Arnhem, NL - Gelredome

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Trucks: USHRA Monster Trucks including the return of Maximum Destruction®, PLUS Grave Digger®, El Toro Loco®, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Monster Mutt® Rottweiler, Madusa, Disney XD, Mohawk Warrior℠, and TRAXXAS E-MAXX!


Saturday Afternoon:

Truck line-up
Grave Digger (Charlie Pauken), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Mohawk Warrior (George Balhan), Traxxas E-Maxx (Linsey Weenk), Disney XD (Dan Evans), Ironman (Lee O’Donnell), El Toro Loco (Bari Musawwir), Madusa (Madusa), Monster Mutt Rottweiler (Charles Benns), Spiderman (Frank Krmel), Swamp Thing (Tony Dixon), Thor (Peter Nyman)

The much ballyhooed return of Tom Meents to Arnhem was not only popular with another huge crowd in the Gelredome but it was also successful as the nine-time World Champion wowed the fans with a freestyle winning performance in Maximum Destruction after Lee O’Donnell drove Ironman to the win in the Championship Race Saturday afternoon.

The first of three stadium events to be contested in Holland over the weekend opened with another huge party in the pits then the stands filled as the fans were treated with an exciting race bracket on the big oval race track. An early highlight came in round two when Maximum Destruction squared off against Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger. The highly anticipated showdown was even to the final turn when Meents lost control and Max-D flipped onto its roof, Grave Digger advancing into the semifinals where Pauken was eliminated by O’Donnell who was fast in Ironman every round of the ladders.

In the Championship Race O’Donnell outgunned George Balhan in Mohawk Warrior to take the first race title of the weekend in Arnhem.

Rookie of the Year Bari Musawwir impressed during his first ever appearance at Monster Jam Europe’s biggest annual event combining huge air with the best save of the afternoon to take the lead that would stand until Meents gave his Dutch fans what they came to see, the rocking Maximum Destruction freestyle filled the regulation and bonus clock with thrill after thrill and the bonus points he earned proved to be the difference. Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger was also on his game with a variety of big moves but a blown tire half way through the time led to Pauken not filling all of bonus time and Maximum Destruction secured the win.

RACING RESULTS
1st round – Spiderman def. El Toro Loco; Thor def. Monster Mutt Rottweiler; Ironman def. Madusa; Mohawk Warrior def. Traxxas E-Maxx; Maximum Destruction def. Swamp Thing; Grave Digger def. Disney XD
2nd round – Thor def. Spiderman; Ironman def. Mohawk Warrior; Grave Digger def. Maximum Destruction (Mohawk Warrior advanced to semifinals as fastest 2nd round loser)
Semifinals – Mohawk Warrior def. Thor; Ironman def. Grave Digger
CHAMPIONSHIP RACE – IRONMAN DEFEATED MOHAWK WARRIOR

FREESTYLE RESULTS
MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION 36 (33 + 3 bonus)
Grave Digger 34 (33 + 1)
El Toro Loco 30
Ironman 28 (27 + 1)
Thor 26 (25 + 1)
Spiderman 25 (23 + 2)
Disney XD 24 (23 + 1)
Madusa 23
Traxxas E-Maxx 23
Swamp Thing 18
Monster Mutt Rottweiler 12
Mohawk Warrior 10

By Scott Douglass

Saturday Night:

Saturday night was a Maximum Destruction night as nine time World Champion Tom Meents grabbed a European Double Down, thrilling his huge fan following in Arnhem by winning both the racing and freestyle competitions.

The race bracket gave the fans the Championship Race that many had hoped for as Meents rolled through the top half and Charlie Pauken in Grave Digger marched through the bottom half to set up a classic Maximum Destruction vs. Grave Digger finale. The race was close all the way but Meents was able to bring home the victory by a length over Pauken.

In freestyle Meents backed up his amazing afternoon run with another dose of Maximum Destruction to take the lead away from Charles Beens in Monster Mutt Rottweiler and Linsey Weenk in the new Traxxas E-Maxx as both of those drivers, enjoying the chance to compete in Arnhem for the first time, each scored 30 from the four judge panel. But again Meents was able to fill all the clock in regulation and bonus with huge leaps and breathtaking moves that saw Max-D score a 35 to claim the freestyle triumph to cap off the reigning World Racing Champion’s Euro Double Down.

