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Monster truck
A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines, and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), they have evolved into purpose-built vehicles with tube-frame chassis and fiberglass bodies. A competition monster truck is typically 12 feet (3.7 m) tall, equipped with 66-inch (1.7 m) off-road tires, and several tons in weight—those competing in Monster Jam events, for instance, must weigh at least five short tons, or 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg).
Monster trucks developed in the late 1970s and came into the public eye in the early 1980s as side acts at popular motocross, tractor pulling, and mud bogging events, where they were used in car-crushing demonstrations. Today they are usually the main attraction, with motocross, mud bogging, ATV racing, or demolition derbies as supporting events.
Monster truck shows typically have two main segments: a race and a freestyle stunt driving competition, with an intermission at the midway point of the event.
Races are conducted as a single-elimination tournament on short, symmetrical tracks, which may include obstacles such as junk cars or dirt mounds. The track's length and complexity may vary with the size of the venue. Courses in indoor arenas are typically shorter, with fewer obstacles. This has drawn comparisons to professional drag racing, and depending on the promoter or size of the event, tournaments may use a Christmas tree starting procedure.
In freestyle events, each driver puts on a performance consisting of stunts such as obstacle jumps, backflips, wheelies, and doughnuts. A panel of judges assigns points to each performance and the driver with the most points wins. The scoring methods can change from promoter to promoter.
Historically, additional vehicles for the drivers to crush, such as motor homes and school buses, were placed on the track specifically for the freestyle event, but incidents of debris flying into the stands and causing serious injuries have influenced most event promoters to turn away from such obstacles. Most freestyle courses now consist mostly of large mounds and ramps erected to allow the trucks to perform large jumps and wheelies upon landing. Freestyle performances have a time limit and only one truck is allowed on the track at a time as a safety measure. Freestyle events are typically a show's final competition, as damage to the trucks can make them unable to race.
In the late 1970s, heavily modified pickup trucks were becoming popular and the sports of mud bogging and truck pulling were gaining in popularity. Several truck owners had created lifted trucks to compete in such events, and soon competition to hold the title of "biggest truck" developed. The trucks that got the most national attention were Bob Chandler's Bigfoot, Everett Jasmer's USA-1, Fred Shafer and Jack Willman Sr.'s Bear Foot, and Jeff Dane's King Kong. At the time, the largest tires the trucks were running were 48 inches (1.2 m) in diameter.
In April 1981, Chandler drove over junked cars in Bigfoot in what many believe to have been the first monster truck to crush cars. Chandler drove Bigfoot over a pair of cars in a field as a test of the truck's ability, and filmed it to use as a promotional tool in his four-wheel drive performance shop. An event promoter saw a video of the car crush and asked Chandler to do it in front of a crowd. Initially hesitant because of the "destructive" image that could be associated with Bigfoot, Chandler eventually agreed. After some smaller shows, he performed the feat in the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982. At this show, Chandler also debuted a new version of Bigfoot with 66-inch (170 cm) tires. At an event in the early 1980s, when Bigfoot was still running 48-inch (120 cm) tires, Bob George, one of the owners of a motorsport promotion company, Truck-a-rama—later known as the United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA)—is said to have coined the phrase "monster truck" when referring to Bigfoot. It became the generic name for all such trucks.
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Monster truck
A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines, and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), they have evolved into purpose-built vehicles with tube-frame chassis and fiberglass bodies. A competition monster truck is typically 12 feet (3.7 m) tall, equipped with 66-inch (1.7 m) off-road tires, and several tons in weight—those competing in Monster Jam events, for instance, must weigh at least five short tons, or 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg).
Monster trucks developed in the late 1970s and came into the public eye in the early 1980s as side acts at popular motocross, tractor pulling, and mud bogging events, where they were used in car-crushing demonstrations. Today they are usually the main attraction, with motocross, mud bogging, ATV racing, or demolition derbies as supporting events.
Monster truck shows typically have two main segments: a race and a freestyle stunt driving competition, with an intermission at the midway point of the event.
Races are conducted as a single-elimination tournament on short, symmetrical tracks, which may include obstacles such as junk cars or dirt mounds. The track's length and complexity may vary with the size of the venue. Courses in indoor arenas are typically shorter, with fewer obstacles. This has drawn comparisons to professional drag racing, and depending on the promoter or size of the event, tournaments may use a Christmas tree starting procedure.
In freestyle events, each driver puts on a performance consisting of stunts such as obstacle jumps, backflips, wheelies, and doughnuts. A panel of judges assigns points to each performance and the driver with the most points wins. The scoring methods can change from promoter to promoter.
Historically, additional vehicles for the drivers to crush, such as motor homes and school buses, were placed on the track specifically for the freestyle event, but incidents of debris flying into the stands and causing serious injuries have influenced most event promoters to turn away from such obstacles. Most freestyle courses now consist mostly of large mounds and ramps erected to allow the trucks to perform large jumps and wheelies upon landing. Freestyle performances have a time limit and only one truck is allowed on the track at a time as a safety measure. Freestyle events are typically a show's final competition, as damage to the trucks can make them unable to race.
In the late 1970s, heavily modified pickup trucks were becoming popular and the sports of mud bogging and truck pulling were gaining in popularity. Several truck owners had created lifted trucks to compete in such events, and soon competition to hold the title of "biggest truck" developed. The trucks that got the most national attention were Bob Chandler's Bigfoot, Everett Jasmer's USA-1, Fred Shafer and Jack Willman Sr.'s Bear Foot, and Jeff Dane's King Kong. At the time, the largest tires the trucks were running were 48 inches (1.2 m) in diameter.
In April 1981, Chandler drove over junked cars in Bigfoot in what many believe to have been the first monster truck to crush cars. Chandler drove Bigfoot over a pair of cars in a field as a test of the truck's ability, and filmed it to use as a promotional tool in his four-wheel drive performance shop. An event promoter saw a video of the car crush and asked Chandler to do it in front of a crowd. Initially hesitant because of the "destructive" image that could be associated with Bigfoot, Chandler eventually agreed. After some smaller shows, he performed the feat in the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982. At this show, Chandler also debuted a new version of Bigfoot with 66-inch (170 cm) tires. At an event in the early 1980s, when Bigfoot was still running 48-inch (120 cm) tires, Bob George, one of the owners of a motorsport promotion company, Truck-a-rama—later known as the United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA)—is said to have coined the phrase "monster truck" when referring to Bigfoot. It became the generic name for all such trucks.