Weekend Race Recap
Friday 7:00 p.m. - A blown engine ended Frank Krmel and Donkey Kong's European racing winning streak as Alex Blackwell drove War Wizard to the Championship Race victory, then Charlie Pauken wowed the Stockholm fans with a phenomenal Grave Digger freestyle to take the win in that competition Friday night, the kickoff of a four event weekend at the Globe in Stockholm, Sweden.
Krmel appeared headed to yet another racing victory during this final swing on the 2008 Monster Jam World Tour following his sweep of all the races on the straight line course in Helsinki last weekend. This time Krmel handled a Chicago style dirt oval track, edging Blackwell for the fast qualifying time before marching into the Championship Race from the top half of the bracket while Blackwell backed up War Wizard's strong qualifying pass by eliminating Grave Digger in the semifinal round of the bottom bracket to set up the Donkey Kong-War Wizard finale. Heading into the first turn during the finals Donkey Kong was enveloped in white smoke, the engine blown, and War Wizard had the event victory wrapped up. A huge hole where you could see all the way through the oil pan meant that the Donkey Kong team was headed for a long night, a complete engine change on tap to get Krmel's ride ready for the Saturday matinee. For Blackwell the victory was his first European event racing championship.
Pauken mangaged to get the upper hand, but just by a little, in this late season rivalry with reigning World Freestyle Champion Adam Anderson and Taz. First in the sky wheelie contest Anderson set the bar high and appeared headed for the win with a huge wheelie, only to see Pauken fly so high and slam down on the tail of Grave Digger, almost over rotating the panel van, but landed it back on the tires to earn a two point win in the scoring of the three Swedish fans serving as judges. Then in freestyle Adam again thrilled the crowd this time with a blistering performance that included the night's best, longest slap wheelie as well as the save of the night. Taz's score of 28 was going to be tough to beat, but again, Pauken was up to the challenge. On fire from the first hit Pauken put on a classic, ragged edge Digger freestyle with the biggest air, by far, ever seen in Monster Jam's five year history in Stockholm, and all three judges held up scores of 10 to give Grave Digger another Euro freestyle triumph.
The freestyle motocross battle was won by Swede Morgan Carlson, whose Kiss of Death and Backflip tricks on his final two jumps had the crowd on its feet yet again in the Globe.
RACING RESULTS
Fast qualifier - Donkey Kong
1st Round - Donkey Kong def Jetix; Grave Digger def Taz; War Wizard def Thor (Jetix advanced to semifinals as fast loser of round one)
Semifinals - Donkey Kong def Jetix; War Wizard def Grave Digger
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE - WAR WIZARD DEFEATED DONKEY KONG
FREESTYLE RESULTS
GRAVE DIGGER 30
Taz 28
Thor 22
Jetix 20
War Wizard 19
WHEELIE CONTEST
GRAVE DIGGER 29
Taz 27
Jetix 19
Donkey Kong 19
War Wizard 14
Thor 10
Saturday 1:00 p.m. - It is extremely rare on today's Monster Jam World Tour for any driver to sweep all of the competitions during a single event because of the quality of the talent and the parity in the sport, but Charlie Pauken pulled off the feat Saturday afternoon, driving Grave Digger to victory in all three Monster Jam disciplines in front of a capacity crowd at the Globe in Stockholm, Sweden.
Friday night's racing winner Alex Blackwell was back for more Saturday afternoon behind the wheel of the War Wizard, setting the fastest qualifying time and rolling all the way through to the Championship Race, where Pauken was the opponent this time. Pauken turned in his quickest time of the weekend in the finale and drove Grave Digger to the racing triumph.
Similar to Friday night, during the Saturday afternoon matinee World Freestyle Champion Adam Anderson kept raising the bar only to see Pauken leap over it. First in the wheelie contest it was Taz hitting a beauty to blow into the lead, but a huge sky wheelie from Grave Digger made Pauken a winner again. Then in freestyle Taz took the lead away from Dan Evans in Jetix and Frank Krmel, who's engine in Donkey Kong was finally finished being replaced at 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Anderson again had the day's best save and even added a set of cyclone style donuts on the tricky dirt, Taz being the only truck to acomplish that feat. But Pauken's non-stop action packed run was highlighted by more of the biggest air ever seen at Monster Jam in Stockholm and Grave Digger edged Taz 30 to 28 in the scoring by the trio of Swedish fans on the judging panel.
Daniel Bodin nailed a pair of backflips and the Swede won the freestyle motocross action.
RACING RESULTS
Fast qualifier - War Wizard
1st Round - War Wizard def Donkey Kong; Thor def Taz; Grave Digger def Jetix (Jetix advanced to semifinals as fast loser of round one)
Semifinals - War Wizard def Jetix; Grave Digger def Thor
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE - GRAVE DIGGER DEFEATED WAR WIZARD
FREESTYLE RESULTS
GRAVE DIGGER 30
Taz 28
Jetix 26
Donkey Kong 26
War Wizard 25
Thor 24
WHEELIE CONTEST
GRAVE DIGGER 30
Taz 29
War Wizard 25
Donkey Kong 25
Thor 23
Jetix 23
Saturday 7:00 p.m. - Adam Anderson and Charlie Pauken continued to push each other to the freestyle limit, this time Grave Digger requiring a tie-breaker to eek out the win over Taz, and Frank Krmel returned Donkey Kong to the top of the racing bracket Saturday night in front of another loud and large crowd at the Globe in Stockholm.
