Monster Truck Freestyle
The St. Louis Monster Jam has become one of the premiere events for not only racing, but Freestyle as well. In 2005, USHRA voted it the Freestyle Event of the Year (not including Las Vegas) and this year's lineup definitely had the means to take the title two years in a row.
Obstacles & Modifications to the track included: single cars in two corners of the floor, car-van-bus-van-car pyramid, wheelie hill next to bus pyramid, double stacked cars in racing lanes, double-jump quad racing hills, and of course the monstrous 30-car pile!
Devastator-- Schroeder fell victim to some rear drive line issues right after a blistering Qualifying pass and the team was never able to sort out the problems. The breakage was still apparent as Devastator came out for freestyle and had no rear wheel drive. Schroeder still tried to put on a show and was the first to hit the 30-car pile from the side but couldn't get much air. He attacked each single car in the corners but struggled over them. Schroeder was visibly frustrated and slid the truck off the track and up near the wall to end the run and stay out of the way of everyone coming after him. Rough night for Devastator. Score: 3.
Eradicator-- Slifko had been quiet on the night up until Freestyle and the loud-looking Eradicator needed to come out firing to rile up the crowd. Slifko grabbed some nice air on the big pile and then lined up the bus stack! Big sky wheelie for Eradicator as Slifko stuffed the rear tires into the van and bounced his way over the bus. The hood was starting to tear away from the truck, but it wasn't the only thing about to rip off. Slifko carried too much speed as he tried to cut a corner and Eradicator immediately rocked up on two wheels and there was no saving it! The front tire dug into the ground, popped off the rim and flipped the truck over hard. Slifko was alright, but was disappointed in the freestyle run. Score: 4.
TMN Turtle-- Another guy who needed to shake the rough start of the night. Blackwell's strength is in Freestyle and he really needed to kick the momentum of the show up. Blackwell rumbled the Turtle to the far end of the floor and blasted off the quad hills with some great air to start the run. Blackwell lined up the bus stack and flew over it with no problem. He cut quick corner and lined up the 30-car pile and blasted off the ramp with some huge air, clearing over half the pile. There was a sense of old-school car crushing as he landed on cars and then had to crush about 10 of them on his way off. I love that obstacle already! Blackwell put the Turtle in the air nicely over both of the single cars and found some open dirt to cut some donuts. He whipped the Turtle around three times before the truck suddenly shut off. Turtle lost the blower belt and his run was done. Solid run from Blackwell. Score: 6.
Iron Outlaw-- Weenk wanted to get back on track in Racing, but never was able to score a win. His 2006 Freestyle's have been consistent but just not good enough to put Iron Outlaw on top. The big hitters were yet to come, but Weenk needed to make them work extra hard for win with a flawless run right here. Weenk opened with a nice sky wheelie on the double cars then went for the bus pyramid. He shot Iron Outlaw over the top and the bus nosed the truck into the ground and stabbed the gas to pull up a great slap wheelie, carrying it all the way across the giant dome floor. Weenk wasted little time and blasted off the car pile with the biggest air of the night so far, landing within two truck lengths of the end. He continued to zigzag the floor and nailed a perfect sky wheelie on the other double-stacked set. Weenk launched off the car pile again but was not straight at all on this jump and barely stayed on the pile upon landing. He skimmed the side of the dirt pad and drove Outlaw off on one wheel. He bounced the front down hard and pulled another slap wheelie! But the road was not clear for the wheelie and Weenk ran right into the large wheelie hill! The hit cart-wheeled Iron Outlaw into the ground, mashing the front 4-link bars and tossing the truck over on its side. A very rough looking rollover, but Linsey emerged unscathed. Probably just a little annoyed. Great run going until the untimely mishap. Score: 7
Blue Thunder-- Farrell talked in the intros about the motor going away in Blue Thunder. It sure didn't show any weakness in Racing and if it was on the way out, might as well run it 'til it blows for Freestyle. Last time I saw Farrell freestyle it was the final Pontiac Monster Jam and we all know that he went one hit and was done. Last year in this building it was also one hit and done. Time for Farrell to change that pattern. He started with a slap wheelie attempt in the far corner but the rear wheels kicked out and prevented any rebound. He tried the same thing from the other corner, but again no luck. Farrell was the first guy to hit the 30 cars from the non-ramp side but did not have much speed and just popped up onto the set and drove all the way across. Farrell aired it out over the double hills and then totally cleared the top of the bus pyramid with a great jump. Another slap wheelie attempt at the far end but no go once more. Nice hit over the bus followed by the wheelie hill and then time for some insane air! Farrell got a running start at the car pile uncorked a HUGE leap, grabbing at least 15-20 feet of air and spiked the rear end into the middle of the car pile! Awesome jump! The soft landing bounced the back end into the air and shoved the nose of the truck down into the cars, but Farrell managed to save Blue Thunder and drive off the cars. Fourth time was a charm as Farrell finally was able to yank up a slap wheelie off the far car and ride it across the floor. He cut a quick left turn trying for a donut or to head the other way, but regardless, he went way too fast and snapped Blue Thunder over into a barrel roll to the floor. The tacky St. Louis floor claimed another victim, but the run was solid up to then and an excellent rebound from two lackluster performances in the past. Score: 7.
