London, ON - John Labatt Centre

Tweet




Trucks: USHRA Monster Trucks including Grave Digger® driven by Rod Schmidt, Higher Education driven by Jim Tracy, Aftershock driven by Bob Robbins, Krazy Train driven by Mark Noto, Rap Attack driven by Dave Rappach, and Northern Nightmare℠ driven by Cam McQueen!


Saturday 7 P.M.

(London, ON) The 2012 Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour started off with a bang here in this friendly Canadian city. Motor sports fans flooded in from many surrounding areas to see the debut of the all-new Northern Nightmare Monster Truck piloted by Kelowna, British Columbia resident Cam McQueen. And although this was the first time ever in competition for this exclusively Canadian truck, Northern Nightmare’s results certainly spoke with authority. It was a night of true domination.

McQueen managed to steer his Northern Nightmare ride to three championships tonight. He started off with a tremendous Sky Wheelie and a score of 22 points on route to the Wheelie Competition win. Second place in the Wheelie Competition went to Aftershock with 22 points, while Rap Attack and Grave Digger tied at 18 points each. Higher Education and Krazy Train rounded out the battle with 17 points apiece.

Pizza Pizza Monster Jam Racing was a tightly knit affair, which saw some great races throughout the competition. In Round One, Higher Education disposed of Rap Attack, Northern Nightmare defeated Krazy Train, and Aftershock upset Grave Digger. Aftershock driver Bob Robbins knew he had to be sharp in this race and the Lawtons, New York native got the job done in grand fashion.

Krazy Train returned as Fast Loser in the Semi-Final against Higher Education. This time, Krazy Train driver Pete Robbins took advantage of a great start and took the win over the big bus. The other Semi-Final race saw Northern Nightmare take out Aftershock in a very close race.

The Pizza Pizza Monster Jam Racing Final pitted Northern Nightmare against Krazy Train. And just like in the Wheelie Competition, it would be Cam McQueen on top of the podium. McQueen was simply too strong for Krazy Train as he soared across the finish line for his second element win of the night. Without a doubt, this was shaping up to be a banner evening for the well-spoken Canadian driver.

Things would continue to roll in the right direction for Northern Nightmare in Freestyle Competition. McQueen used his signature wild driving style as he soared his red-hot truck throughout John Labatt Centre. He managed to earn the highest score of the night at 22 points and took the Freestyle win. Aftershock was second with 20 points, while Grave Digger (broken axle) and Rap Attack tied at 18 points each. Krazy Train and Higher Education finished in a 17-point tie to round out the competition.

In other action, Team Canada narrowly edged out Team USA in Quad Wars.

Without a doubt, history was made tonight here in Canada. A brand new all-Canadian truck with a talented Canadian driver spelled one thing for the competitors: trouble. McQueen was simply spectacular and if tonight’s performance is any indication, Canadian fans are going to have to watch this tough combination very closely in 2012.

Tomorrow’s Pizza Pizza Pit Party starts at 9:30 A.M. It will be followed by two shows; one at 12:00 P.M. and another at 5:00 P.M. Don’t miss all the great action as the stars of Monster Jam return to John Labatt Centre on Sunday!

By Darren Pallen

Sunday 12 P.M.

(London, ON) Following a very well attended Sunday morning Pit Party, the stars of Monster Jam were ready for the second performance of the weekend. Unfortunately for five of the drivers, however, one driver was far more ready than the rest.

For the second time in a row, Cam McQueen in Northern Nightmare completely dominated the field in all three elements. McQueen captured the Wheelie Competition, Monster Jam Racing, and Monster Jam Freestyle in dramatic fashion. It is rare for a driver to go a perfect six-for-six in a given weekend. It is even more unbelievable when you consider that this truck is brand new to Canada and brand new to the Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour.

Northern Nightmare set the tone early in the Wheelie Competition with a high score of 24 points. Higher Education driver Jim Tracy was almost as spectacular and collected a score of 23 for his efforts. Grave Digger scored 20 points, while a three-way tie ensued between Krazy Train, Rap Attack, and Aftershock at 16 points each.

Round One Racing winners included Aftershock over Krazy Train, Northern Nightmare over Rap Attack, and Grave Digger over Higher Education. Rap Attack would prove to be the Fast Loser.

Semi-Final Racing action saw Northern Nightmare defeat Grave Digger, and Aftershock slide past Rap Attack.

