Weekend Race Recap

Friday -

(Winnipeg, MB)  The 2008 Partsource Monster Jam thundered into the beautiful downtown MTS Centre for a three-day event beginning on Friday, February 8, 2008.  The unique feature of the MTS Centre is the highly-retractable bleachers which allow increased track surface area.  The track surface area is so large, in fact, that it allows enough room for an oval track for Monster Jam Racing.  Monster Jam Technical Officials Brian Braunschweig, Ken Sargeant, Eric Cox, Bob Quint, and Dee Dee Walters were given the responsibility of managing the big track for the entire weekend.

Making the trip to Winnipeg were Dominator (Kyle Chandler), Martial Law (Paul Strong), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), Safe Auto Minimizer (Mark McDonald), and Superman, driven by Chad Fortune.  This stellar field promised to give Winnipeg fans the show they were waiting a full year for.  And they certainly delivered from beginning to end.

The Monster Jam Wheelie Competition kicked off the evening in grand fashion and Mike Vaters was the man to watch.  Vaters wheelied his Black Stallion entry to super stardom and a winning score of 30 points.  Martial Law was second with 27 points, while Safe Auto took third place with a score of 26.  Iron Warrior and Dominator tied at 23 points.  Chad Fortune in Superman suffered a broken blower belt and a score of 8 points.

Mike Vaters thrilled Winnipeg fans tonight with his Psycho Jet Quad.  This wild machine employs a genuine turbine engine in a vehicle that scarcely weighs four hundred pounds.  The power-to-weight ratio of this machine is staggering, and Winnipeg fans showed their appreciation with a warm round of applause.

Quad Wars was a handlebar-banging affair which matched Team Toronto against hometown-favorite Team Winnipeg.  The Quad Wars Final saw Team Toronto snare the early lead, but Team Winnipeg battled back on the final lap.  At the checkered flag it was the hometown boys ahead of Team Toronto.

Hot Wheels Monster Jam Racing Round One saw a hard-charging Safe Auto defeat Iron Warrior, Martial Law beat Superman, and Black Stallion dispose of Dominator.  The Semi Final paired Safe Auto against Dominator, with Safe Auto claiming victory.  The other Semi saw Fast Loser Iron Warrior upset the talented Mike Vaters in Black Stallion.

The Hot Wheels Monster Jam Racing Final paired Iron Warrior against Safe Auto.  This race would be a tremendous opportunity for Trey Meyers in Iron Warrior to upset 2006 Monster Jam Rookie of the Year Mark McDonald in Safe Auto Minimizer.  McDonald, however, would have no mercy on the Iron Warrior driver as he drove his Safe Auto machine to perfection around the big oval course.  Although Meyers put up a tremendous fight, McDonald was simply too strong as he steered Safe Auto to victory.

Partsource Monster Jam Freestyle Competition was the final Monster Truck event of the night and the action was simply unstoppable.  Kyle Chandler in Dominator started things off by hitting every object on the track in a big way on route to a solid score of 20 points.  Iron Warrior followed, but ignition problems and an abbreviated run equaled a score of just 10 points for the Brunswick, Maryland native.  Both Safe Auto and Superman enjoyed impressive runs as they earned 27 points each.  And although 27 points would be plenty good enough to win a Freestyle event on most nights, it wouldn’t be good enough with Mike Vaters in Black Stallion sitting in the pits.  Vaters simply decimated the van stack and used his signature “Saturday Night Special” to take the overall win with a score of 30 points.  His stadium-like jumping height certainly worked to his advantage.

Saturday’s Party In The Pits gets underway at 4:00 P.M. here at the MTS Centre.  Don’t miss your opportunity to meet and greet the stars of the Monster Jam tour up close and personal.  Following the Party In The Pits, we’ll roll right into the second show of the weekend at 7:30 P.M. sharp.

We’ll see you on Saturday!

(Darren Pallen, Monster Jam Announcer)

Saturday -

(Winnipeg, MB)  The Party In The Pits was in full swing by 4:00 P.M. at the MTS Centre.  Event sponsors Partsource and Breakfast Television provided fans a great opportunity to win some unique prizes including impact wrenches and Monster Jam gift packs.  At the end of it all, fans returned to their seats loaded with autographs and were ready for the greatest motor sports show on the planet.

Returning to the MTS Centre for Monster Jam action were Dominator (Kyle Chandler), Martial Law (Paul Strong), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), Safe Auto Minimizer (Mark McDonald), and Superman, driven by Chad Fortune.

