(Hamilton, ON)  When Blue Thunder driver Frank Krmel rolled into Copps Coliseum on Friday night, the look of determination on his face was something to behold.  You see, exactly one year ago at this very facility, Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger literally stole the spotlight from Krmel, a native of Detroit, Michigan.  Pauken’s dominant performance of a year ago was literally etched in Krmel’s mind, and Krmel was determined to erase the bad memories in short order.  But it wouldn’t come easy as the stellar Monster Truck lineup also included such trucks and drivers as Aftershock (Bob Robbins), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Avenger (Jim Koehler), and Grave Digger, driven by Rod Schmidt.

The Monster Truck Wheelie Competition was won in grand fashion by Rod Schmidt in Grave Digger.  The Pizza Pizza scorecard judges served up a score of 31 points for the talented Kill Devil Hills pilot.  Second place went to Blue Thunder with 24 points, while Aftershock earned 23.  Rounding out Wheelie Competition scoring were Jim Koehler in Avenger with 22 points and Chris Bergeron in Brutus with 21.

Hamilton-area Ford Dealers Monster Jam Racing Round One saw Rod Schmidt in Grave Digger earn the bye run at the bracket draw.  Blue Thunder paired against Aftershock, with Blue Thunder taking the win.  In the other round one race, fans watched with interest as Avenger sped past Brutus.

Monster Jam Racing Semi Final Action pitted Blue Thunder against Avenger, with the big blue Ford taking the victory by a narrow margin.  The second semi final battle saw Grave Digger dispose of round one Fast Loser Chris Bergeron Brutus.

The Monster Jam Racing Final was the battle Hamilton fans were waiting for.  After watching Grave Digger take the win in the Wheelie Competition, Krmel was bound and determined to stop Rod Schmidt.  As the two trucks rolled to the line, the drivers traded bumper paint in an attempt to play mind games with each other.  Whether either driver was affected by the abrupt exchange was anyone’s guess.  But when the lights flashed green, Krmel poured on the throttle and never looked back as he stopped Grave Digger’s two-year win streak short of eight in a row.  Krmel graciously thanked fans for their incredible show of support and promised they would see a Freestyle Competition to remember.

Quad Wars Competition saw some great action between arch rivals Team Thunder and Team Nitro.  Early on it looked like Team Thunder would be virtually unchallenged as they stole wins in heats one and two.  However, Team Nitro roared back in the Quad Wars Final and showed the way for the majority of the race.  And despite a last ditch attempt by Team Thunder Captain A.J. Short, which saw his racing machine fly over the retaining wall, Team Nitro managed the overall win.

The evening concluded with Partsource Monster Jam Freestyle Competition.  With Grave Digger and Blue Thunder tied at one win apiece, things would prove to be mighty intense inside the walls of Copps Coliseum.  Aftershock driver Bob Robbins started things off with a solid sixty second run and a score of 21 points from the Pizza Pizza Judges.  Brutus driver Chris Bergeron tried to build on that score but was able to manage just 20 points.  Moments later, teammate Jim Koehler in Avenger powered out and flew Avenger to a very competitive run generating a score of 26 points.  Next out was Frank Krmel, who knew he had a great opportunity to grab the win.  Despite several great Long Jumps and Sky Wheelies, however, Krmel took away just 23 points.  Without a doubt, the lower-than-expected score earned by Krmel opened the door wide for Rod Schmidt in Grave Digger.  Schmidt took full advantage of his allotted time and brought Hamilton fans to their feet with some big air insanity.  At the end of the sixty second run Grave Digger rolled to a stop with mechanical problems but his run was good enough for the win and a score of 27 points.  Schmidt tossed an official Grave Digger Puffed Truck to the excited crowd.

Saturday’s Built Ford Tough Pit Party gets underway at 4:30 P.M. right here at Copps Coliseum, with race time slated for 7:30 P.M.  Be sure to stop in to your Hamilton Area Ford Dealers and grab your pit passes so you don’t miss a second of the action.  The drivers are ready, and we hope you are as well!

