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

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

Yuma, Arizona- Sudden Impact Racing’s Redcat Racing Ground Pounder and Michigan Ice Monster rolled into another Arizona city and came out victorious, with both trucks picking up freestyle victories on the weekend. Redcat Racing Ground Pounder’s Chris Ryan showed his skill in winning a big freestyle competition, while Michigan Ice Monster took home two more victories in freestyle, shutting the competition out and ensuring that Sudden Impact Racing would be remembered on the night in Arizona.

“It was awesome getting a couple of wins in Yuma,” said Lagana. “The Ice Monster was running good and I’m excited for Montreal!”

November 26 is when the team will be back in action with our neighbors to the north in Montreal! Stay tuned!

Filed under: Event Recaps by Brandon