El Toro Loco-- The Crazy Bull powered Lupe Soza to a solid finish in Racing and now it was time to for the bull to show where it really shines. The 2004 Co-World Freestyle Champ hit the track and made his presence felt. Soza put a charge into his first jump and completely cleared the bus stack and around 10 feet after it. The huge hit came with a big landing that shot all four wheels back up into the air. Soza saved it and continued on to to the car pile and grabbed some great air off the ramp and again had to make a great save on the landing. He combo'd up with the bus stack and then gored the double cars with a completely vertical wheel stand. Back to the 30-car set for more crazy hang time and a third wild bounce on the cars. The truck looked settled on the cars as he bounced off the end of the row, but the rear end kicked into the air and nosed the truck straight up and down on the floor! The fiberglass body touched the dirt, but Lupe put his foot in the gas and drove out of it. Great save. Soza was loving the car pile and shot off the cars again and capped the run with the most air off the quad hills on the night. He parked on the bus stack and saluted the crowed. Good momentum, great saves, and big time air. Score: 8.
Grave Digger-- Brown had sat on the sidelines most of the night and watched others pick up the wins in Racing. Now he needed to hold up the Grave Digger name and unleash a heck of a Freestyle to contend with the drivers before him. Brown circled the track waiving to the crowd and then opened the run with the biggest air off the double hills so far. He headed to the bus and hit a decent jump on it and then went right after the car pile from an angle and cut across the pile and then over the quad hills sideways. Brown grabbed some air off the ramp of the car pile and then cut some Digger-donuts! Awesome set of donuts and he continued on with some ridiculous air off the wheelie hill then combo'd into a giant sky wheelie on the 30-cars. Brown added his name to the amazing saves on the car pile and brought Digger back onto all 4s. More air off the quad hills and then to the double stacked cars with a huge vertical jump, spiking the tires hard into the cars. Brown went full tilt at the bus stack and cleared it by at least 3 trucks lengths! He followed up with another perfect set of donuts and nailed the car pile from the side again and finished the run. Very solid effort all around. Could've use some more momentum, but not bad by any means. Score: 8.
Maximum Destruction-- Tom Meents has reigned over St. Louis Freestyle for as long as anyone can remember, consistently putting down the best runs of the event and arguably the year. Could he do it again? Well, he got some help right off the bat as Guy Wood brought the Bob & Tom truck onto the track and put it in between the quad hills. Meents blasted off the ramp and easily cleared the top of Bob & Tom and landed Max D well beyond the landing pad. Meents made easy work of the bus stack and sailed past the last car by a good 5 truck lengths! Meents got a huge run at the ramp of the 30 cars and went higher than anyone had so far, but landed the right side tires in middle of the rows. The rebound lifted the truck completely off the cars and it wanted to flip over backwards! Max D went all the way over backwards and looked buried in the cars, but the huge momentum the truck had carried it off the cars and flipped it back onto all 4s!! Absolutely nuts! He paused only for a second before charging the bus pyramid and was back underway like nothing ever happened. He combo'd some big air off the wheelie hill and the car pile and continued to carve a path of destruction across the floor. He attacked the car pile from the side and then the quad hills. Meents went full speed over the bus stack and grabbed some huge air along with a sick looking landing but the truck again held together and kept going. Meents exploded off the 30-car pile again with more insane air and landed completely off the side of it. The truck hit the quad hills and rocked the truck up on the left two wheels, then the right two wheels, clipped the quad hill and finally brought it back down! Another mind boggling save. Meents went after the car pile once more as smoke began pouring out of the engine area. The steering looked like it was going away again and Max D crept to stop after the jump. The crowed went nuts as Meents climbed out onto the hood of Max D and saluted their approval. The engine again ignited into flames, but was snuffed out. Awesome run, awesome saves with some strokes of luck, but hands down the best of the night. Score: 10.
Bounty Hunter-- The defending Monster Jam World Finals Freestyle Champion had the honor of going last, but had the tall task of topping everything else before him. Creten made his winning run hold up nearly a year back in Vegas and would have to do it again. Meents had the extra obstacle of his own truck on the track and Creten had a fresh camper brought out and put with the single car in the near corner. Creten opened the run with some great air off the bus stack and wanted to pull a wheelie off the landing but did not get the right bounce. Creten blasted Bounty Hunter at the 30-car pile but did not get much on the jump and had an even worse landing. The right side tires hit right in the middle of the two rows, and in a blink of an eye, tossed Bounty Hunter to the left and over onto its side! Not a run that would win this event, not a run that would win Vegas and certainly not a run we hardly ever see from Bounty Hunter. Two jumps and done thanks to a terrible bounce. Score: 2.
Tom Meents would take the Freestyle victory, but Jimmy Creten was not going to end the night on that sour of a note. He had Bounty Hunter up righted and fired it back up for an encore! Creten started with the same route and hit an even bigger jump on the bus pyramid and followed with a perfectly executed jump off the car pile with no bad bounce this time. Creten eye'd the new camper and ripped right through the middle of it. He nailed an awesome sky wheelie cutting across the car pile and combo'd over the double-stacked cars. Creten aired out Bounty Hunter over the wheelie hill but landed with a very short distance in between him and the car pile. Creten punched the gas rather than backing out and the result was a wild sky wheelie that rocked Bounty Hunter up onto one wheel and twisted the truck off the right side of the pile and flipped it over again! It must be bizarro-world in St. Louis when Digger and Max D don't roll and the CSK trucks roll a total of THREE times!
Another wild year in St. Louis and possibly one of the best ever. Racing was phenomenal all through the bracket and Freestyle lived up to all the hype. Congrats to Jimmy Creten for capturing a hard-fought victory and to Tom Meents for again reigning supreme in Freestyle. In a touch of class, Tom Meents dedicated his win and entire night to the memory of Calvin Carrington who lost his life only a week prior. Carrington would've been very pleased with the performance.
Thanks to Mike McFarlin, Dane Loch for riding along with me and snapping the WMTRL photos, and to you for stopping by yet another coverage!