Both Monster Jam trucks and FMX bikes took to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas last weekend for the first ever Monster Jam Freestyle Mania Summer Series! Out East, Monster Jam was also in action at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, FL, and the Kia Center in Orlando.
Las Vegas:
It was a new venture for all fans and competitors in attendance at the Thomas & Mack Center last weekend, as the Overall Event Championship winners weren’t just handed out to the best truck driver, but the team that put on the best truck and FMX bike performances as a whole.
For the trucks, their schedule looked slightly similar with JCB Racing, 2 Wheel Skills, and Freestyle competitions – with Tristan England (JCB DIGatron) sweeping all four Skills competitions throughout the weekend.
However, their scores were also combined with those of their FMX teammates in the Best Whip and Best Trick competitions, with Jerad LaRue (Monster Mutt Dalmatian), Gregg Duffy (Classroom Crusher) and Caleb DeLacey (El Toro Loco) picking up Best Whip wins, and Dean Pate (Megalodon) and Greg Duffy picking up wins in Best Trick.
For the Overall, Team JCB DIGatron won Friday and swept both events on Saturday. On Sunday, Team El Toro Loco came out on top. After the first week, Team JCB DIGatron holds a 13-point lead over Team Grave Digger heading into Sacramento, CA.
Sunrise, FL:
Three separate Overall Event Champions came out of the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, FL, with several drivers stepping up to take on the likes of Zack Garner (Wild Side) and Weston Anderson (Grave Digger). On Saturday afternoon, Zack won JCB Racing, MJ Solorio (El Toro Loco) won the 2 Wheel Skills Challenge, and Weston won Freestyle, with Zack winning the Overall. Weston won JCB Racing on Saturday evening by 0.003 seconds over Zack. He then went on to win Skills and the Overall while MJ Solorio took Freestyle. On Sunday, Weston was shut out of winning completely as Zack Garner won JCB Racing, MJ Solorio won Skills and the Overall, and Brianna Mahon picked up the second Freestyle win in two weeks for the new Bailey Circuit Monster Jam truck.
Orlando:
Fernando Martinez (El Toro Loco) and Jamie Sullivan (Sparkle Smash) were the ones trading wins between themselves at the Kia Center, with Fernando coming out with two Overall Event Championships to Jamie’s one. Krysten Anderson (Grave Digger) also came out with a Freestyle win and Mike Pagliarulo (Excaliber) picked up a win in JCB Racing.