Marquette, MI-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy and Excaliber continued their domination of events nationwide, and Marquette was no exception. The team has proven time and again that it is a force on the monster truck tour, and it was actually impossible for the team to do better than it did—Amsoil Shock Therapy won all events on the weekend, and Amsoil Excaliber finished second in everything to boot.

“We have a great, well-balanced team right now,” said Amsoil Shock Therapy’s Jon Zimmer. “Kevin (Koszala, driver of Amsoil Excaliber) was pushing me hard all weekend, and it’s the best when we can bring home a 1-2 finish for Sudden Impact Racing.”

Highlights on the weekend included standout freestyles from 2011 World Finals qualifier Amsoil Shock Therapy, and fast racing passes from both trucks. Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber were clearly the class of the field in Marquette and look to build on a perfect weekend with their next show in Rochester, Minnesota. We will keep you posted on all the action from there!

Elko, MN-Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster took on Elko Speedway in Elko, Minnesota with one goal in mind—get the cold, wet Minnesota crowd on their feet! With no scores to shoot for or competitors to beat, some teams would let down a bit, but not Sudden Impact Racing.

“Shows like Elko are a great way to get some extra seat time in, but I feel a different kind of pressure—I want to make sure all of the Redcat Racing Ground Pounder fans are happy!” said driver Chris Ryan. With a slick surface, donuts were the order of the day for Redcat Racing Ground Pounder, and a fantastic set of cyclones to go with several other great leaps made Ground Pounder and Ice Monster the talk of the show.

“We got the fans excited about us and Chris (Lagana, driver of Ice Monster) did very well himself,” Ryan said. “Ricky Romanini helped us out, and we’ve started off the second part of the season right!”

Indeed they have, and the momentum from Elko will carry the team into West Palm Beach, Florida. We will keep you posted on all the action from there as well!

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(photos courtesy Stephanie Cotnoir) Montreal, Canada-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber continued their success from the first quarter of 2011 with a strong opening statement at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, with both trucks enjoying stellar freestyle performances.

“There were a lot of obstacles on the track, and I wanted to pick them all off one by one and make that into a sweet run,” said Amsoil Excaliber’s Chris Ryan. “I was going good until the wheel.”

The wheel Ryan speaks of is the left front that snapped off upon a big air jump.

The crowd went wild for Amsoil Excaliber, but it cut the run just short. Amsoil Shock Therapy, fresh off its 2011 Monster Jam World Finals appearance, picked up right where it left off and had a dominating run, with some huge air, donuts, and an absolute annihilation of a box truck on the course. Driver Jon Zimmer drove Amsoil Shock Therapy straight through the truck, ripping it to pieces and getting one of the biggest cheers of the night out of the crowd! Amsoil Shock Therapy continued until getting hung up on another huge obstacle on the track just as his time expired, ending another night without damage and with many new Sudden Impact Racing and Amsoil fans in the stands satisfied.

“It’s always great to put on a show in a big stadium where a lot of people can see us do our thing,” said Zimmer. “I see Amsoil and Sudden Impact Racing got a lot of exposure here, and I was pleased with my run also!”

Next up for Sudden Impact Racing is a trip to Pocatello, Idaho for another big arena show! We will keep you posted on all the action from there!

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Las Vegas, Nevada-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy was invited to the biggest event in monster trucks, the Monster Jam World Finals at Sam Boyd Stadium.It was another legendary weekend and Amsoil Shock Therapy was a big part of that from beginning to end, starting with some adversity in the practice session on Thursday, and ending with success on Saturday and Sunday.

Sometimes a season of wear and tear on a truck can cause issues that rear their heads at unfortunate times, while others are simply unlucky. A professional team like Sudden Impact Racing and the Amsoil Shock Therapy truck are known for making the most out of unlucky situations, and an electrical issue coupled with a burnt magneto kept Amsoil Shock Therapy from reaching its full potential in practice and qualifying. After a couple of nights of frustration and checking the truck from top to bottom, driver Jon Zimmer headed into the biggest show in the sport confident that the problems were behind him.

“I was frustrated that a few freak things kept us from being where we wanted to in racing, and I got just a little behind in racing, and that’s all it took,” he said. “I made up for my racing mistake in freestyle, and all the hard work was worth it though. I love seeing all the Amsoil Shock Therapy fans go nuts!”

