Published: 06:00 AM, Fri Mar 12, 2010
Monster trucks roar into the Crown Coliseum
Ron Leach wants people coming to the Thunderslam Monster Truck Spectacular this weekend to have some insider information about their tickets.
"You can tell people they'll be paying for a whole seat," said Leach. "But they're only going to use the edge."
Because when you pack a monster truck and extreme motorcycle event into the Crown Coliseum, audiences are in for an unforgettable adrenaline-charged thrill-ride.
"It's really, honestly, electrifying," said Leach, the event's tour manager. "It's 110-percent extreme from the word 'go,' and it's also a great time for the whole family."
The Thunderslam event is Friday and Saturday and will feature several monster trucks, including Eliminator, Defender, Twisted Dragon, Dragon Fly, Viper and others.
The trucks will compete in car-crushing contests, aerial feats of jumping large dirt mounds, oval track racing, power wheelie contests, power donut contests and a freestyle driving competition.
"This is going to be a lot of fun for the crowd, as well as the drivers," said Leach, who has built and driven a monster truck himself. "But don't get me wrong, there's a lot of skill in driving these things. We're not just a bunch of rednecks smashing things up in a truck."
Leach, who serves as the event's announcer, said the trucks will finish the evening by crushing a pyramid of cars.
But that's not all the event has to offer. The Extreme Freestyle Motorcycles FMX Show also is a part of the action, featuring stunt motorcycle drivers performing daring feats of aerial insanity.
"It's just like you'd see on the X Games," said Leach. "They'll be doing back flips and all those tricks. It's crazy."
Members of the Aerial Assault Acrobatics Team, featuring Tyler Polk, will jump more than 60 feet in the air across a span of 75 feet from ramp to ramp, Leach said.
There also will be a Tuff Trucks and Quad Wars competition, where tour drivers will compete against local drivers in a winner-takes-all format for cash prizes.
A specially built track of "humps, bumps and jumps" will be assembled, Leach said, to test local drivers daring enough to enter the competition.
"Anyone with a four-wheel-drive or off-road type of vehicle can participate," said Leach. "At their own risk."
Involving local drivers in the event has always been a big hit with the crowd and a popular attraction for the tour, Leach said.
"A lot of people come out more to see their friends take on the track than to see the monster trucks," said Leach.
Competitors in the Tuff Trucks and Quad Wars competitions will be racing against the clock, trying to turn in the fastest course time in order to win.
Meeting new drivers and off-road and truck enthusiasts is just part of the reward Leach and his tourmates get out of the Thunderslam.
"You meet a lot of great people doing these shows," said Leach. "But it's the energy of the crowd that makes that few hours of performance worth that whole week of preparation."
Thunderslam Monster Truck Spectacular
When: Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Crown Coliseum
Tickets: $13 to $33 through Ticketmaster and the Crown Center box office.
Information: www.atthecrown.com or www.amptour.com or call 438-4100
Staff writer Brian Dukes can be reached at dukesb@fayobserver.com or 486-3523.