Richmond, Virginia-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber rode all the way to Richmond for a busy three-show weekend and pushed their limits constantly and picking up a few wins along the way.

Any time there is a quick turnaround from one show to the next, attention to detail and dedication to the craft are two things required from a successful team. Sudden Impact Racing shined in both areas.

Amsoil Excaliber made an appearance in the final round of racing, narrowly losing, and with a fill-in driver at that—veteran Mike Barnes took the wheel.

“It’s great to have a two-truck attack every weekend, and I was happy to fill in driving the Amsoil Excaliber,” he said.

Amsoil Shock Therapy was able to pick up two wheelie contest wins and a donut victory as well. Both of these competitions require great timing and skill, along with the right equipment, like Scorpion Racing Engines and Sudden Impact Racing tires. Amsoil Shock Therapy had all of the above, and two-time World Finals competitor Jon Zimmer was happy about it.

“I was satisfied with the runs that I made in everything, and sometimes the numbers don’t fall your way,” said Zimmer. “I want to win badly, more than anyone I think. We owe it to our fans to put on the best performance we can.”

After giving the fans a show for the ages in Richmond, the team travels on to Indianapolis, Indiana for one of the biggest shows all season. We will keep you posted!

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster kept the streak alive, enjoying another racing triumph this weekend to follow up from their dominance last weekend.

Young gun Chris Ryan in Redcat Racing Ground Pounder was too quick for the field at the conclusion of the three-show weekend, blowing by everyone en route to a big win for the team.

“I love winning racing,” said Ryan. “It’s the true test of driver skill—no scoring, just you and the line. When you’re the quickest one to it, it’s a great feeling.”

Michigan Ice Monster’s Chris Lagana put forth solid efforts all weekend without mishap, showing the fans his improvement over the year. While he didn’t pick up any victories, the experience gained is vital.

“I didn’t get the wins, but the truck drove into the trailer in one piece and we made plenty of new fans here,” said Lagana. “I drive for the fans and for Sudden Impact Racing, and if I’ve made both of them happy, I’ve done my job.”

Wichita Falls, Texas is next on the agenda for the team, and we will have all the coverage right here for you soon.

Filed under: Event Recaps by Brandon

Tulsa, Oklahoma-Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster took on Tulsa, emerging with a dominant string of wins in a racing-only format on the weekend. It was a total team effort and well-rounded performance.

Redcat Racing Ground Pounder was the star of the show in racing, winning three of the four events and 13 of 15 races overall on the weekend.

“It was a great weekend and I felt very comfortable behind the wheel,” said driver Chris Ryan. “I’ve felt pretty good about my racing all year, and it was definitely nice to come in here and win like that.”

Michigan Ice Monster and driver Chris Lagana made sure that Ryan had some competition on the weekend, making trips to the final round twice

“When I match up with my teammate in the finals, I know it’s been a good night,” said Lagana. “Things are going well, and this weekend was just proof of that.”

In a season that has seen several crashes and some wild moments, Tulsa stood out as one that will be remembered as a weekend of dominance for the Sudden Impact Racing Program.

The team makes the trip to Oklahoma City next. Stay tuned for more!

Filed under: Event Recaps by Brandon

Miami, Florida-(photos from Andrew Fitzpatrick) Although the sunshine state didn’t live up to its promise, Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber took on the challenge of a muddy, messy track in Miami, emerging with some needed momentum for the rest of the season.

The night began with racing, where Amsoil Shock Therapy’s quest for a racing win brought him all the way to the semifinals and a top-four finish in the televised show, meaning big exposure on a national stage.

“It is really important for us to do well at these televised shows,” said Zimmer. “It was tough getting the trucks to go where we wanted in all this mud, but we made it happen.”

After that, it was Amsoil Excaliber driver Kevin Koszala’s turn to make it happen going out early in freestyle. After a couple of nice moves, including a vertical launch on the back side of a big hill that slapped the tailgate into the dirt, Excaliber shut down early. Still, it was a strong start to the night of freestyle.