Indeed, after a scintillating freestyle performance that left the capacity crowd screaming for more, Amsoil Shock Therapy’s engine let go, but not before huge air, cross threads, and a set of Zimmer’s signature cyclone donuts earned him a great score and some vindication for all the team’s hard work getting the truck running well after the adversity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaR7GRjA_pM

“I was happy with my freestyle; we basically ran it until we couldn’t go anymore, and I know the fans were happy as well,” said Zimmer. “We need the support we get from all of our sponsors, and I love the new look we have on the truck also.”

After a great showing on Monster Jam’s biggest stage, the annual awards banquet was held, where last year Sudden Impact Racing brought home some hardware in the form of the Extreme Air of the Year award. This year would bring more success, as Amsoil Shock Therapy’s Jon Zimmer received the “Technician of the Year” award, chosen from all of his peers as the driver recognized for working extremely hard on his own equipment and succeeding in all of the challenges of running a team and working on its trucks. It’s a total team effort at Sudden Impact Racing, and Zimmer was happy to accept the award.

“It was great to be recognized for the blood, sweat, and tears we put into maintaining the trucks and keeping them going. It gets tough on the road, but we have great support, and I look forward to doing this for as long as I can make all the Amsoil Shock Therapy and Sudden Impact Racing fans happy.”

So it was another exciting World Finals for Amsoil Shock Therapy and Sudden Impact Racing, and the work begins getting all four of Sudden Impact Racing’s trucks ready for more action.We will keep you posted on all the great news soon!

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After a winning weekend for the Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Ice Monster part of team Sudden Impact Racing, those two joined Amsoil Excaliber and 2011 World Finals Qualifier Amsoil Shock Therapy in Las Vegas at the WORLD FINALS! Amsoil Shock Therapy is ready to rock and many surprises are in store in Las Vegas. Stay tuned…

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Winnipeg, Manitoba-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil and Amsoil Excaliber made the trip to Winnipeg to showcase their talents and continue their yearlong success, and it was mission accomplished.

In a weekend with multiple shows, consistency and equipment maintenance are key, and these are two areas the Sudden Impact Racing team excels in. That maintenance and consistency proved itself in the results, where Amsoil Excaliber improved every show and stood out in the first half of the field’s freestyle at each event. That warmed up the crowd for 2011 Monster Jam World Finals Qualifier Jon Zimmer and Amsoil Shock Therapy.

In the three shows, Amsoil Shock Therapy was spectacular, including two second-place finishes and a great victory during the Saturday evening show.

“I’m really happy where the team is at and how we’ve been doing this year,” said Zimmer. “I can’t wait to get to Las Vegas; I feel like we can make some noise there for Amsoil and Sudden Impact Racing!”

Months of preparation and hard work lead up to the World Finals in Las Vegas in just two weeks.We will keep you posted on all the great action from there!

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El Paso, Texas-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil and Amsoil Excaliber headed to Texas once again for a two-show huge stadium event in El Paso at the Sun Bowl and delivered great performances during the entire weekend, continuing to produce no matter what obstacles lay before them.

Amsoil Excaliber has been around almost since the beginning of monster trucks, and with that legendary name comes a great set of expectations. Driver Kevin Koszala has quickly been establishing himself as someone who can pilot Amsoil Excaliber to some great showings, and put in solid efforts in both events to set up Amsoil Shock Therapy’s high-energy runs.

As a recent 2011 World Finals qualifier, Amsoil Shock Therapy is already in an elite group of trucks. Driver Jon Zimmer showed why he is in this group with both of his freestyle runs at the nationally-televised events, with huge air, donuts, and even a slap wheelie thrown in, all without damaging the truck, something he prides himself on.

“My goal is to excite the fans and keep Amsoil happy as well as keeping our budget on track,” said Zimmer. “There’s nothing better than being able to drive the truck in the trailer after putting in a good, hard run in freestyle.”

After two highly successful televised events, more exposure awaits Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber in Winnipeg, Manitoba.We will keep you posted on all the great action from there!

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Providence, Rhode Island-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil and Amsoil Excaliber have been consistent and persistent during the 2011 season, and that combination has led to the realization of the ultimate dream—Amsoil Shock Therapy was given an opportunity for the second straight year to compete in the sport’s most coveted and largest event, the Monster Jam World Finals. Amsoil Shock Therapy driver Jon Zimmer received his qualification flag on behalf of Sudden Impact Racing during Friday’s event, and was extremely excited to be chosen again.

