digger against Virginia Giant. This race would prove to be a great one as both drivers boasted plenty of experience and the best equipment available in the business. When the lights turned green, Grave Digger poured on the throttle and never lifted en route to a valuable win over Virginia Giant.

Following the Monster Truck Racing Final, Rochester fans were treated to a great performance by Billy Cole on his Suzuki LT450R Quad. Cole managed to soar his machine over three Monster Trucks in a fearless ramp to ramp style jump. Not to be outdone in the quad department, Trey Meyers rode out on his jet-powered Psycho Jet Quad and gave the New York fans something to remember with an awesome display of horsepower. There is nothing in the world quite like the sound of a jet engine, and Meyers is certainly not afraid to use it.

The afternoon ended with the Advance Auto Parts Monster Truck Freestyle Competition. The slippery surface would make donuts quite easy for the drivers, and the fans loved every minute of the tire-smoking action. However, this event would not just be about donuts. In fact, Virginia Giant, Black Stallion, and Grave Digger recorded unbelievable performances in the big-air department. Thunder Nationals Technical Officials Galen Ogden, Bob Quint, and John Ross were forced to keep a close eye on the high-flying trucks as they duked it out for Freestyle supremacy. The competition was red-hot amongst the veteran field of drivers, and it reflected in the following final scores:

Iron Warrior 13

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 20

Virginia Giant 29

Black Stallion 28

Grave Digger 30

FREESTYLE WINNER: GRAVE DIGGER WITH A PERFECT 30!

There is no question that Randy Brown in Grave Digger started off the 25th Anniversary Tour in grand style as he took three of four events here on night number one at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester. Digger’s dominance means only one thing; the competitors will be searching for every bit of horsepower in order to change that trend. They certainly do have their work cut out for them.

Saturday’s Pit Party begins at 5:00 P.M. sharp. We invite you to come down and visit with some of the top trucks and drivers in the Thunder Nationals Series.

We’ll see you tomorrow!

(Darren Pallen, Thunder Nationals Announcer)

(Rochester, NY) Saturday evening’s Advance Auto Parts Pit Party brought thousands of Thunder Nationals fans to the floor of Blue Cross Arena. As is the custom at every Thunder Nationals and Monster Jam event, the talented field of drivers happily signed autographs for everyone. Soon after the pit party concluded, the drivers put their game faces on and it was time for another great motor sports event.

Returning to Blue Cross Arena for Saturday action were Virginia Giant driven by Diehl Wilson, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Deric Evans), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), and Grave Digger, piloted by North Carolina’s Randy Brown. Starting with the Wheelie Competition, the drivers went to work in quest of the perfect Sky Wheelie. Mike Vaters in Black Stallion got very close en route to a winning score of 24 points. Grave Digger was second with 22 points, while Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle took third place with a tally of 16.

Advance Auto Parts Monster Truck Racing Round One witnessed Virginia Giant defeat Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. In the other Round One race, Iron Warrior suffered mechanical problems and was unable to beat the 2 minute clock. This gave Grave Digger a straight path in the Semi Final. In the first Semi-Final, Black Stallion drove past Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, who rejoined the field as Fast Loser. In the second Semi Final, Grave Digger disposed of Virginia Giant in a very close finish.

The Monster Truck Racing Final paired Grave Digger against Black Stallion. After winning the Wheelie Competition, Mike Vaters in Black Stallion was looking to make it two for two on the evening. However, a determined Randy Brown in Grave Digger would be Vater’s biggest obstacle. When the lights blinked green it was all Grave Digger as he exploded across the Advance Auto Parts Finish Line.