RACING RESULTS
1st round – Maximum Destruction bye run; Thor def. Mohawk Warrior; Madusa def. El Toro Loco; Grave Digger def. Traxxas E-Maxx; Spiderman def. Ironman; Disney XD def. Monster Mutt Rottweiler

2nd round – Maximum Destruction def. Thor; Grave Digger def. Madusa; Disney XD def. Ironman (Ironman advanced to semifinals as fastest 2nd round loser)

Semifinals – Maximum Destruction def. Ironman; Grave Digger def. Disney XD

CHAMPIONSHIP RACE – MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION DEFEATED GRAVE DIGGER

FREESTYLE RESULTS
MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION 35 (33 + 2 bonus)
Monster Mutt Rottweiler 30 (29 + 1)
Traxxas E-Maxx 30
Spiderman 29 (27 + 2)
Ironman 29 (28 + 1)
Thor 27
El Toro Loco 26 (25 + 1)
Disney XD 24 (23 + 1)
Mohawk Warrior 24
Madusa 23
Grave Digger 23
Swamp Thing 21

By Scott Douglass

Sunday Afternoon:

Truck line-up
Grave Digger (Charlie Pauken), Maximum Destruction (Tom Meents), Mohawk Warrior (Chad Tingler), Traxxas E-Maxx (Linsey Weenk), Disney XD (Dan Evans), Ironman (Lee O’Donnell), El Toro Loco (Bari Musawwir), Madusa (Madusa), Monster Mutt Rottweiler (Charles Benns), Spiderman (Frank Krmel), Swamp Thing (Tony Dixon), Thor (Peter Nyman)

Only a Grave Digger freestyle for the ages turned in by Charlie Pauken denied Peter Nyman the chance to make Monster Jam history as the first European driver and truck to win at the storied Gelredome in Arnhem, Holland, still Thor’s second place finish is the best ever for a Euro truck at the premier event on the Monster Jam Europe circuit, all of those freestyle thrills following Tom Meents adding another victory to his dominating weekend when Maximum Destruction won racing in front of the near capacity Dutch crowd.

Mirroring Saturday night’s race bracket in Arnhem Maximum Destruction and Grave Digger were clearly on a collision course from the beginning as Meents ripped through the top of the bracket while Pauken was powering his way through the bottom of the bracket and for the second straight event in Arnhem the fans were thrilled to the ultimate: Maximum Destruction vs. Grave Digger in the Championship Race. The pair battled through the finale even all the way to the final turn where Meents was able to get a better bite off of the final turn and Max-D grabbed yet another win. It was Meents’ fourth win of the six monster competitions on this weekend in the Netherlands, Tom telling the roaring fans that all of that was part of him paying back so many fans in Holland who begged for the nine-time World Champion to return to the Gelredome.

Start to finish the freestyle action was as great as ever in Arnhem, which is saying something considering the amazing runs that have been turned in over the years there. Thor came out number five in the freestyle performance order and Nyman turned in an sensational run, backing up his claim earlier that some European trucks were catching up to their American counterparts. Nyman kept the energy pumping throughout regulation and bonus time featuring some of the biggest air of the weekend and his score of 35 not only took the lead at the time, but held the edge until Grave Digger wrapped up the weekend in style for the win, Thor finishing second. Maximum Destruction went big trying to win a second straight Double Down and Meents’ performance had the fans standing and screaming in delight but the truck took a pounding along the way and while completing regulation, not being able to get any bonus points left Max-D one point short of Thor’s score. Pauken made it a no doubter then, whipping Grave Digger all over the massive floor in a ragged edge run that had it all, including an incredible bumper dragging slap wheelie across the entire surface and a series of breathtaking leaps. After filling the bonus clock Pauken ended with one more wow moment and the crowd stood and stayed to enjoy the famous “Chuckie Dance” as Pauken celebrated another weekend capping freestyle win in Arnhem.

RACING RESULTS
1st round – Thor def. Mohawk Warrior; Maximum Destruction def. Madusa; Ironman def. El Toro Loco; Monster Mutt Rottweiler def. Traxxas E-Maxx; Grave Digger def. Swamp Thing; Disney XD def. Spiderman

2nd round – Maximum Destruction def. Thor; Ironman def. Monster Mutt Rottweiler; Grave Digger def. Disney XD (Monster Mutt Rottweiler advanced to semifinals as fastest 2nd round loser)

Semifinals – Maximum Destruction def. Monster Mutt Rottweiler; Grave Digger def. Ironman

CHAMPIONSHIP RACE – MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION DEFEATED GRAVE DIGGER

FREESTYLE RESULTS
Grave Digger 40 (37 + 3)
Thor 35 (32 + 3)
Maximum Destruction 34
Ironman 33 (31 + 2)
Mohawk Warrior 30 (28 + 2)
El Toro Loco 30 (29 + 1)
Disney XD 28 (27 + 1)
Monster Mutt Rottweiler 28
Spiderman 26 (25 + 1)
Madusa 24 (23 + 1)
Traxxas E-Maxx 24
Swamp Thing 19

By Scott Douglass