Los Angeles, CA - August 17-19 - Staples Center
Authored by Amber Craft on August 19, 2018
Hosts: John Saponaro and Abby Baltezar
Truck Line-up: Grave Digger (Brandon Vinson), Zombie (Tyler Groth), Wonder Woman (Collete Davis), El Toro Loco (Mark List), Megalodon (Justin Sipes), Blue Thunder (Travis Groth), Monster Mutt Dalmatian (Cynthia Gauthier), Max-D (Jared Eichelberger).
Sunday Evening
EVENT POINTS
Grave Digger 38
Megalodon 36
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 27
El Toro Loco 26
Wonder Woman 24
Max-D 19
Blue Thunder 18
Zombie 16
RACING
Round 1
Wonder Woman defeated Blue Thunder
Megalodon defeated Max-D
Grave Digger defeated Zombie
El Toro Loco defeated Monster Mutt Dalmatian
Semi-Finals
Megalodon defeated Wonder Woman
Grave Digger defeated El Toro Loco
Finals
Megalodon defeated Grave Digger
2-WHEEL SKILLS
El Toro Loco 9.250
Megalodon 8.628
Grave Digger 8.064
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 7.769
Blue Thunder 5.420
Wonder Woman 5.060
Zombie 4.993
Max-D 4.539
ATV RACING
Megalodon
Grave Digger
El Toro Loco
Zombie
Monster Mutt Dalmation
Blue Thunder
Wonder Woman
Max-D
DONUTS
Grave Digger 9.456
Megalodon 8.584
Monster Mutt Dalmation 8.517
Wonder Woman 8.352
Max-D 7.901
El Toro Loco 7.419
Zombie 6.279
Blue Thunder 5.888
SPEEDSTER OBSTACLE COURSE
Round 1
Wonder Woman defeated El Toro Loco
Max-D defeated Megalodon
Zombie defeated Blue Thunder
Grave Digger defeated Monster Mutt Dalmation
Semi-Finals
Wonder Woman defeated Max-D
Grave Digger defeated Zombie
Finals
Wonder Woman defeated Grave Digger
FREESTYLE
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 8.998
Max-D 8.676
Blue Thunder 7.806
Grave Digger 7.575
Megalodon 7.376
El Toro Loco 7.316
Wonder Woman 6.378
Zombie 5.136
EVENT NOTES
The final show at the Staples Center on Sunday night proved to be just as captivating as the rest of the weekend. The show opened with Justin Sipes and Megalodon taking the Monster Jam Racing win for the fourth time in five tries. El Toro Loco’s Mark List followed immediately after by winning his third Two Wheel Skills Challenge of the weekend. Not to be outdone, Justin Sipes came storming back, capturing the ATV Racing win for Megalodon — making him a perfect five-for-five in that competition. Brandon Vinson opened the second half of the show with a bang when he secured the Donut competition victory for Grave Digger with what may have been the best donut of the entire weekend. He was nearly able to carry that momentum into the next event, but came up just short, finishing in a close second to Wonder Woman in the Speedster Obstacle Course. Monster Mutt Dalmatian’s Cynthia Gauthier earned her first Freestyle win in Los Angeles in the final event, but Grave Digger’s hard luck fourth place finish gave Brandon Vinson just enough total points to grab the final Overall Event Championship. In a history-making weekend where Monster Jam appeared at the iconic Staples Center for the very first time — it seems only fitting that it was Grave Digger that won the final championship.
Sunday Afternoon
EVENT POINTS
Megalodon 41
Grave Digger 34
El Toro Loco 31
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 29
Wonder Woman 23
Max-D 20
Blue Thunder 13
Zombie 12
RACING
Round 1
El Toro Loco defeated Max-D
Megalodon defeated Blue Thunder
Monster Mutt Dalmatian defeated Zombie
Grave Digger defeated Wonder Woman
Semi-Finals
Megalodon defeated El Toro Loco
Grave Digger defeated Monster Mutt Dalmatian
Finals
Megalodon defeated Grave Digger
2-WHEEL SKILLS
Megalodon 8.738
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 8.275
Grave Digger 7.861
Max-D 7.475
Wonder Woman 7.278
El Toro Loco 6.165
Blue Thunder 4.196
Zombie 4.162
ATV RACING
Megalodon
Grave Digger
Zombie
El Toro Loco
Monster Mutt Dalmation
Wonder Woman
Blue Thunder
Max-D
DONUTS
Grave Digger 8.612
Megalodon 8.469
Wonder Woman 8.270
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 7.752
Max-D 7.660
El Toro Loco 7.432
Blue Thunder 4.913
Zombie DNC
SPEEDSTER OBSTACLE COURSE
Round 1
Max-D defeated Grave Digger
El Toro Loco defeated Zombie
Megalodon defeated Monster Mutt Dalmation
Wonder Woman defeated Blue Thunder
Semi-Finals
El Toro Loco defeated Max-D
Wonder Woman defeated Megalodon
Finals
El Toro Loco defeated Wonder Woman
FREESTYLE
El Toro Loco 9.097
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 8.871
Megalodon 8.516
Grave Digger 8.202
Max-D 7.651
Blue Thunder 7.029
Wonder Woman 6.949
Zombie 6.203
EVENT NOTES
After winning the Overall Event Championship on Saturday night, Megalodon’s Justin Sipes picked up right where he left off in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. Justin took a bite out of the competition by winning the first three events of the show for the second time this weekend. However, unlike Friday night, he was able to use that momentum to finish strong enough to capture his second Overall Event Championship of the weekend.
