Weekend Race Recap

(Vancouver, BC)  The 2008 Partsource Monster Jam at spacious B.C. Place began with a huge Pit Party at 3 P.M. on Saturday afternoon.  Running for a full two hours, British Columbia Monster Jam fans were provided with plenty of time and opportunity to meet some of the best drivers in the sport.  The big question to be answered on this night was could Neil Elliott in Maximum Destruction maintain his 2008 Freestyle undefeated status in stadium events?  Only time, and plenty of carnage, would provide the answer.

The star-studded lineup of competitors included Bulldozer (Kevin Lewis), Tropical Thunder (Phil Foster), Travis Pastrana’s 199 (Cam McQueen), The Patriot (Dan Rodoni), Maniac (Don Frankish), Jurassic Attack (Kristy Edge), Maximum Destruction (Neil Elliott), and Grave Digger, driven by Chad Tingler.

The night began with the Monster Jam Wheelie Competition.  Grave Digger driver Chad Tingler took the win with 26 points, narrowly edging out Neil Elliott in Maximum Destruction who earned a score of 25.  Third place went to The Patriot with 17 points, while Maniac was fourth with a tally of 16.  Bulldozer tied with Jurassic Attack at 14 points, while Tropical Thunder scored 13 and Travis Pastrana’s 199 rounded out the competition with 12 points.

Monster Jam Technical Officials Ken Sargeant, Andy Salerno, Sherry Smallwood, Randy Smallwood, James Russell, and Mike Speller were certainly kept busy throughout the night as they worked to keep the course in shape for the multiple competitions on the schedule for this event.  New to Monster Jam in 2008 were the skilled drivers of the “Drifters” class.  This entertaining motor sports event involves steering a car around a big oval track or road course while sliding, or “drifting” the back end of the car.  With some drivers investing over $100,000.00 in their vehicles, this is a very serious and professional sport.  Fans loved every minute of their wild driving and there is no doubt they will be asked to return in the future.

The two-wheeled stars from the XSBA and FMX also made a well-received appearance at B.C. Place tonight.  The riders gave it their all for the boisterous crowd and the Jam Session ended with an absolutely wild backflip courtesy of Keith Sayers on his Yamaha YZ 250.

Hot Wheels Monster Jam Racing brackets were set early and Round One saw Grave Digger defeat Jurassic Attack, Maniac drive past Tropical Thunder, The Patriot beat Bulldozer, and Maximum Destruction storm past Travis Pastrana’s 199.

Semi Final Racing action matched Maximum Destruction against The Patriot, with Maximum Destruction pulling off the win.  Grave Digger disposed of Tropical Thunder in similar fashion.

The Hot Wheels Monster Jam Racing Final would prove to be one of the closest finishes in recent memory.  Monster Jam stars Grave Digger and Maximum Destruction squared off at the starting line of the huge oval course and everyone knew that neither driver would be willing to give an inch.  When the lights turned green both trucks launched hard and the race was on.  The competitors stayed very close throughout the course but after careful review of video footage at the finish line it was determined that Chad Tingler in Grave Digger was the winner.

The Monster Jam Donut Competition was won by Maximum Destruction with a score of 26 points.  His unbelievable cyclone was simply too much for the rest of the drivers.  Rounding out the scoring was Grave Digger with 25, The Patriot with 22, Maniac with 20, Bulldozer and Tropical Thunder with 18, Travis Pastrana’s 199 with 14, and Jurassic Attack with 7.

Partsource Freestyle Competition was an intense affair which saw Vancouver, B.C. native Kristy Edge in Jurassic Attack lead the pack with a hard-earned score of 19 points.  Edge enjoyed a truly great run as her hometown crowd rallied behind her car-crushing antics.  Her run was so strong, in fact, that there were only two trucks capable of defeating her toward the end of the competition.  Those trucks were Maximum Destruction and Grave Digger.  Maximum Destruction was first out of the gate and driver Neil Elliott got busy right away.  His huge Long Jumps were simply astounding; at times he looked like he was going to sail right out of the stadium.  The judges were certainly impressed by his efforts and gave him a score of 25.  And it would turn out this score would stand as the highest of the evening as Chad Tingler in Grave Digger managed just 21 points.  Tingler’s run was also very impressive but it just wasn’t quite good enough to defeat the talented driver from Paxton, Illinois.

The Partsource Freestyle Competition scores ended as follows:

Bulldozer                                16

Tropical Thunder                     18

Travis Pastrana’s 199              15

The Patriot                              17

Maniac                                   Mechanical Problems

Jurassic Attack                        19

Maximum Destruction              25

Grave Digger                           21

Freestyle Winner: Neil Elliott in Maximum Destruction!

The 2008 Partsource Monster Jam tour in Canada continues next weekend with two big shows in Winnipeg and Edmonton.  No doubt the action will be just as hot as the wheels turn toward the east for the balance of the 2008 season.

We’ll see you in Winnipeg on Friday, February 8, 2008!

(Darren Pallen, Monster Jam Announcer)