In the Monster Jam Racing Final, Bob Robbins in Aftershock was ready for a big upset over the red-hot Northern Nightmare. In fact, chances were good that Aftershock could take the victory as he was coming off a huge win over Grave Digger in Trenton, New Jersey just one week ago. However, try as he might, Robbins experienced the very best Cam McQueen had to offer. When the lights turned green, both trucks got a great start but McQueen powered through the finish line on route to a big victory. At this point, Northern Nightmare was looking absolutely unbeatable to the rest of the Monster Jam competitors.

And the competitors were right. Filling out a second Double Down for the weekend, Cam McQueen maintained great speed and huge air during his Freestyle run to take the win with 25 points. Grave Digger broke an axle late in the run and finished a close second with 24 points. Higher Education scored 21, while Aftershock ended with 20 points. Krazy Train garnered 17 points, while Rap Attack broke his rear steering and was only able to claw his way to a score of 15 points.

Quad Wars produced some great side-by-side racing with Team USA taking the big win. The Quad Wars Championship will be decided in just a few hours.

Monster Jam crews are now busily preparing for our third and final show of the weekend tonight at 5:00 P.M. Can Northern Nightmare complete a perfect inaugural weekend? Who will win the Quad Wars Championship?

We’re excited, and were soon about to answer those questions.

We will see you soon!

By Darren Pallen

Sunday 5 PM

(London, ON) While you might think that this article should be about what happened in London tonight, you may be surprised to find out that it is going to deal more with what could happen next week at Rogers Centre in Toronto. If your name is George Balhan, you had better be on high alert. And even if you are World Champions Tom Meents and Jim Koehler, you had better be aware. The all-new “Canuck Truck” is coming to Toronto next week, and this ten thousand pound monster is ripe and ready to take a run at you and all your championships.

You see, Canadian sensation Cam McQueen continued his dominance in London tonight with another three-for-three performance. Driving the all-new, exclusively Canadian Northern Nightmare entry, the Kelowna, British Columbia native served notice that he is unafraid to take on anyone, anywhere. In a sentence, McQueen was perfection on wheels.

Just one month ago, Northern Nightmare was introduced to Canada during a press conference at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The truck got its unique name via an online contest won by Thornhill, Ontario resident Greg Duclos. And now, we are seeing now just how fitting this truck’s name really is. Since its competition debut on Saturday night here in London, this Canadian truck has done nothing but create nightmares for all of its competitors. Nine weekend wins in nine attempts just may be a Monster Jam record.

Starting the nightmare early, McQueen stole the Wheelie Competition win with a perfect 30 score. In his second wheelie attempt, McQueen stood Northern Nightmare on its back bumper and remained there for several seconds. The fans went wild, and the Pizza Pizza Judges responded accordingly. Rap Attack placed second with 23 points, while Grave Digger and Higher Education earned 21 points apiece. Aftershock scored 20, while Krazy Train rounded things out with a 17-point effort.

In Monster Jam Racing Round One, Aftershock defeated Rap Attack, Northern Nightmare drove Krazy Train off the rails, and Grave Digger sped past Higher Education.

Semi-Final action brought back Higher Education as Fast Loser against Aftershock. Driver Jim Tracy took advantage of a great start and powered his “cool bus” past Aftershock. In the other race, Northern Nightmare dug a grave for his competitor from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

In the Pizza Pizza Monster Jam Racing Final, it was Northern Nightmare paired against Higher Education. And once again, the Canadian Sensation took the “cool bus” to school. McQueen poured on the throttle when the lights turned green and steered Northern Nightmare to his eighth weekend victory.

In Freestyle, McQueen’s best competition was certainly Grave Digger. After generating a great score of 26 points, all Cam McQueen in Northern Nightmare could do was sit, watch, and wonder what would happen to his high score as Grave Digger rolled to the track. And although Rod Schmidt in Grave Digger was spectacular, he couldn’t quite achieve the 27 points or higher necessary to win the competition.

The driver’s earned the following final Freestyle scores:

Krazy Train 19
Rap Attack 19
Aftershock 16
Higher Education Mechanical Problems
Northern Nightmare 26
Grave Digger 22

FREESTYLE WINNER: NORTHERN NIGHTMARE!!!

After a simply wonderful weekend here in London, we look forward to the rest of the 2012 Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour. With so many talented drivers set to cross the border this season, the competition is sure to heat up even more.

We will see you at Rogers Centre in Toronto!

By Darren Pallen