Saturday Evening
EVENT POINTS
Megalodon 38
El Toro Loco 37
Wonder Woman 31
Max-D 26
Zombie 21
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 20
Grave Digger 7
Blue Thunder 7
RACING
Round 1
Zombie defeated Monster Mutt Dalmatian
El Toro Loco defeated Wonder Woman
Megalodon defeated Blue Thunder
Max-D defeated Grave Digger
Semi-Finals
El Toro Loco defeated Zombie
Megalodon defeated Max-D
Finals
Megalodon defeated El Toro Loco
2-WHEEL SKILLS
El Toro Loco 9.264
Megalodon 8.881
Wonder Woman 6.842
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 6.036
Max-D 4.605
Zombie 3.846
Blue Thunder DNC
Grave Digger DNC
ATV RACING
Megalodon
Monster Mutt Dalmatian
El Toro Loco
Blue Thunder
Zombie
Grave Digger
Max-D
Wonder Woman
DONUTS
Wonder Woman 8.634
Max-D 8.279
Megalodon 7.604
El Toro Loco 7.173
Zombie 5.119
Monster Mutt Dalmatian DNC
Grave Digger DNC
Blue Thunder DNC
SPEEDSTER OBSTACLE COURSE
Round 1
Monster Mutt Dalmatian defeated Zombie
Max-D defeated Megalodon
Wonder Woman defeated Grave Digger
El Toro Loco defeated Blue Thunder
Semi-Finals
Monster Mutt Dalmatian defeated Max-D
Wonder Woman defeated El Toro Loco
Finals
Wonder Woman defeated Monster Mutt Dalmatian
FREESTYLE
El Toro Loco 8.710
Megalodon 8.291
Wonder Woman 7.956
Max-D 7.174
Zombie 5.283
Blue Thunder DNC
Monster Mutt Dalmatian DNC
Grave Digger DNC
EVENT NOTES
After two action-packed shows to kick off the weekend, Saturday night’s event kept the train rolling. Megalodon’s Justin Sipes bookended the first half of the show with Monster Jam and ATV Racing wins, while El Toro Loco’s Mark List took the Two Wheel Skills Challenge for the second consecutive show. Coming out of intermission, Wonder Woman’s Collete Davis won both the Donut competition and Speedster Obstacle Course, putting her in contention for the Overall Event Championship. While Mark List was able to lead El Toro Loco to a Freestyle win, just as he did in the afternoon show, it wasn’t quite enough surpass Megalodon in total points. Justin Sipes second place finish in Freestyle gave him just enough to stay on top of the leaderboard and capture the Overall Event Championship trophy — his first of the weekend. So far in LA we’ve had three shows and three different Overall Event Champions.
