After a solid racing effort on the long course, both Amsoil Excaliber and Amsoil Shock Therapy came ready to impress for freestyle. Kevin Koszala got things started with a solid run, taking a calculated approach at each of the obstacles on the track, including some nice air over a bus stack on the track.

“When you have a two truck team, it’s not always a good idea to go wild and take big risks on wrecking everything being so far from home,” said Koszala. “I take pride in the fact that I made my full time in freestyle and there was no breakage. That helps our team out and sets things up for Jon to do his job.”

Jon would be Jon Zimmer, Amsoil Shock Therapy’s driver and two-time World Finals competitor. He showed why Amsoil Shock Therapy is one of the top freestyle trucks in the sport with another top five finish in an awesome run. Amsoil Shock Therapy got so many hits in during his timed run that it was hard to keep track of them all; he was on a rampage! No obstacle was left untouched, there were high-speed cyclone donuts, and most of all, gigantic leaps over everything in the path of Amsoil Shock Therapy. When the run was near its end, Zimmer spun the truck into another tight donut, then emerged to loud cheers from the  appreciative crowd.

“The fans are what drive me to do what I do,” said Zimmer. “With Amsoil’s support, I get to live  my dream running for Sudden Impact Racing every weekend. I was happy with my run, and I’m excited to keep this thing going. I want to end up at the World Finals again!”

As the first month of the season comes to a close, Sudden Impact Racing will only get busier in heading towards that World Finals goal. Next up, Houston, Texas. Stay tuned for more!

New Orleans, Louisiana-Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster ran strong in the Big Easy, building on some hard-fought momentum from last week in Tampa. Both trucks came to New Orleans to be aggressive and show off for the fans, and those fans went home happy due to the effort of both Sudden Impact Racing trucks.

“This is a show that is near our old shop in New Orleans, and we have a lot of friends of the team and our owner, Brandon Lagarde, here,” said Redcat Racing Ground Pounder’s Chris Ryan. “We wanted to make sure everything went well here.”

Freestyle was here both trucks shone, as Michigan Ice Monster went out first. Chris Lagana was fresh off a solid effort from Tampa and looking to build momentum, hitting every obstacle with aggression. His run looked to be one to beat when a crooked hit on a huge bus stack tripped the truck up and sent it over on its lid. It wasn’t the ending Lagana had wanted for Ice Monster, but he kept a good attitude.

“To do well on an event this big, I wanted to be aggressive, and with all the power this new engine is making, I was able to do that,” he said. “I hate rolling the truck; it’s a mistake when we do that, but I gave it everything I had trying to save it!”

Redcat Racing Ground Pounder followed up Michigan Ice Monster with a high-energy effort that landed Ryan in the top half of the freestyle finishers, a great accomplishment on such a large stage. With 70,000 fans in the building,the pressure is very real.

“I didn’t want to let anyone sitting in those seats or those people that will see it on TV down,” said Ryan. “I wanted to hit everything and keep up good momentum. I also wanted to last my full time, and I did that.”

Ryan launched over everything on the track, eventually coming to a stop after his time expired with a flat tire but thousands of happy fans in the stands. The truck worked well sucking up all of the wild jumps, and Ryan walked away with only minor damage to fix before the next show in Fargo, North Dakota. We will keep you posted from there as well; stay tuned!

“I feel very good about the racing program we have put together,” said Ryan. “These Scorpion engines pack a lot of power, and Redcat Racing gives us the backing to go out and run hard, just like you can do with the Ground Pounder RCs.”

In freestyle, Michigan Ice Monster got the crowd going early despite only having two wheel drive for the majority of his run. Lagana powered through the biggest obstacles on the track despite having half of the pulling power he normally would, airing the Ice Monster out and getting the most out of it. Sometimes drivers simply park their trucks in this situation, but not Lagana.

“I was out to put on a show after not running last week,” he said. “I didn’t want to give up and disappoint everyone. That’s not what any of us on the team are about. I can’t wait til next week, because this engine has plenty of power and I want to take some wins!”

Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster will look to do just that headed into their next show at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Stay tuned!

Sacramento, California-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber made their way to California for some west coast monster truck action at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, and it became another successful weekend. Wins always make a weekend of monster trucks a little better, and Sacramento proved that once again. Both Amsoil monster trucks from the Sudden Impact Racing team were running hard.

To kick off the three-show weekend, Amsoil Shock Therapy’s Jon Zimmer found it appropriate to remind everyone why he’s been a two-time World Finals competitor, dusting the field and taking a big racing win right off the bat.

“This Scorpion Racing engine is bad fast,” said Zimmer. “I have all the power I want, and it’s exciting knowing that you have the tools to get the job done. It was a great weekend for Sudden Impact Racing and the Amsoil team.”

