Monster mayhem

The Monster Jam tour is tearing its way around Australia, with the stars of the American monster truck scene thrilling Brisbane last weekend and facing a packed schedule of Aussie shows to come.

The Australian Monster Jam tour kicked off with a thundering start at Brisbane's QSAC stadium on Saturday, October 3, but the heroes of horsepower are now set to electrify crowds at two shows in Melbourne this Saturday (October 10), followed by events in Sydney and – for the first time – Perth.

Three of the protagonists who will saddle up in Melbourne, Todd LeDuc, Candice Jolly and Bari Musawwir, were on location at a media launch this morning, sharing their stories of how they become Monster Jam drivers.

Musawwir was first given an opportunity to drive a Monster Jam truck after winning a radio-controlled Monster Truck event back in 2006.

"Talk about being in the right place at the right time," said Musawwir.

But four years still passed before he drove in his first event in 2010, in Panama. Two years later he won the Young Guns shootout, and is now one of the championship top brass in his truck, Zombie.

DeLuc's background is more orthodox, starting out in motocross and then branching into short course and desert truck racing before beginning his Monster Jam career in 2011. Oh, he was also a two-time American downhill mountain bike champion as well…

He's won the Monster Jam freestyle and racing titles over the last two years in Metal Mulisha, and says "it's like playing a video game" compared to the strategies he employs in normal truck racing.

"Going upside down, exploding off jumps, playing with 1500hp — that's what I love about Monster Jam."

Jolly is one of the best-known female drivers, and has been a huge following since she started competing in 2007. Jolly dabbled in just about everything — go-karts, Formula Vee, dragsters, buggies, demolition cars et al — before turning to Monster Jam, and she now combines her racing career with being a restaurant manager and running a go-kart track.

"My favourite part of Monster Jam is getting to meet all the amazing fans at the pit parties," said Jolly, who drives Monster Mutt Dalmatian. "All over the world Monster Jam fans welcome us to their towns."

Monster Jam first made its way Down Under last year, and now it's back to wow kids and adults once more with its five-tonne, mud-slinging mechanical marvels.

These trucks stand 3.5 metres tall and their high-octane engines can produce up to an incredible 1500 horsepower, which all add up to an unforgettable spectacle when they battle it out for top honours. Able to jump to heights of around 12 metres and accelerate from 0-100km/h in under three seconds, these awe-inspiring vehicles simply have to be seen to be believed!

Organisers say they're expecting the tour to play to over 160,000 fans around the country, with a stellar line-up of 12 Monster Jam trucks and their teams making the long trek from the USA.

This year will see Freestyle and Racing events backed up by a tyre-frying Donut competition and a Sky Wheelie contest. Throw in all the pyrotechnics, the car-crushing antics, and the ear-splitting roar of the trucks themselves, and Monster Jam delivers its own unique adrenalin-charged thrills.

The tour sees some of Australia's best sports stadiums transformed with 3000 cubic metres of dirt, as a specialist construction team works for 24 hours to create a stunning arena of jumps and obstacles to test the Jammers' skill and courage.

This year's line-up of talent also includes Adam Anderson in Grave Digger and his brother Ryan in Son Uva Digger, plus Marc McDonald in El Toro Loco.

Former motocross ace Damon Bradshaw will be back behind the wheel of Monster Energy, while Scott Buetow will make his Aussie debut in Team Hot Wheels Firestorm. Then there's Neil Elliot in Max DSM, Bari Musawwir in Zombie, Lee O'Donnell in Zombie Hunter and newcomer Scott Liddycoat in Dragon SM.

It's not all about the boys, either, as this year will see female drivers Candice Jolly giving it her all in Monster Mutt Dalmatian and WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Madusa revving up crowds in her truck of the same name.

Brisbane saw Le Duc win the Freestyle and Donut competitions, while Adam Anderson (Grave Digger) took out the Racing category and Jolly triumphed in Sky Wheelies.

Tickets are priced from $25 for kids and from $40 for adults, and are available through Ticketek (www.ticketek.com.au/monsterjam or call 132 849) for the Sydney/Melbourne shows and Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com.au/monsterjam or call 136 100) for the Perth show.

Tickets for the Melbourne shows are nearly sold out – check online throughout the remainder of this week as further tickets may become available – but availability for both the Sydney and Perth shows is good (for now!).

Some shows are also preceded by a 'Party in the Pits', where an extra $15 gives you the chance to meet the drivers and get up close with their incredible machines.

Remaining Monster Jam fixtures are as follows:
•    Saturday, October 10, Melbourne – AAMI Park, 2pm** and 7pm
•    Saturday, October 17, Sydney – ANZ Stadium, 7pm**
•    Saturday, October 24, Perth – Domain Stadium, 2pm** and 7:30pm
**Indicates shows preceded by 'Party in the Pits', $15 entry, booked in advance with show ticket.

For more information on all things Monster Jam, head to www.monsterjamonline.com.au.