Truckosaurus wrecks: Spectacular Monster Jam roars into PH for the first time

THERE are certain forms of entertainment that require no explanation: a dinosaur theme park, the Incredible Hulk, and monster trucks. They inspire wonder and awe, stimulating the lizard part of our brain with their sheer scale.

Monster trucks are the easiest to relate with because many of us have played with toy trucks as kids. We rolled them in sand and dirt, and made them do high-flying stunts.
Recently, all of those childhood fantasies had been brought to larger-than-life scale by the Monster Jam show.
For the first-ever Monster Jam truck show in the Philippines, the SM Mall of Asia arena floor was transformed into a giant dirt pit. A typical arena track build uses 1,000 tons, or 80 truckloads, of dirt. Overnight, the racetrack was constructed by heavy machinery.

Photo by Ardie O. Lopez

Last Saturday, the show opened with the famous Party in the Pits. Fans went up close to ogle at the massive machines. Standing alongside the six Monster Jam trucks with their 66-inch tall tires, we could fully appreciate just how huge they really were.

Drivers were able to chat with the fans, pose for photos and sign autographs. Monster trucks were able to show off their distinctive features: Zombie opened and closed its “rotting” jaw, with some spectators tempted to stick their head in. El Toro Loco, piloted by female driver Cynthia Gauthier, blew off some steam from its twin nostrils.
With excitement fueled by the close encounters, the crowd was brimming with anticipation. The lights dimmed, the announcer drawled, and out came the Monster Jam trucks. Dragon, Max-D, Son-uva Digger and, the most infamous monster truck, Grave Digger roared out of the pits and onto the track.

Photo by Ardie O. Lopez

The 1,500-HP engines were loud, especially in the arena’s enclosed space, designed to make the crowd hear everything. The trucks faced off two-by-two to see who got to get to the other side of the circuit first. This was no sportscar race, though. The trucks leaped into the air, belying their huge size with surprising speed and, dare we say, agility.  We imagine that seeing a T-rex thundering away at full speed would startle us the same way. Every time the trucks would land, they produced a solid thump that could have triggered an earthquake warning from Phivolcs.
Zombie, with its blond wig and creepy white arms waving in the air, won the first round.

Add-on excitement

Photo by Ardie O. Lopez

More dirt-bashing entertainment was provided by the all-terrain-vehicle race. The crowd was on its feet for the Freestyle Motocross group. The five-rider crew took turns leaping off a tall ramp, flying high into the air and doing backflips. The thrilling display was a surprise highlight of the show.
Like the goat in “Jurassic Park,” car shells of a Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla were rolled out onto the floor. This marked the return of the Tyrannosaurus trucks for the freestyle competition.

Naturally, smashing the cars to bits was part of the show. The trucks jumped and did donuts.  Dragon even blew flames from its “mouth.” Max-D went all out during the freestyle, but the top scores went to Son-uva Digger and its apparent father.

Left sitting on top of a dirt “grave,” appropriately, was Grave Digger, the winner for the freestyle competition.
Monster Jam driver Cynthia Gauthier said: “Driving for Monster Jam is a dream come true. We travel all around the world and we get to meet all the Monster Jam fans.”

To those who missed this year’s show or those who enjoyed watching this weekend, the good news is that Monster Jam is already scheduled to return. Book your Father’s Day 2016 weekend, and get ready to rock with the monster trucks.

See more photos: 21 images from the spectacular Monster Jam