And then it was time for Amsoil Shock Therapy’s freestyle. Zimmer started it out with some fantastic air, so high that some people in the crowd were heard gasping before the truck landed. It landed perfectly and Amsoil Shock Therapy continued on, eventually ending with a huge cyclone donut and blowing through a boat on the track, the first competitor to do so. This aggressiveness earned Amsoil Shock Therapy the lead with a 25, and some felt it should have been scored higher.

“I was really happy with my run, especially considering the conditions,” said Zimmer. “It isn’t easy to navigate when there’s that much mud, but the truck worked great and I felt that I had a good run.”

After a great momentum-building weekend in Miami, the Sudden Impact Racing team makes the trip to the shop for some repairs and recharging, then it’s on to Providence, Rhode Island in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

Filed under: Event Recaps by Brandon

Houston, Texas-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber made the trip to Texas, where they hoped to make an impression on all the great fans at Reliant Stadium. Despite some bumps along the way, the team never gave up, and still put on a good show.

“I was having trouble with my truck all night,” said Amsoil Shock Therapy driver Jon Zimmer. “Sometimes with all the moving parts these trucks have, it can be tough to track down a problem in such a short amount of time. We have to work with what we’re given and do our best; we have no excuses.”

That is exactly what both Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber did, beginning with veteran Kevin Koszala. After both trucks ended their nights early in racing, Koszala was determined to ignite the Houston crowd, and put on a show going out early in the field. Koszala caught some big air over every obstacle on the track, even working in a few wheelies before calling it good. He emerged to cheers from the crowd, a reminder that monster truck fans are always appreciative of a strong effort.

The other thing that was strong was the beginning of Amsoil Shock Therapy’s freestyle, but it was cut short due to mechanical problems, with Zimmer taking some rough hits in the process. It was a tough break, but adversity brings out the best in the Sudden Impact Racing team, and Zimmer plans on persevering at the next event.

“We caught a bad break, but I don’t stop working until I’ve satisfied the fans, the sponsors, and everyone around me,” he said. “We’ll be ready for Miami this week.”

Indeed, Miami is the next stop on the 2012 tour, and we will have all the results for you shortly afterward.

Fargo, North Dakota-Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster braved the frigid temperatures in North Dakota to put on three great shows at the Fargodome. Running on a more spacious floor than usual plays right into the team’s hands, and wild moments as well as success followed throughout.

The highlight of the weekend came in racing, where Redcat Racing Ground Pounder was able to best a stacked field of trucks and come away with a big victory. Driver Chris Ryan looked strong in racing at the Tampa event just a few weeks ago, and finally broke through, running smooth and steady throughout the night. Ryan and Redcat Racing Ground Pounder have shown marked improvement since last season, and Ryan was happy about it.

“We’ve got Scorpion  Racing Engines and Redcat Racing behind us, giving us the power and the support to get the job done,” he said. “I thought Chris (Lagana, driver of Michigan Ice Monster) did a great job this weekend as well, and it was great to get another win.”

Lagana was aggressive all weekend despite mechanical problems, grabbing the fans’ attention with some good efforts in wheelie contests and freestyles, and even surprising a few people in racing, making steady improvement while still battling the truck issues.

“We love what we do, and sometimes it’s harder than others,” said Lagana. “This weekend I was frustrated with not being able to get the most out of the truck. We  pushed through it and I was happy our team got a win.”
After Lagana’s performance, Ryan set out to try and grab a freestyle victory as well in Redcat Racing Ground Pounder, ending up flipping the truck over. The truck only suffered minor damage, and Ryan emerged to the cheers of the appreciative crowd.

With another successful weekend complete, the team will head to Tulsa, Oklahoma looking to make their presence felt. Stay tuned for more!

Filed under: Event Recaps by Brandon

Anaheim, California-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber closed out part two of their West Coast road trip in Anaheim for another great California show, going big in front of some excited fans on one of the sport’s larger stages. Anaheim has treated the team well in year’s past, with some winning moments and spectacular freestyles. This year would be no different.

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!

Filed under: Event Recaps by Brandon