We will see you on Saturday!

(Darren Pallen, Monster Jam Announcer)

SATURDAY

(Hamilton, ON)  At 4:30 P.M. on Saturday afternoon, the Hamilton Area Ford Dealers Built Ford Tough Party In The Pits quickly filled with thousands of excited Monster Jam fans.  In addition to meeting some talented young go-cart racers and the Quad Wars competitors, Hamilton fans were granted the privilege of mixing with some of Monster Jam’s best including Aftershock (Bob Robbins), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Blue Thunder (Frank Krmel) and Grave Digger, driven by Rod Schmidt.

At 7:30 P.M. sharp, The Monster Truck Wheelie Competition began and the drivers were in full swing.  And for the second night in a row, Grave Digger driver Rod Schmidt showed the judges and the crowd the science behind a Sky Wheelie.  His unbelievable performance earned him the Wheelie Competition win with a score of 29 points.  Second place went to Frank Krmel in Blue Thunder with a score of 25, while Avenger took third with 20 points.  Fourth spot went to Brutus with 17 points, while Bob Robbins in Aftershock earned 12 points from the Pizza Pizza judges.

Hamilton-area Ford Dealers Monster Jam Racing Round One gave Frank Krmel in Blue Thunder the bye run in the five truck bracket.  Side by side racing action saw Grave Digger defeat Aftershock, while Avenger defeated Brutus.

The ten thousand pound Monster Jam trucks soon returned for Semi Final racing action.  Aftershock returned to the festivities as Fast Loser but was unable to defeat a hard charging Frank Krmel in Blue Thunder.  The other race saw smooth-driving Jim Koehler in Avenger upset Rod Schmidt in Grave Digger in a very close finish.

The Monster Jam Racing Final matched Blue Thunder against Avenger.  After winning Monster Jam Racing on Friday night, Krmel was anxious to make it two for two in Hamilton.  But it wouldn’t be easy, as Koehler is a driver that never straps in the seat without full intention to win.  The drivers edged their machines up to the Ford Starting Line with vigor, with Blue Thunder staging first.  Koehler then rolled into staging, and the race was on.  Both trucks got a great start but it was Krmel who managed to keep his truck pointed perfectly straight throughout his run.  Blue Thunder was the first truck to arrive over the Partsource Finish Line, giving Krmel everything he wanted.

Quad Wars Competition on Saturday night saw Team USA take on Team Ontario.  As is usually the case between these two intense rivals, there would be no love lost on the race track.  Team USA managed to win the first heat while Team Ontario answered the bell with a win in heat two.  The money would be paid out in the main event, however, and that is when things got a little wild.  The riders squeezed their throttles and simply refused to let off in the corners.  This created what looked to be a high energy pinball game, with riders literally bouncing off each other in a big way.  The final checkered flag went to an ecstatic Team Ontario, who proudly declared a new Team Captain for the future in a touching post-race ceremony.

The final event of the weekend at Copps Coliseum was Partsource Monster Jam Freestyle Competition.  The Pizza Pizza judges were carefully instructed to use their “Pizza Pizza 11” scorecards only in the event of an unbelievable run.  Bob Robbins in Aftershock started things off with a score of 23, while Brutus managed a 25 after some quick work replacing an axle during intermission.  Frank Krmel in Blue Thunder equaled Brutus’s score of 25 with what according to fans should have been a much higher score.  Jim Koehler in Avenger was able to raise the bar up to a score of 27 points with an impressive performance and a spectacular engine fire, but Partsource Freestyle would belong to Grave Digger on this night.  Rod Schmidt simply decimated the competition en route to a perfect Pizza Pizza score of 33 points.

Monster Jam action returns to the province of Ontario January 19 and 20th, 2008 at the spacious Rogers Centre in Toronto.  Join us in the New Year for even more high powered Monster Jam action as the drivers duel it out on the road to the World Finals in Las Vegas.

We will see you in Toronto in January!

(Darren Pallen, Monster Jam Announcer)