Monster Photos: Toughest Monster Truck Tour – Huntington, WV 2012

Event: Toughest Monster Truck Tour
Venue: Big Sandy Superstore Arena
Location: Huntington, West Virginia
Date: April 13th-14th, 2012
Photographer: Paul M. Harry

Lineup: Avenger (Jim Koehler), Bounty Hunter (JR McNeal), Ice Cream Man (Scott Sweat), Tail Gator (Doug Noelke), Toxic (Travis Petri), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: Monster Jam – Detroit, MI 2012

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Ford Field
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Date: March 3rd, 2012
Photographer: Paul M. Harry

Lineup: Aftershock (Bob Robbins), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Bad Habit (Joe Sylvester), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Grave Digger (Charlie Pauken), Grave Digger The Legend (Adam Anderson), Grinder (Frank Krmel), High Maintenance (Jocelyn Perrin), Hot Wheels (Dan Evans), Maximum Destruction (Kreg Christensen), Metal Mulisha (Brian Deegan), Spike (Jeff Anderson), Superman (Sean Duhon), War Wizard (Randy Moore), Wolverine (Alex Blackwell), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler)
[Read more…]

Monster Photos: Monster Jam – Toronto, Ontario 2012

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Rogers Centre
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: January 21st-22nd, 2012
Photographer: “Monster Truck Fan”

Lineup: Aftershock (Bob Robbins), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Crushstation (Greg Winchenbach), Grave Digger (Rod Schmidt), Krazy Train (Mark Noto), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Mohawk Warrior (George Balhan), Monster Mutt Dalmation (Candace Jolly), Northern Nightmare (Cam McQueen), Spike (Jeff Anderson), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler)
[Read more…]

TMB TV: Original Series Episode 4.6 – Miami, OK 2011

Event: O’Reilly Outlaw Nationals
Venue: Ottawa County Fairgrounds
Location: Miami, Oklahoma
Date: June 17th-18th, 2011
Host: Ross Z. Bonar
Videographers: Kaedon Berry

Lineup: Avenger (Jim Koehler), Barbarian (Devin Jones), Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), Brute Force (Jerry Perry), Crashmaster (Jeremy Perry), Iron Outlaw (Jay McPherson), War Wagon (Andy Hoffman), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

Behind the Scenes: On the Road With Team Scream

Title: On the Road With Team Scream
Date: 1st Quarter 2011
Videographer: Stephanie Cotnoir
Featuring: Avenger (Jim Koehler), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Spike (Rich Hilgendorf), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler)

Description: Team Scream’s Stephanie Cotnoir takes you behind the scenes of one of the most popular teams in the industry in her new video production, “On the Road With Team Scream”. Follow the team as they tackle 1st Quarter 2011, from Houston to California and beyond as Jim Koehler makes his way to Vegas to lock down yet another World Freestyle Championship! [Read more…]

Monster Photos: 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals – Bloomsburg, PA 2011

Event: 4-Wheel Jamboree
Venue: Bloomsburg Fairgrounds
Location: Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Date: July 10th, 2011
Photographer: Jason Miller

Lineup: Airdog Diesel (Michelle Simpson), Avenger (Rich Hilgendorf), Black Knight (Nancy Olson), Chalkboard Chuck (Dave Rife), E3 Spark Plugs Bigfoot #16 (Dan Runte), General Tire (Steve Koehler), Lucas Oil Stabilizer (Bobby Holman), Raminator (Mark Hall), Rammunition (Mat Dishman), Star Marshal (Dave Radzierez) [Read more…]

Monster Photos: O’Reilly Outlaw Nationals – Miami, OK 2011

Event: O’Reilly Outlaw Nationals
Venue: Miami Fairgrounds
Location: Miami, Oklahoma
Date: June 17th-18th, 2011
Photographer: Ross Z. Bonar

Lineup: Avenger (Jim Koehler), Barbarian (Devin Jones), Bounty Hunter (Jimmy Creten), Brute Force (Jerry Perry), Crashmaster (Jeremy Perry), Iron Outlaw (Jay McPherson), War Wagon (Andy Hoffman), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

The Allen Report: Monster Jam – Phoenix, AZ 2011

(Coverage By Christopher Allen, Photos By Jim Allen)

Chase Field in downtown Phoenix once again played host to Monster Jam on Saturday, January 29th and it all kicked off as the most famous on-track rivalry in monster truck racing roared out of the tunnel. The most decorated lineup Phoenix has ever seen included Chad Tingler behind the wheel of Grave Digger, Kreg Christensen returning to Maximum Destruction, Madusa in her Phoenix debut, Norm Miller driving Batman, Alex Blackwell in Captain’s Curse, Todd Leduc in Blue Thunder, the “voice of Monster Jam on SPEED” Mark Schroeder in The Felon, all four members of Team Scream and local favorite Rod Wood driving McGruff. Throughout the night, both Norm Miller and Alex Blackwell were announced as Monster Jam World Finals qualifiers.

