Monster Jam Copps Coliseum Hamilton, Ontario 11/22-22/2008
Monster Jam Racing Winner
Monster Jam Freestyle Winner
Trucks: USHRA Monster Trucks and more. Subject to change without notice.
(Hamilton, ON) Two-time reigning Monster Jam World Racing Champion John Seasock rolled Batman into Copps Coliseum to accomplish just one thing in 2008: to continue his much-admired winning pattern in Monster Jam Competition. It wouldn’t be easy, however, as Dennis Anderson sent top gun Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger to stop the Caped Crusader in his tracks. Whenever Batman and Grave Digger clash at any event, there is certainly cause for excitement. And excitement is certainly what all the stars of Monster Jam brought to the Ontario-area motor sports fans.
Monster Jam Technical Officials Bob Quint, Denny Climes, and Bill Welser helped prepare a tacky and very fast course for Partsource Monster Jam. It started off with the Hot Wheels Wheelie Competition, and the victory went to Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger with a four-judge score of 33 points. Second place went to 2008 Monster Jam Rookie of the Year Kristy Edge in Jurassic Attack with a score of 26. Aftershock earned 25 points, while Don Frankish in Maniac scored 23. The final spot went to Batman with a score of 16. Seasock suffered mechanical problems early and was unable to hit the second set of cars.
Moving on to Monster Jam Racing, Round One saw Batman get the Bye Run. The first pairing was Maniac and Jurassic Attack, with Maniac talking the win in convincing fashion. Grave Digger then met Aftershock. In an unbelievably close race, video officials pronounced Grave Digger as the winner. Bob Robbins in Aftershock would be Fast Loser, however, and was granted the opportunity to return to Semi-Final action.
Many fans at Copps Coliseum thought it was over before it even started prior to the Monster Jam Racing Semi-Final. Fast Loser Bob Robbins in Aftershock drew none other than World Champion John Seasock in Batman. Robbins, considered the huge underdog, responded in unbelievable fashion as he swatted the Batman machine on route to the upset win. The other Semi Final battle witnessed Grave Digger drive by Canadian star Don Frankish in Maniac.
The Monster Jam Racing Final pitted Grave Digger against Aftershock. Driver Bob Robbins certainly had the opportunity of a lifetime to produce what might have been the biggest win of his career. Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger, however, was not about to let it go easily. When the green lights flashed, both trucks flew off the starting line, taking full advantage of the incredibly sticky surface. The finish was a remarkably close one, but in the end it was Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger sipping the champagne.
Following intermission the stars of Freestyle Motocross took to the track. During the warmup period, Vermont rider Sean Connors overshot the landing ramp, putting him over the hockey boards in a big way. The tough rider immediately jumped up, dusted himself off, waved to the crowd, and jumped back on his trusty mount. Following a high-quality FMX Jam Session, Connors was pronounced the winner over fellow riders Cody Cavanaugh and Adam Cousineau.
Partsource Monster Jam Freestyle Competition simply lit up the inside of Copps Coliseum. After watching Grave Digger dominate the Hot Wheels Wheelie Competition and Monster Jam Racing, the rest of the competitors were bound and determined to change their luck. But any time Charlie Pauken is in the building, you are going to need a lot more than just luck to win a Freestyle Competition. The track crew brought in a wild pyramid stack and a big old Cadillac to test the competitors to the max, and the winners were the fans. Each driver satisfied their sixty second time allotment and put on a car-crushing seminar in the process. The drivers finished with the following final scores:
In other action, Team Hamilton won the hard-fought Quad Wars Final over Team Toronto.
The second and final Monster Jam event of the weekend goes tonight at 7:30 P.M. Don’t miss the action as John Seasock in Batman comes out seeking a bit of “Racing Redemption.”
Darren Pallen, Monster Jam Announcer
Saturday:
(Hamilton, ON) The stars of Monster Jam returned to Copps Coliseum at 7:30 P.M. on Saturday night. The competitors included Aftershock (Bob Robbins), Jurassic Attack (Kristy Edge), Maniac (Don Frankish), Batman (John Seasock), and Grave Digger (Charlie Pauken). With Grave Digger sweeping the entire afternoon performance, the rest of the drivers were gunning hard for a win in all three Monster Jam elements.
The night began with the Hot Wheels Wheelie Competition. Grave Digger driver Charlie Pauken did an incredible two-hit Wheelie combination and coaxed a competition-winning score of 34 points from the four Pizza Pizza Judges. Second went to Jurassic Attack with 25 points, while Aftershock garnered 24. Batman driver John Seasock earned 21 points, while Maniac rounded out the competition with an 18 point effort.
Monster Jam Racing was certainly one of the most competitive events of the night. The bye run in Round One went to Grave Digger. In other action, Maniac managed to power past a very strong Aftershock, while Batman defeated Jurassic Attack.
Monster Jam Racing Semi Final action pitted Grave Digger against Fast Loser Aftershock, with Grave Digger capturing the win. The other Semi saw Batman squeak out the win against a charging Don Frankish in Maniac.
The Monster Jam Racing Final gave Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger the opportunity to make it five-for-five on the day. However, finalist John Seasock in Batman was ready to pull out all the stops against the red hot Pauken. The trucks staged, and the fans eagerly anticipated their launch. When the drivers mashed the loud pedal, both were virtually equal over the crush cars. The finish was so close that Monster Jam Officials were forced to rely on a video replay to determine the winner. The result? Write it in as five-for-five for Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger. Batman was close, but not close enough for the Kill Devil Hills team driver.
The stars of Freestyle Motocross returned to Hamilton for Saturday action and the crowd jumped to their feet. Riders Adam Cousineau, Sean Connors, and Cody Cavanaugh gave the fans an aerial assault of epic proportions. The riders threw down many massive tricks like Dead Bodies, Cordovas, and Rock Soilds. Cavanaugh ended the performance with a perfectly-executed Backflip which absolutely stunned the already-excited crowd.
Just like the Wheelie Competition, Partsource Monster Jam Freestyle made use of a four-judge panel. Kristy Edge in Jurassic Attack was first to the track, and was running very well until a mechanical problem stopped her short at the 45 second mark. This abbreviated run earned Edge a score of 18 points from the judges. Bob Robbins in Aftershock looked quite sharp as well, but somehow managed just 17 points. Don Frankish in Maniac upped the ante with a very strong run as he Sky Wheelied his Maniac entry to a score of 24 points. John Seasock in Batman used his high-flying truck to his advantage as he raised the bar even more with a 28 point effort. But once again, the win would go to Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger. Pauken wowed both the judges and the crowd alike with some Long Jumps that looked like Grave Digger would sail clear out of the arena. Grave Digger’s final score of 34 points was good enough for the Partsource Freestyle Competition win and gave Pauken a perfect six-for-six recoed on the weekend.
In Quad Wars action, Team Toronto pulled off an upset win against the very tough hometown Team Hamilton.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of dedicated Hamilton-area Monster Jam fans for attending two very successful and entertaining shows here at Copps Coliseum. We look forward to returning to the Province of Ontario in January 2009 when Dennis Anderson brings his legendary Grave Digger into the spacious Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Get your tickets now at www.ticketmaster.ca