“I can’t wait to go back to Vegas,” said Zimmer. “I love the racing track there and feel that I can do very well in that, and prove that I belong right there at the top.”

Zimmer also added that Amsoil Shock Therapy has some great new power this year on behalf of Scorpion Racing Engines, and the freestyle course will dictate his plans for that portion of the event. First though, it was a three-show weekend in Providence, and both Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber immediately proved their top-level status in all competitions. Amsoil Excaliber, with new driver Kevin Koszala, took a victory in the wheelie contest with two picture-perfect sky wheelies, and Amsoil Excaliber laid down great, ragged-edge freestyle performances all weekend.

“It was a great weekend for Sudden Impact Racing and I am happy that things are settling into place for the last month of first quarter,” said Zimmer. “We loved it in Providence, and can’t wait for El Paso this weekend!”

El Paso, Texas is indeed the next stop on the tour for Sudden Impact Racing, and another televised show to boot. We will keep you posted on all the action from there!

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Baton Rouge, LA-Sudden Impact Racing tires have done it again for the Overkill Monster truck, as on February 10 at State Capitol Raceway in an IHRA event, a 90 mile per hour speed on a 1/4 mile drag strip was reached. Congratulations to the Overkill and Sudden Impact Racing teams for collaborating on breaking a monster truck WORLD RECORD!

Salt Lake City, UT-Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster built on momentum from a solid Miami show with a spectacular weekend in Salt Lake City, putting to rest any ideas about who the top racing truck was throughout the weekend—Redcat Racing Ground Pounder!

The big story of the weekend was Redcat Racing Ground Pounder sweeping the two-show event’s racing on Saturday, besting all comers en route to a dominating performance. Young Chris Ryan was cutting great lights, which is essential on any straight-line course, and the wins stacked up quickly.

“I felt great in the truck, and it was great to get these couple of wins for the team,” said Ryan. “We’re doing great, and I’m very excited to continue the season and build some momentum for Sudden Impact Racing.”

Also in the field was Michigan Ice Monster, who had a semifinal appearance in racing and more good wheelie competition and freestyle efforts as well. Again, both trucks proved they are superbly maintained with little to no damage as well. The durability and success of the Sudden Impact Racing team has them looking forward to more shows soon, and their next one will be in Lafayette, Lousiana after a short break to get things ready. We’ll keep you posted!

Cleveland, Ohio-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil and Amsoil Excaliber announced their return to Cleveland with authority, with more victories added to an impressive total in the buckeye state. After a rather tough weekend in Rosemont that was taxing on both drivers and trucks, Sudden Impact Racing showed why they are in the top tier of the sport with a great bounce-back weekend.

The three-show weekend was solid all around for Amsoil Excaliber. In a two-truck effort, sometimes one truck needs to “set up” the other with a solid performance and no breakage, and that is what Amsoil Excaliber did. Amsoil Shock Therapy followed with great freestyle runs and pushed the other trucks hard all weekend, but the highlight was the racing competition, where two final-round appearances and a huge victory were the result of a ton of hard work from the entire Sudden Impact Racing team.

“I was really happy to get back in the winner’s circle after Rosemont,” said Amsoil Shock Therapy driver Jon Zimmer. “I want to get back to the World Finals badly, and I think we’ve proven that we have the power to make noise there again this year if we’re chosen.”

Next, Sudden Impact Racing travels to Providence, Rhode Island for another multi-show weekend. We will keep you posted on all the action from there!

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Rosemont, Illinois-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil and Amsoil Excaliber went into a grueling five-show weekend in Illinois looking to continue their success from Tampa. The trip from the sunshine state to one of the coldest cities in America ended with more proof that Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber can stand up to any test given them.

The tests on this weekend were indeed plentiful, as after an action-packed first show, Amsoil Shock Therapy encountered major difficulties after the wheelie contest Saturday.

“We ended up breaking an inner axle, and then saw problems with the pinion gear as well, and there was just nothing we could do but work our tails off to have the truck ready for the next show in the evening,” said a disappointed Jon Zimmer. “We had an axle stuck in the truck so badly we had to pull it out with a bulldozer. I felt like we recovered the best we could given the circumstances.”

