Weekend Race Recap
Friday 7:30 p.m. - With an all-star line-up featuring four trucks that have won Monster Jam World Championships a huge crowd was thrilled to four competitions four the Monster Jam superstars with Randy Brown taking the headlines, driving Grave Digger to victory in both the racing and freestyle competitions.
The night of awesome action began with the wheelie contest and it was Chris Baker taking that win in El Toro Loco. On to racing where the fans were treated to a battle of the titans in the Championship Race on the straight-line, non-dirt course, between Grave Digger and two time defending and reigning World Racing Champion John Seasock in Batman. The finale turned out to be a photo finish with officials taking several looks at the replay before determining that Digger crossed the line inches in front of the world title holder. Brown said he was thrilled with the win over the team that has won the last two racing championships and said he liked "the bull's-eye being on his back in stead of mine" in racing these days.
Next up was the donut competition where Seasock responded and nailed a brilliant set of tight donuts with both hands hanging out the window to take that win in Batman.
Then in freestyle several drivers turned in performances worthy of victory, but Brown went them one better bringing the crowd to its feet with another ragged edge Digger freestyle in Florida, Grave Digger edging Batman for the freestyle win.
RACING RESULTS
1st round - Grave Digger def El Toro Loco; Batman def Captain's Curse; Bad News def Instigator (Captain's Curse advanced to semifinals as fast loser)
Semifinals - Grave Digger def Captain's Curse; Batman def Bad News
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE - GRAVE DIGGER DEFEATED BATMAN
FREESTYLE RESULTS
GRAVE DIGGER 25
Batman 23
El Toro Loco 18
Instigator 16
Captain's Curse 5
WHEELIE RESULTS
EL TORO LOCO 21
Instigator 19
Batman 18
Captain's Curse 18
Bad News 17
Grave Digger 16
DONUT RESULTS
BATMAN 24
Captain's Curse 22
Grave Digger 20
Bad News 19
Instigator 18
El Toro Loco 11
Saturday 2:00 p.m. - Randy Brown in Grave Digger and Alex Blackwell in Captain's Curse divided up the wins Saturday afternoon, Brown winning the racing and freestyle while Blackwell took the wheelie and donut competitions at Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, FL.
Blackwell opened the matinee with a huge straight up and down sky wheelie making Captain's Curse a no doubt winner in the afternoon's first competition, but in racing Brown had Grave Digger back on top. Following up on his win in Friday night's racing final Brown eliminated World Champion John Seasock in Batman in a photo finish opening round race, then eliminated Chris Baker in El Toro Loco in the semifinal round to advance to the Championship Race, where Captain's Curse provided the opposition. That battle turned out to be maybe the closest of the weekend so far, with Grave Digger eeking out the victory by a matter of inches.
Next up: the donut competition, and Blackwell was back on his game, wowing the crowd with a cyclone style set of donuts that took home Captain's Curse's second win of the afternoon, but Brown evened the score in freestyle. Captain's Curse had the lead when Digger hit the track for freestyle but Brown was on top of his game, getting the biggest air of the day in a high energy performance that left the crowd screaming and team Grave Digger claiming yet another freestyle triumph.
RACING RESULS
1st round - Captain's Curse def Bad News; Grave Digger def Batman; El Toro Loco def Instigator (Batman advanced to semifinals as fast loser)
Semifinals - Captain's Curse def Batman; Grave Digger def El Toro Loco
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE - GRAVE DIGGER DEFEATED CAPTAIN'S CURSE
FREESTYLE RESULTS
GRAVE DIGGER 25
Captain's Curse 22
Batman 18
Instigator 16
Bad News 15
WHEELIE RESULTS
CAPTAIN'S CURSE 24
Instigator 21
Batman 20
Grave Digger 20
El Toro Loco 17
Bad News 15
DONUT RESULTS
CAPTAIN'S CURSE 26
Bad News 25
Grave Digger 24
Batman 23
Instigator 18
El Toro Loco 17
Saturday 7:30 p.m. - Two time defending World Racing Champion John Seasock saved his best for last, closing out a three event weekend in Sunrise, FL, by winning both the racing and freestyle competitions in his Batman machine in front of a near capacity crowd Saturday night at the Bank Atlantic Center.
The red hot night of action began with Alex Blackwell following up his wheelie win from Saturday afternoon by taking that competition again Saturday night in Captain's Curse. Next the racing bracket unfolded with the champ back on his game after seeing Grave Digger win the race action Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Beginning the Saturday night racing action Batman knocked off El Toro Loco and Grave Digger before edging out surprising Bruce Haney in Bad News, who gave Seasock all he wanted in the Championship Race but fell just short of Batman at the finish line.
With this turning out to be the third event on the concrete for the weekend rubber had built up on the surface and made this the trickiest test yet in the donut competition, with the Monster Jam trucks struggling to get the donuts going with out flipping over. Lionel Easler actually did flip the Instigator over trying to win the donut competition after coming oh so close to an amazing save, the truck seemingly suspended in time at at 45 degree angle to the floor before finally rolling over. All the trucks struggled to do the donuts except one: Grave Digger, Brown said his 1950 panel van was set up to handle tacky surfaces and he blew the crowd away with an incredible, lengthy set of Digger Donuts to win that contest.
In freestyle though Brown was unable to get the sweep. After Seasock put in far and away his best freestyle of the weekend Batman was sitting number one when Grave Digger took to the track. Brown started strong but broke his rear steering early. Brown refused to stop and gave the crowd some wild moments driving the broken truck, but was limited in his ability to hit the cars square and make any of his signature huge leaps, with Batman holding on for a one point freestyle win.
RACING RESULTS
1st round - Captain's Curse def Instigator; Batman def El Toro Loco; Grave Digger def Bad News (Bad News advanced to semifinals as fast loser)
Semifinals - Bad News def Captain's Curse; Batman def Grave Digger
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE - BATMAN DEFEATED BAD NEWS
FREESTYLE RESULTS
BATMAN 21
Grave Digger 20
Bad News 14
Instigator 13
Captain's Curse 9
WHEELIE RESULTS
CAPTAIN'S CURSE 27
Grave Digger 23
Batman 22
El Toro Loco 18
Bad News 17
Instigator 17
DONUT RESULTS
GRAVE DIGGER 27
Bad News 19
Batman 16
Captain's Curse 12
Instigator 10