The show announcer also filled the fans in on the ‘Zimmer Effect,’ which he told the crowd meant, “if you run your truck hard, one day you could end up at the World Finals.”

Indeed, it was a great weekend, as the action didn’t stop there. For all three shows, a Sudden Impact Racing truck was in the finals of racing. Kevin Koszala and Amsoil Excaliber was able to do it in the second show, and Zimmer made a return trip to the finals in Amsoil Shock Therapy. Amsoil Shock Therapy also finished in the runner-up spot twice in freestyle. This balanced attack meant that the fans in Sacramento got plenty of exposure to the trucks, and the impression was made–both Amsoil trucks are here to win in 2012.

The Sudden Impact Racing team also sends thanks to Donald Epidendio and the Titan team for their shop and hospitality throughout the weekend. Monster truck drivers are a big family, and Epidendio treated the team well. Next, the trucks take on Anaheim, California, site of some past Amsoil Shock Therapy success. We’ll keep you posted!

“Tacoma is always a long weekend of racing and freestyle,” said Amsoil Shock Therapy driver Jon Zimmer. “It’s nice to have a big place to run the truck hard at, but it’s also very hard on equipment and on us drivers. Seeing the fans having a good time is what makes it worth it.”

Kevin Koszala continued his development behind the wheel of Amsoil Excaliber, and with a truck not at 100 percent, still laid it all out on the line. “Sometimes things don’t go how you want them to, but it’s up to us to be professional about it,” said Koszala. “We would be letting Amsoil and all of our great fans down if we didn’t push through it. Our team ended up with a win and that’s all that matters.”

The win Koszala speaks of came in the final show of the weekend, when after four prior events, everyone could have packed it in and not been aggressive. That’s not Amsoil Shock Therapy’s style, however. Zimmer blasted Amsoil Shock Therapy off of every obstacle in site, getting huge air and spinning into a set of flawless donuts. But Amsoil Shock Therapy wasn’t done–more big air, slap wheelies, sky wheelies, and cross thread moves on obstacles followed, and when the judges’ freestyle scores were in, there was no doubt. Amsoil Shock Therapy came out the freestyle winner in Tacoma!

Next up for Sudden Impact Racing, it’s a trip to Sacramento, where warm weather and even hotter racing and freestyle await. We will keep you posted!

In Wichita, Redcat Racing Ground Pounder was able to take home victories in five of the twelve competitions on the weekend, including a Saturday freestyle victory, an impressive feat for driver Chris Ryan and the team.

“I was really pleased with how this new Scorpion Racing Engine worked out, and with the support of them and Redcat Racing, I feel like the sky’s the limit for us this season,” said Ryan. “I love being able to take wins; this is the way to get the season started!”

Indeed it is. Highlights of Redcat Racing Ground Pounder’s runs included big air, high-speed donuts, and great speed on the course. On evenings when other trucks had mechanical issues, Redcat Racing Ground Pounder suffered no issues and was strong throughout the weekend. It is a product of great maintenance and driving that a truck can go without breaking during a three-show weekend, and Ground Pounder did both. Ryan’s wins came in the donut contest (three wins) and freestyle (two), making a strong statement about the coming season–Redcat Racing Ground Pounder will be a force this year! Next up is New Orleans, Louisiana for another great show. Stay tuned!

The night started off strong, with the wheelie contest presenting an opportunity to make a statement early. Amsoil Shock Therapy made that statement with two fantastic wheelies that Zimmer rode across the cars. A spectacular opening to the 2012 season saw the night take a bit of an unlucky turn afterwards Following the racing portion of the show, a broken axle caused Zimmer some trouble. But as the two-time World Finals competitor knows, it’s just an opportunity to overcome adversity.

“Sometimes things don’t go the way we want, and with a truck that wasn’t 100%, I still gave the fans my best, and that’s what matters to me at the end of the day,” he said. “I never want to let the fans or Amsoil down, and that’s always been my goal.”

On that goal, it was mission accomplished, as despite the truck’s ailment, Zimmer put Amsoil Shock Therapy through its paces in a high-speed performance, attacking the cars and van stack at all sorts of angles and keeping great momentum. Another truck had rolled over trying for a donut earlier, but that didn’t stop Amsoil Shock Therapy! Zimmer had the truck spinning so fast it was on three wheels for part of the donut, and when he emerged from the truck, the crowd was cheering. Again, night one was mission accomplished for the Amsoil Shock Therapy team, and it was a victory over adversity in Evansville.

Night two saw more of the same, with Amsoil Shock Therapy planting the truck on the wheelie bar in both the afternoon and evening shows, then enjoying two great freestyles. The Sudden Impact Racing team proved once again that there is no challenge it can’t handle. Next week, the team heads to Tacoma, Washington, and there will be more action and excitement! Stay tuned!