Following another soaring performance by Billy Cole on his Suzuki Quad and a high horsepower display by Trey Meyers on the jet-powered Psycho Quad, it was time for the Advance Auto Parts Monster Truck Freestyle Competition. Several great performances were turned in by the drivers but most notable was the “Saturday Night Special” displayed by Black Stallion. Vaters lined up his Monster Truck perfectly and let it rip backwards over the right lane crush cars. The judges responded accordingly and gave Black Stallion a score of 25 points. But try as he might, Vaters could not hold off the legend from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Randy Brown was simply spectacular as he gave the Rochester crowd a tire-frying donut to remember. The final scores ended as follows:

Iron Warrior 18

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 17

Virginia Giant 21

Black Stallion 25

Grave Digger 27

FREESTYLE WINNER: GRAVE DIGGER WITH A SCORE OF 27 POINTS!

For the second night in a row, Grave Digger won three of four elements in Monster Truck competition. Randy Brown has been a tough act to follow so far this weekend and is leaving his competitors scratching their heads. With Sunday’s event right around the corner the likes of Black Stallion, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Virginia Giant, and Iron Warrior are looking to step up their game. Can they do it? We’ll find out Sunday at 2:00 P.M!

(Darren Pallen, Thunder Nationals Announcer)

(Rochester, NY) The third and final Advance Auto Parts Thunder Nationals event of the weekend got underway at 2 P.M. sharp on Sunday afternoon. The fans enjoyed a full field of Monster Trucks including Virginia Giant driven by Diehl Wilson, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Deric Evans), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), and Grave Digger, piloted by North Carolina’s Randy Brown.

The Wheelie Competition was won by Randy Brown in Grave Digger with a score of 29 points. Second went to Black Stallion with 26 points, while Virginia Giant earned third place and 25 points. Fourth place was taken by an impressive Deric Evans in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle while fifth place went to Iron Warrior with 16.

The Advance Auto Parts Monster Truck Racing segment of the afternoon featured some old-fashioned rock-the-house wheel-to-wheel action. The Final saw Black Stallion up against Grave Digger. Before the trucks staged, the drivers bumped each other in an apparent act of intimidation. But those in the know are well aware that it is not easy to take either of these remarkably talented drivers off their game. As they staged for racing, Vaters played the waiting game as he rolled slowly to the line. Seconds later the lights were green, and it was time for action. Both trucks flew through the air with equal force but it would be Grave Digger by a nose at the finish line. Driver Randy Brown was ecstatic with his victory.

Billy Cole was once again successful in jumping over three Monster Trucks on his Suzuki Quad. Trey Meyers also had something for the excited fans as he powered his Psycho Jet Quad around Blue Cross Arena. After watching both of these riders all weekend long, there is no question that they have passed the “fearless” test.

The afternoon ended with the Advance Auto Parts Monster Truck Freestyle Competition. This segment would come down to a couple of drivers who have shown the most strength all weekend long. Both Randy Brown in Grave Digger and Mike Vaters were keyed up and ready to get down to business. For the second time in a row, Black Stallion pulled off an incredible Saturday Night Special by launching the huge Monster backwards over the crush cars. But Randy Brown in Grave Digger would not be easily outdone as he gave the crowd one of the most awesome long jumps of the weekend. However, this hard launch would cost Brown an accumulator hose on the left rear and bring his performance to a premature halt. The Advance Auto Parts Monster Truck Freestyle Competition scores ended as follows:

Iron Warrior Mechanical Problems

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 17

Virginia Giant 24

Black Stallion 28

Grave Digger 27

FREESTYLE WINNER: BLACK STALLION!

With this Thunder Nationals Series event now officially wrapped up here in Rochester, the teams will look down the road as they prepare for their long and grueling schedule. Mike Vaters in Black Stallion and Diehl Wilson in Virginia Giant did a great job of getting brand new equipment in shape for the first event of the year. As well, Deric Evans in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Trey Meyers in Iron Warrior showed very strong efforts in each of the various Monster Truck Competitions. This series is only going to get even more competitive as the season wears on.

Be sure to stay tuned to http://www.monsterjamonline.com for all the latest and greatest Monster Truck information available.

We’ll see you down the road!