Monster Jam Wheelie Competition action saw Chad Fortune in Superman take the victory with a score of 23 points.  Safe Auto captured second place with a 22 point effort, while Kyle Chandler in Dominator had a great effort and ended up third with 17 points.  Martial Law delivered in at 16, while Iron Warrior received 15.  Mike Vaters in Black Stallion was unable to compete in the Wheelie Competition due to mechanical problems, but was able to return for Racing minutes later.

Hot Wheels Monster Jam Racing Round One paired Safe Auto against Martial Law, with Safe Auto claiming the victory.  Superman met Dominator, with Superman taking the big win.  Black Stallion paired off against Iron Warrior, with Black Stallion seeing the finish line first.

Semi Final action produced a classic battle between veterans Mark McDonald in Safe Auto and Chad Fortune in Superman.  The winner was Safe Auto in a very close race.  The other Semi fashioned Black Stallion against Martial Law, with Black Stallion taking the victory.

The Hot Wheels Monster Jam Racing Final placed Black Stallion and Safe Auto at the starting line.  And for the second time in as many nights, Safe Auto was able to take the win.  McDonald is a very smooth driver and he showed why he was the 2006 Monster Jam Rookie of the Year with his above-average performance.

Partsource Monster Jam Freestyle Competition would be all about Mark McDonald in Safe Auto.  McDonald, already enjoying a banner night, was simply spectacular as he launched Safe Auto to new heights inside the MTS Centre.  A great drive was also had by Mike Vaters in Black Stallion, although his awesome “Saturday Night Special” would leave him one point short of the Freestyle victory.  The drivers earned the following score from the CITI-FM Judges:

Dominator:                   20

Martial Law:                 10

Iron Warrior:                13

Black Stallion:               25

Safe Auto:                    26

Superman:                    21

FREESTYLE WINNER: SAFE AUTO!

Quad Wars action saw Team Winnipeg repeat as victors for the second time this weekend.  In other action, the Psycho Jet Quad returned to wow Winnipeg fans, while the Demolition Derby was won by Derrick Kunka.

The third and final Partsource Monster Jam of the weekend is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 2:00 P.M.  Don’t miss a minute of the action as the Monster Jam stars get set to collide in a big way.

We’ll see you on Sunday!

(Darren Pallen, Monster Jam Announcer)

Sunday -

(Winnipeg, MB)  The third and final event of the weekend here at the MTS Centre got underway promptly at 2:00 P.M.  After an absolutely unbelievable performance on Saturday night, it would be interesting to see if Mark McDonald in Safe Auto could maintain his dominance over the field in Racing and Freestyle Competition.

The Monster Jam Wheelie Competition was won by Safe Auto with 27 points.  Mike Vaters in Black Stallion also had a tremendous Sky Wheelie but received a seemingly inaccurate score of 26 by the judges.  Third place went to Superman with 22 points, while Martial Law earned 18.  Iron Warrior scored 15, and Dominator 14.

Hot Wheels Monster Jam Racing Round One paired Superman against Martial Law, with Superman taking the win.  Black Stallion defeated Safe Auto, and Dominator drove past Iron Warrior.

Semi Final action allowed Safe Auto to return as Fast Loser against Dominator.  This time, Safe Auto would make no mistake as he took the win.  Superman defeated Black Stallion in the other Semi Final race.

The Hot Wheels Monster Jam Racing Final paired Safe Auto against Superman.  Chad Fortune in Superman was intent on ending Mark McDonald’s incredible winning streak here this weekend.  But it was not to be.  Safe Auto was again too strong as he tore around the big oval course on route to his third racing win of the weekend.

Partsource Monster Jam Freestyle Competition would belong to Maryland native Mike Vaters in Black Stallion.  Although there were several great runs including a wild jumping demonstration by Safe Auto, it would be Vaters that would rise to the top of the heap.  Vaters showed his twenty-five years of driving experience and literally put on a Freestyle clinic for the excited Winnipeg fans.  His signature “Saturday Night Special” was his biggest of the weekend and that maneuver was good enough for the Partsource Freestyle victory.

The final Freestyle scores ended as follows:

Dominator:                   15

Martial Law:                 18

Iron Warrior:                15       

Black Stallion:               28       

Safe Auto:                    26

Superman:                    19

FREESTYLE WINNER: BLACK STALLION!

Demolition Derby victory was claimed by Alan Jackson in a crowd cheer-off, while Team Winnipeg made it three-for-three in Quad Wars.

The 2008 Partsource Canadian Monster Jam Tour now takes a couple weeks off before returning to Calgary, Alberta at the end of February.  Don’t forget to stay tuned to www.monsterjamonline.com for up-to-date information on the Canadian Tour as well as the NGK World Finals in Las Vegas.

We’ll see you down the road!

(Darren Pallen, Monster Jam Announcer)