All SIR in Detroit!
Detroit, Michigan-It had been four long years since monster trucks returned to the location of the first car crush, the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. Sudden Impact driver Sean Duhon made it worth the wait. When the dust settled after the finals of the racing portion of the event, Duhon had taken a great racing victory, besting 15 other trucks and enjoying the cheers of the crowd.
“It felt great to bring home a win at such a big show,” said Duhon. “I love being able to do positive things for Sudden Impact Racing, and I want to thank Brandon Lagarde, the entire team, and all of our sponsors. I was so excited after I was done, I barely knew what to say!”
That excitement meant Duhon spun the truck into a great set of donuts, then thanked the fans and promised them more for freestyle, which he also delivered upon with a top-tier performance there as well. Duhon pulled a slap wheelie off of a large bus stack on the track, kept great momentum, and pulled off the track unscathed on a night when many trucks broke or rolled over.
“It was mission accomplished in Pontiac,” he said. “When we have nights like this, we’re even more thankful for the support we get from sponsors.”
Redcat Racing’s Ground Pounder lived up to its name in Detroit, Michigan, enjoying the sound of thousands of happy, screaming fans at the end of its freestyle run. Driver Ben Winslow had an outstanding start-to-finish freestyle run at the Pontiac Silverdome, including riding out a nice slap wheelie after an incredible jump on a bus stack.
“I was happy with how things went in Michigan,” Winslow said. “I had a lot of fun meeting the fans and introducing them to the Ground Pounder RC, and it felt great to get out there and show what the monster truck could do!”
What the truck did was thrill thousands of new Redcat Racing Ground Pounder fans. Winslow also included a donut, great momentum, and a sideways jump off of the bus stack that brought Redcat Racing Ground Pounder from two wheels to the other two wheels, then finally back to earth.
“This is a tough truck and we’ve got it working well,” said Winslow. “It is great to have the support from Redcat Racing, and if they are happy, I’m definitely happy!”
Next, Winslow and Duhon get a weekend to repair the lower cradle and shock mounts on Ground Pounder, which they began by spending all of Wednesday doing, then it’s off to Regina, Saskatchewan for some action north of the border.
Michigan Ice Monster was a special identity for Chris “Panda” Ryan’s truck this weekend, and Ryan made a solid pass in racing and freestyle before a broken steering ram stopped him early.
“I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to show what else I could do behind the wheel, but I’m going to continue to work and improve,” said Ryan. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to impress some people here next week in Georgia.”
Whenever Amsoil Excaliber hits the track, people take notice. The huge show was driver Jon Zimmer’s personal stage in freestyle, and an outstanding run from him made certain that Amsoil Excaliber was on everyone’s minds when the event ended. After being upset in racing, Zimmer took out his frustration in freestyle, where for 90 seconds, Amsoil Excaliber hit every obstacle on the track bigger and harder than the rest of the field. When the run was finished, Amsoil Excaliber had blasted off of a huge bus stack, whipped an insane set of cyclone donuts, and ended up with a rollover attempting another turn. Zimmer hopped out of the truck to the roar of the huge stadium crowd, then climbed on top of the bus he jumped earlier in his run to salute the fans.
“I wasn’t happy with the racing part, but I felt like the freestyle went pretty well,” said Zimmer. “We want to make sure Amsoil is pleased with how we represent them. People were coming up to me after the show and complimenting the run.”
Another weekend, another great impression for Team Amsoil Excaliber/SIR. After thrilling fans in monster trucks’ return to the Silverdome, Zimmer and Ryan head to Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Georgia.
“I’m definitely looking forward to Dixie and taking this Amsoil truck to the limit there!” said Zimmer.
We will keep you updated on all the happenings from there! Thanks for visiting.