The style of course for UTI Racing was Southern California, or, so-cal style. The trucks start by racing each other off a large tabletop before turning away from each other, flying down a straightaway, making a u-turn and racing back the way they came. Max D would take the top spot in qualifying with a time of 25 seconds flat, but it proved useless as he fell to Grave Digger in the quarter finals. Also advancing to the semis were Captain’s Curse, Blue Thunder and Avenger as the fastest loser even after a mid-air collision with Madusa back in Round 1. Grave Digger and Blue Thunder were even through most of the finals, but then the slippery track finally bit Tingler and spun him out in the final turn, giving Todd Leduc his first ever racing victory!

For the third consecutive year, the 30 second bonus time rule was in place. Of the first six of the twelve truck field, Blue Thunder was one of only three drivers who could make it to bonus time with a score of 22. Chris Bergeron in Brutus tried to do a back flip of his own off the side of the tabletop, but the wheelie bar caught the dirt and Brutus went belly-up with a full minute left in the run. Avenger nailed cross threads, big air and did not roll until just moments before his time was up. But after falling short of a racing win, Chad Tingler clearly had blood in his eyes and gave the fans a vintage Grave Digger freestyle, never rolling over and flying long after his time was finished. With a score of 26, Grave Digger saw the Phoenix victory lane for the first time since 2008.

After what happened here in 2011, how can the monsters do better still next year?  They will try and we will be there for all of it. Until next time, check out some of Jim Allen’s great photos from the event and thanks for reading!

All content copyright TheMonsterBlog.com 2011.

Monster Photos: Monster Jam – St. Louis, MO 2011

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Edward Jones Dome
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Date: February 19th, 2011
Photographer: Chris Parrish

Lineup: Air Force Afterburner (Damon Bradshaw), Avenger (Jim Koehler), El Toro Loco (Chuck Werner), Grave Digger (Dennis Anderson), Grinder (Lupe Soza), Gun Slinger (Scott Hartsock), High Maintenance (Jocelyn Perrin), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Neil Elliott), Mohawk Warrior (George Balhan), Superman (Chad Fortune), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

Monster Photos – Monster Jam – Phoenix, AZ 2011

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Chase Field
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Date: January 29th, 2011
Photographer: Ross Z. Bonar

Lineup: Avenger (Jim Koehler), Batman (Norm Miller), Blue Thunder (Todd Leduc), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Captain’s Curse (Alex Blackwell), Grave Digger (Chad Tingler), Madusa (Debra Miceli), Maximum Destruction (Kreg Christensen), McGruff (Rod Wood), Spike (Rich Hilgendorf), The Felon (Mark Schroeder), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

Monster Photos – Monster Jam – San Diego, CA 2011

Event: Monster Jam
Venue: Qualcomm Stadium
Location: San Diego, California
Date: January 22nd, 2011
Photographer: Susan Clemens Woolley, www.123EventPhotography.com

Lineup: Avenger (Jim Koehler), Batman (Norm Miller), Blue Thunder (Todd Leduc), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), El Toro Loco (Marc MacDonald), Grave Digger (Chad Tingler), Lucas Oil Crusader (Linsey Weenk), Maximum Destruction (Kreg Christensen), Monster Mutt (Joe Miller), Obsessed (Rick Swanson), Obsession (Jeff Jones), Shocker (Pat Gerber), Spike (Rich Hilgendorf), Superman (Chad Fortune), Terminator (Gary Schott), The Felon (Mark Schroeder), Time Flys (Kelvin Ramer), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

TMB TV ActionTracks Episode 1.4 – Waverly, OH

Event:  Monster Truck Show
Venue:  K-C Raceway
Location:  Waverly, Ohio
Date:  September 18th, 2010
Host:  Chris Parrish
Videographer:  Chris Parrish

Lineup: Avenger (Jim Koehler), Black Stallion (Mike Vaters), Brutus (Steve Koehler), Iron Warrior (Trey Meyers), Samson (Dan Patrick) [Read more…]

Monroe Monster Truck Madness Photo Gallery

TMB Super Photographer Paul M. Harry started off another big weekend of monster trucks Friday night in Monroe, Michigan for the annual Midwest Monster Truck Events Monster Truck Madness!! Talk about a stacked lineup – Avenger, Amsoil Shock Therapy, Brutus, High Maintenance, Excaliber, Spike and Wrecking Crew.

