Tampa, Florida-Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster took on Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium this past weekend for a high-profile show and did not disappoint despite some challenges. The night began with racing, where it was Redcat Racing Ground Pounder making an impression. Driver Chris “Panda” Ryan had the truck turning very well all night and was smooth in taking out Gun Slinger in round one, then pushed world champion Grave Digger to the limit before a close loss. After that, it was game on in freestyle before a bad bounce shot the truck over on its lid.

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Filed under: Event Recaps, Team News by Brandon

Wins were the theme of week two for Sudden Impact Racing. In Tacoma, both Amsoil Shock Therapy and Amsoil Excaliber suffered unlucky rollovers, then came back from the adversity to end the weekend on a good note.

“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!

Filed under: Event Recaps by Brandon

Evansville, IN-Sudden Impact Racing’s Amsoil Shock Therapy began the 2012 season with a bang at the Ford Center in Evansville. With a full lineup of some of the best monster trucks in the world, Amsoil Shock Therapy was up to the challenge of standing out from the pack. Driver Jon Zimmer was out of his normal chassis for this show, but for an experienced veteran, this presented no problems and most fans did not know the difference. It was a weekend of challenges and Amsoil Shock Therapy came through.

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!

Filed under: Event Recaps by Brandon

(photos courtesy Stephanie Cotnoir, http://www.avengerracing.com) Montreal, QC-Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster enjoyed their annual pilgrimage to Montreal for a wild night of racing and freestyle that ended with sparks flying and the Canadian fans on their feet cheering for the team.

Michigan Ice Monster had another solid outing behind the driving of Chris Lagana, capping the night off with some nice air in freestyle. The truck held together well, and Lagana was pleased with his experience.

“Sudden Impact Racing has tough trucks, and anytime we can prove it to 50,000 fans in a weekend, we love doing that,” he said. “I really enjoyed Montreal and felt like the freestyle was great!”

After the strong start by Ice Monster, it was time for fill-in driver Jon Zimmer taking Redcat Racing Ground Pounder through its paces in freestyle. Racing was another solid experience, but freestyle was indeed the highlight, with Redcat Racing Ground Pounder taking on everything in its way, including a gigantic leap over a box truck, as well as a wheelie/pogo move that left the bedsides of the truck torn up and sparks flying from the rear of the truck!

It was a great 2011 for the team, with another World Finals appearance and performances all over the place. There is no rest for the weary, however, as more work awaits in the shop for a quick turnaround to 2012. We’ll keep you posted on all the updates from the shop!

Filed under: Check This Out!, Event Recaps by Brandon

The Sudden Impact Racing Team has been updating its Tank recently and ran it at Big Easy Raceway in New Orleans. Check the video out!

Filed under: Team News by Brandon