Saturday Afternoon
EVENT POINTS
El Toro Loco 37
Grave Digger 37
Megalodon 28
Wonder Woman 28
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 24
Max-D 20
Zombie 16
Blue Thunder 12
RACING
Round 1
Grave Digger defeated Max-D
El Toro Loco defeated Megalodon
Zombie defeated Monster Mutt Dalmatian
Wonder Woman defeated Blue Thunder
Semi-Finals
Grave Digger defeated El Toro Loco
Wonder Woman defeated Zombie
Finals
Wonder Woman defeated Grave Digger
2-WHEEL SKILLS
El Toro Loco 8.611
Max-D 8.424
Grave Digger 8.071
Wonder Woman 7.935
Megalodon 5.956
Monster Mutt Dalmation 5.569
Blue Thunder 5.538
Zombie 5.151
ATV RACING
Megalodon
Grave Digger
El Toro Loco
Blue Thunder
Wonder Woman
Monster Mutt Dalmation
Zombie
Max-D
DONUTS
Megalodon 9.146
El Toro Loco 8.910
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 8.755
Grave Digger 8.577
Wonder Woman 8.369
Max-D 7.859
Blue Thunder 4.221
Zombie 3.048
SPEEDSTER OBSTACLE COURSE
Round 1
Grave Digger defeated Max-D
Wonder Woman defeated Blue Thunder
El Toro Loco defeated Zombie
Monster Mutt Dalmatian defeated Megalodon
Semi-Finals
Grave Digger defeated Wonder Woman
Monster Mutt Dalmatian defeated El Toro Loco
Finals
Monster Mutt Dalmatian defeated Grave Digger
FREESTYLE
El Toro Loco 9.415
Grave Digger 8.844
Zombie 8.646
Max-D 8.547
Megalodon 8.258
Wonder Woman 7.953
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 6.106
Blue Thunder 5.852
EVENT NOTES
It was another amazing show in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon. Once again, the crowd was electric from the moment they sat down — cheering on all their favorite athletes. The show started with a racing win for Wonder Woman’s Collete Davis, which also marked her first ever Monster Jam win in her hometown. The Two Wheel Skills Challenge was filled with drama as Max-D’s Jared Eichelberger started the competition with an impressive run and held the score to beat until the very end until El Toro Loco’s Mark List wowed with a great run of his own to secure the victory. ATV Racing and Donuts saw back-to-back victories for Megalodon’s Justin Sipes before Cynthia Gauthier of Monster Mutt Dalmation grabbed her first LA win in the Speedster Obstacle Course. Even though it was a back and forth show, the Overall Event Championship went to El Toro Loco’s Mark List as he sealed the deal with an excellent Freestyle run, finishing almost a full point better than Grave Digger in second place.
Friday Evening
EVENT POINTS
Grave Digger 36
Megalodon 36
El Toro Loco 32
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 28
Max-D 21
Wonder Woman 20
Blue Thunder 16
Zombie 12
RACING
Round 1
El Toro Loco defeated Wonder Woman
Max-D defeated Zombie
Grave Digger defeated Monster Mutt Dalmatian
Megalodon defeated Blue Thunder
Semi-Finals
Max-D defeated El Toro Loco
Megalodon defeated Grave Digger
Finals
Megalodon defeated Max-D
2-WHEEL SKILLS
Megalodon 9.574
Grave Digger 9.430
El Toro Loco 9.129
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 7.778
Max-D 7.355
Wonder Woman 5.154
Zombie 4.957
Blue Thunder 4.840
ATV RACING
Megalodon
El Toro Loco
Blue Thunder
Zombie
Monster Mutt Dalmatian
Grave Digger
Max-D
Wonder Woman
DONUTS
Grave Digger 9.457
Monster Mutt Dalmatian 8.778
El Toro Loco 8.151
Wonder Woman 8.019
Megalodon 7.996
Max-D 7.562
Blue Thunder 5.826
Zombie 4.850
SPEEDSTER OBSTACLE COURSE
Round 1
Max-D defeated El Toro Loco
Megalodon defeated Zombie
Monster Mutt Dalmatian defeated Wonder Woman
Grave Digger defeated Blue Thunder
Semi-Finals
Megalodon was given a BYE due to speedster damage to Max-D
Grave Digger defeated Monster Mutt Dalmatian
Finals
Megalodon defeated Grave Digger
FREESTYLE
Grave Digger 8.772
Wonder Woman 7.644
Monster Mutt Dalmation 7.237
El Toro Loco 7.163
Max-D 6.841
Blue Thunder 3.512
Zombie DNC
Megalodon DNC
EVENT NOTES
In what was a historic night in Los Angeles, the first Monster Jam event in the history of the Staples Center did not disappoint. The crowd was at a fever pitch from the moment the trucks hit the floor and while that energy could be felt by everyone in the building, the athletes definitely used it as momentum any time they were on the track. When the action started, it seemed as though the night would belong to Megalodon, as Justin Sipes was able to sweep the first half of the show taking commanding victories in Monster Jam and ATV Racing, as well as the Two-Wheel Skills Challenge. However, after intermission, things didn’t go quite as well for Megalodon. Grave Digger’s Brandon Vinson made a statement with an excellent Donut run to secure his first competition win of the night. And while Megalodon was able to narrowly defeat Grave Digger in the Speedster Obstacle Course Final, Brandon did enough to finish in second place as he continued to stockpile points. As so many Monster Jam shows do, that means it all came down to Freestyle! While Brandon left lead Grave Digger to a Freestyle win — due to some earlier truck damage, Megalodon was unable to make it to the floor for the final event. When the dust settled, that final win was enough to knot things up between Grave Digger and Megalodon with 36 points apiece. However, with the better Freestyle win being the ultimate tie-breaker, Grave Digger walked away with the first Overall Event Championship in downtown LA.