The big stars did battle in wheelie, racing and freestyle and it was Jim Koehler starting off the night winning the wheelie contest, with a massive vertical leap. In racing it was all Chris Bergeron in Brutus while a hard fought freestyle would see Jon Zimmer in Amsoil Shock Therapy take top honors.

Big thanks to Tim Bush and Elliott Miller for a great event and of course to the man, Paul Harry, for the great photo gallery below. Click the link below to check them out!!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PAUL HARRY’S MONROE, MI PHOTO GALLERY!!

Monster Truck Madness – Monroe, MI – 08/06/10

Event: Monster Truck Madness
Venue: Monroe County Fairgrounds
Location: Monroe, MI
Date: August 6th, 2010
Photographer: Paul M. Harry

Lineup:  Amsoil Shock Therapy (Jon Zimmer), Avenger (Jim Koehler), Brutus (Chris Bergeron), Excaliber (Chris Ryan), High Maintenance (Jocelyn Perrin), Spike (Rich Hilgendorf), Wrecking Crew (Steve Koehler) [Read more…]

Monster Spectacular Tour Update – Ottawa

(Chris Arel Motorsports PR – By Doug De Nance) So it had all come down to this. Six long hard fought months with the best monster trucks in the world… all across Canada from Saint John, New Brunswick to Victoria, B.C.… all competing to be the best of the best… all wanting to be the most spectacular of Monster Spectacular. The points had earned five trucks the chance to be the top truck in Monster Truck Wheelie, Racing and Freestyle – maybe even the top truck overall. Now it was the moment of truth. One night. The Night of Champions.

The drivers were all jumpy throughout the morning and afternoon of the Saturday night show. They acted like there was no pressure – joking around and apparently having fun. But careful observation revealed an inordinate amount of attention by the drivers double checking every little thing on the trucks. When they thought no one was looking, the eyebrows would lower and the eyes would go blank as they visualized their greatest performances. To paraphrase the great American football coach Vince Lombardi “… at this level winning is 90% mental”.

Fans began to flood into Scotiabank Place the moment the doors opened. They wanted to be close to the best of the best. The drivers did their best to hide their nerves and the fans helped put them at ease taking pictures and giving autographs on the exclusive Monster Spectacular souvenirs.

Jim Koehler lived up to his nickname of Mr. Excitement, revving the fans up in a pre-show interview to cheer for Avenger. Steve Koehler took a page out of his older brother’s book and shouted out his desire for the fans to get behind Brutus. Joe Sylvester flexed his massive arms for the cameras and took a more low key approach to seek support for his 2010 Cadillac truck Bad Habit. Bob Robbins was as friendly as ever, but noted that he’d waited 12 years to win a title for Aftershock and was short of patience to wait any longer. The one man who had trouble expressing himself on the mic due to his struggles with English and French (after all, it was his first time in Canada) was the Russian hired gun driver for Krazy Train, Sergei Kurishnikoff, known as the Siberian Express. The muscular man from Moscow had no language barrier when it came to his skill behind the wheel and he let his driving do the talking. He had won monster truck racing the night before in Kingston and had earned his way straight into the finals.

Three monster truck disciplines were on the agenda, each with the Monster Spectacular Championship going to the winner. Would there be an overall champion if one driver could be a multiple winner?

When the Wheelie Contest was announced, it looked like Avenger would be that truck. Mr. Excitement had the most experience at the top levels of competition, being a former Monster Truck Freestyle Champion of the World. Koehler had pulled the coveted last spot in the order draw and was strapped in his truck form the moment show introductions were over, just waiting to milk it for all it was worth.

Kurishnikoff didn’t have the same break he had in racing, drawing first. But he stood Krazy Train perfectly vertical in a classic 12 o’clock wheelie to start the competition. Bob Robbins did the same thing with Aftershock to essentially tie up the first two places. Then Bad Habit hit the cars. Sylvester took the new school wheelie approach and launched Bad Habit into a massive sky wheelie with all four tires off the ground. Steve Koehler knew he had to make the big dog sit up and beg and tried to do the same thing with Brutus. But the cars slipped slightly on his approach and he twisted off to the side, barely missing the dasher boards as he smashed down to the ground.

Avenger eased out of the pits and drove slowly past the fans, as Koehler waved from his center seat. He deliberately turned the ’57 Chevy in a 3 point turn to line up the cars. He paused for a moment, allowing the big block engine to quiet to an idle, and then blasted Avenger to the car stack. A huge straight ahead sky wheelie was the result. But the question formed on everyone’s lips – was it bigger than Bad Habit’s wheelie?