Amsoil Shock Therapy also hooked an edge and rolled over during one of the racing shows, doing a bit of damage to the fiberglass body but otherwise none the worse for wear. Running a monster truck to its limits to please Amsoil and the fans is always on Sudden Impact Racing’s minds, and this week was no different. Amsoil Excaliber was able to make a final-round appearance and both trucks put in solid freestyle efforts, making every pass their best.

After a lot of hard work in the shop, both trucks will be ready for their next event in Cleveland, Ohio, and the team will look to reverse their bad luck there in a spot that did Amsoil Shock Therapy quite well last year. We will keep you posted on all the great action from there!

Miami, FL-Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster went into another high profile event in Miami looking to bring home great performances for the team, going hard all weekend in the sunshine state.

Redcat Racing Ground Pounder performs well in all conditions, and the sandy track suited driver Chris Ryan just fine after a tough racing pass. In freestyle, Redcat Racing Ground Pounder smashed its way through a boat and kept right on going!

“I always like to put on a show for Redcat and all the Ground Pounder fans,” said Ryan. “Redcat Racing Ground Pounder is all about being aggressive!”

Also making a statement was Michigan Ice Monster, but unfortunately after a round two appearance in racing, a planetary locked up during a high-speed donut for an early end to a promising run.

“I was disappointed I didn’t get to do more for the fans,” said driver Chris Lagana. “I felt like my run in Houston had me on the right path, but we just had a bit of bad luck. I’m looking forward to Salt Lake City next week to get a better score!”

We will keep you posted on all the happenings from Salt Lake City from both Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster as the team looks for redemption in Utah!

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Houston, Texas-Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster headed to the lone star state, Houston, to be exact, for an evening of great racing and freestyle. The slippery course claimed many victims throughout the night, with many races being decided by mere inches. Freestyle, however, is about the unpredictable, and both Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster put in great efforts.

Leading off in the field, Redcat Racing Ground Pounder was on its way to a great score when driver Chris Ryan encountered some bad luck, with a broken spindle after a big air launch ending his run early.

“It was just a case of fatigue on the spindle more than anything,” said Ryan. “We run the trucks very hard to please Redcat Racing Ground Pounder fans, and unfortunately the spindle let go after a big jump. We’ll be back strong next week, and the fans were happy with what they did see!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS6qOgzfGpU

Michigan Ice Monster also had a solid effort, characterized as “his best of the year,” after a full run that ended in a great set of donuts. Driver Chris Lagana improves every week, and will look to do more of the same next week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH3gIkb5GG4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Sudden Impact Racing continues to get better every week, and Redcat Racing Ground Pounder along with Michigan Ice Monster head to Miami, Florida for another huge stadium show this week. We’ll keep you posted!

Tampa, Florida-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber continued a season full of success in the sunshine state, treating the Floridian fans to an exciting night despite less-than-ideal conditions for monster trucks. A very muddy racing surface hampered every truck on the course due to rain, but Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber powered through the adversity for another impressive showing.

Amsoil Shock Therapy made its way through the bracket by keeping its cool through the pressure of constant sliding through the muddy turning course. One mistake can mean the end of a night in racing, and driver Jon Zimmer was up to the challenge.

“The last thing I wanted to do was let Amsoil down,” he said. “I used to race SnoCross, and so I’m a bit used to sliding around. I was just keeping calm, being steady.”

That approach led to a nationally-televised final round appearance that Amsoil Shock Therapy came within inches of winning. Not to be deterred, the truck headed for the pits with a thrilling freestyle in mind to close the night.

Amsoil Excaliber had a great evening as well, putting in solid efforts in racing and freestyle to set the stage for Amsoil Shock Therapy’s thrilling freestyle. After many trucks simply hit whatever they could, Amsoil Shock Therapy went for a unique angle—hitting the obstacles sideways, or “cross-threading” them. The approach appeared to have Amsoil Shock Therapy headed to a win to back up the final-round racing appearance, but a bad bounce and lack of visibility put the truck over on its roof just a bit too early for a victory.

After yet another impressive showing on a national stage, Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber head for Rosemont, Illinois and a grueling five-show weekend. We will keep you posted on all the great action from there!

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