As he did in Friday night's weekend opener Krmel set the fastest qualifying time and this time he backed it up by driving Donkey Kong to the event win in a bracket filled with close finishes on the Chicago style dirt oval. The night's closest race came in the semifinals between, of course, Taz and Grave Digger. After several looks at the video replay of the finish line camera it was clear that Taz had pulled out the win by a nose to put Anderson in the Championship Race against Krmel and Donkey Kong. The finale was even to the final turn when Taz went up on two wheels as Anderson looked for a little extra and Krmel went on to record the win, his first event win in Stockholm following his undefeated racing record in Helsinki, Finland, last weekend.
Continuing the battle that has excited the Swedish crowds both days here Grave Digger and Taz again were the class of the field in both the wheelie contest and in freestyle with Adam getting even closer to finally knocking his Dad's truck off the winner's stage, but at the end of the night Pauken had won again in both confrontations. The freestyle war was the closest of the weekend and the three Swedish fans judging could not pick between the pair, scoring both Grave Digger and Taz with perfect scores of 30. The silent tie-breaking judge made the call for Grave Digger, but it had to be a tough choice. The reigning World Freestyle Champion was awesome on a set of cyclones that no one else even attempted and added the best slap wheelie of the competition to his run, but Pauken's incredible hang time and massive air gave Grave Digger the tie-breaking vote.
RACING RESULTS
Fast qualifier - Donkey Kong
1st Round - Donkey Kong def Jetix; Grave Digger def War Wizard; Taz bye run due to Thor's cut tire in wheelie contest (War Wizard advanced to semifinals as fast loser of round one)
Semifinals - Donkey Kong def War Wizard; Taz def Grave Digger
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE - DONKEY KONG DEFEATED TAZ
FREESTYLE RESULTS
GRAVE DIGGER 30 (won on tiebreaker)
Taz 30
Donkey Kong 26
War Wizard 25
Jetix 24
Thor 21
WHEELIE CONTEST
GRAVE DIGGER 27
Taz 24
Donkey Kong 23
Jetix 22
Thor 17
War Wizard 17
Sunday - On what was clearly Grave Digger's weekend in Stockholm, Sweden, Charlie Pauken wrapped the weekend up in style by driving the Black and Green Wrecking Machine to both the freestyle and racing wins, while Frank Krmel in Donkey Kong got the nod in the weekend's wildest wheelie contest to conclude this year's successful Monster Jam World Tour in front of another capacity crowd inside the Globe Arena.
The crowd was on fire right from the introductions of the Monster Jam superstars on hand, and obviously the competitors were ready to rip it up as well. The very first to come out for the wheelie contest, Alex Blackwell in War Wizard, nailed a huge sky wheelie and the truck planted on its tail, then lurched sideways and rolled over onto its side to the delight of the Swedish crowd. Only massive air under Krmel's classic, 90 degrees to the ground wheelie kept Blackwell from the days first win, the three Swedes serving as judges giving the one point advantage to Donkey Kong over War Wizard.
Coming off his first loss in the wheelie contest all weekend Pauken then was narrowly edged out by Adam Anderson and Taz in the first round of racing but survived by being the fast loser of round one, then Pauken made the most of his second chance, powering Grave Digger to victory over fast qualifier Donkey Kong in the semifinals, earning a rematch with Taz in the Championship Race. Anderson, who had a phenomenal weekend of excellence despite not winning a competition, again fell just short of an event title when Pauken put Grave Digger back on the winner's stage with another racing triumph.
An awesome start to finish freestyle brought a fitting conclusion to this year's Monster Jam World Tour, with Pauken's big air assault claiming yet another victory for the Grave Digger team, winning over War Wizard and Taz despite Blackwell's crowd pleasing destruction of the beautiful War Wizard body and Anderson's Taz cyclones bringing the crowd to its feet yet again.
RACING RESULTS
Fast qualifier - Donkey Kong
1st Round - Donkey Kong def Thor; War Wizard def Jetix; Taz def Grave Digger (Grave Digger advanced to semifinals as fast loser of round one)
Semifinals - Grave Digger def Donkey Kong; Taz def War Wizard
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE - GRAVE DIGGER DEFEATED TAZ
FREESTYLE RESULTS
GRAVE DIGGER 29
War Wizard 27
Taz 27
Thor 24
Donkey Kong 23
Jetix 21
WHEELIE CONTEST
DONKEY KONG 26
War Wizard 25
Taz 24
Grave Digger 23
Thor 19
Jetix 19