The drivers tried to swagger with confidence as they made their way to the arena floor for the cheer off. When the sound meter was calibrated, there was no doubt this was the loudest crowd of the season. Who would they give that same level of cheering for to award a champion? Well it wasn’t Krazy Train, or Aftershock or Brutus. But it was impossible to decide between Bad Habit and Avenger. It had to go to a second cheer off. The noise was deafening for both but the sound meter told the tale. By a couple of decibels, Avenger had won the Monster Spectacular Monster Truck Wheelie Championship for 2010.

While Jim Koehler basked in the glory of his Wheelie win, Avenger is not known as a truck that dominates racing. As a matter of fact, Team Scream is known more for freestyle than straight ahead drag racing. That meant that the big man from Moscow just might have to learn to speak something other than Russian if he had to conduct a championship interview. Kurishnikoff was the one to beat, yet would have to go into the finals cold with no preliminary race to warm him up.

If it seemed that Brutus was just warming up, Steve Koehler proved he was hot from the get go. Yet after easily besting Aftershock, the younger Koehler brother seemed almost surprised to be facing Bad Habit in the semi-finals, as Sylvester had defeated the older Koehler and Avenger. Once the flag dropped the big dog took a bite out of Bad Habit and Steve Koehler had Brutus in his first championship final.

During the half time VIP party in the pits, Steve Koehler was mobbed by fans, thinking the same thing that the Brutus driver was thinking – is this the moment when he steps out from his brother’s shadow and wins his own championship? After the remote ignition interrupter was tested on the two trucks, the silence was deafening. The younger driver in Brutus looked across at the Russian in Krazy Train, but Kurishnikoff stared straight ahead, seemingly willing his truck to be first across the finish line. But once the flag dropped there was no doubt, this was Steve Koehler’s moment; Brutus had won the Monster Spectacular Racing title.

Steve Koehler could barely contain himself during the Championship interview, shouting his excitement to the fans. Mr. Excitement came to the track to congratulate his younger brother and team mate and then left the winners circle to let his former crew chief have his moment of glory. Steve celebrated the best way he could, tossing collector edition souvenirs to the fans.

Now it was time to toss caution to the wind, because Monster Truck Freestyle would decide if there would be an overall Monster Spectacular Champion. The points were just that close, that it would take a double down win for one driver to be the overall winner. But as Jim Koehler pointed out, the real winners were the fans, there to see such tight competition.

Running in the intro order mean that Krazy Train and Aftershock were the first two trucks out. Both drivers did an admirable job of hitting all the obstacles and working the unique variable clock of Monster Spectacular freestyle competition by showing their ability to get creative with extra time.

Then Bad Habit hit the floor. Roaring out of the pits, the big man from Ohio rammed the Cadillac into the van stack and launched his 10,000 pound truck into the biggest air of the night. Sylvester had to jam his brakes on hard to drop the front end in time to land the truck and not crash into the other parked in the pits. Bad Habit pulled every trick in the book including a cyclone donut. When Sylvester realized the variable clock was working in his favor he knew he’d have to wow the judges and the fans. He did just that with not one, but two huge reverser wheelies, his last one sending him air born backwards over the van stack.

Steve Koehler knew he’d have to drive on the ragged edge to beat Sylvester and he took Brutus there in a hurry. But this time it was the dog that got bitten as he went up into a bicycle on the two wheels on the driver side and then rolled the truck. Avenger appeared to come to the rescue and was chained to Brutus to turn the turn upright, but Koehler waved them off and left Brutus upside down as a potential obstacle for Avenger’s freestyle.

The former World Champion knew his freestyle must be of that caliber to been Bad Habit and Koehler pulled out every trick he could. Hugh sky wheelies, slap wheelies up on two wheels, it was a run of epic proportions. He was so aware of his surroundings that Koehler saw the time end as he as in the middle of a massive donut. So he took the steering wheel and tossed it out on the track floor as he continued to spin.

The judges debated and argued as the fans ran to the track floor for the post show VIP pit party. Would they be congratulating an overall champion or would they be celebrating a different winner? Finally the word came down. Bad Habit had won the Monster Spectacular Monster Truck Freestyle Championship for 2010.

Congratulations to all the drivers and truck teams who made the 2010 Tour the best with the tightest competition ever in over 20 years of Monster Spectacular. As Jim Koehler said – it’s the fans that are the real winners with Monster Spectacular. One more finale show to go in 2010 in Montreal this fall and then look out – here comes the 2011 Monster Spectacular Championship Tour!! Check out www.MonsterSpectacular.com for more information.