Oh what a night it really was, oh what a night…….

One thing is for sure! The new show format worked on over the summer by the Monster Mania team WORKED!! Playing to the biggest crowd we have ever seen at the Arena, the atmosphere was electric.

The new fast paced Monster Mania show was an immediate hit with the fans in attendance, some of whom had travelled from as far away as Essex and Durham!! Lights, cameras (we video taped the entire event) and ACTION was the cry of the night.

Monster trucks, Bolddogs FMX Team and Terry Grant, all add up to one thing ACTION. The new format saw the trucks performing in front of the crowds for more time than usual. This meant that the fans were all delighted as monster trucks is what they had come to see.

In the necessary cool down periods, both Terry Grant and the Bolddogs team did us proud with electrifying displays (I personally think it was one of the best I have ever seen from Terry) with non stop excitement. I mean when the finally for the Bolddogs is a 75ft back flip over terry Grants car ON TOP of the freestyle ramp, what more can you ask???

So BIGFOOT® had to take part in a wheelie contest, doughnut contest, head to head racing and a freestyle finale. I felt we had the wheelie contest covered but the crowd thought otherwise. Onto the doughnut and this had to be a BIGFOOT® staple, this is our signature move, but no once again we lost out on the vote.

But racing is what we do best, and it has to be said that with the fastest qualifying time and a clear win in the final, BIGFOOT® owned the racing!! Becoming the 2009 EMTRC Racing Champions. At last one in the bag.. Freestyle saw us have some small motor niggles causing some spectacular flames out of the headers (see Lisa’s pictures www.monsterphotos.co.uk) but to be fair Glen in Extreme had the votes after his huge jump over the van stack.

Anyone who thinks that it is not possible for a monster truck show to be as successful in the UK as it is in the USA should have been at the Norfolk Arena on the night of the 25th of September 2009, as they would for sure have changed their minds. Team BIGFOOT® was proud to be a part of it and is looking forward to many more..

The Hall Brothers Racing team returned from Indy this weekend with another series title. Mark Hall, in RAMINATOR, came into the event 120 points ahead of Dan Runte in Bigfoot, and was able to traverse the tricky “s” shaped course and take RAMINATOR to the final in both races. This earned the Champaign, IL driver enough points to lock up his 8^th Special Events Monster Truck Thunder Drags title which was also his 14^th overall championship title. Geremie Dishman, in RAMMUNITION, the title winner in 2006, came into Indy in third place, and thanks to a win on Sunday, was able to pass Bigfoot and come home in 2^nd place. Said Dishman, “We set out to get a 1-2 finish, and I am proud that we accomplished our goal. When I suffered some engine damage on Friday, I thought we might be vulnerable, but the team was prepared, worked hard, and came through with a win on Sunday”. Mark Hall added “ Special Events changed the points structure this year, to make sure everyone counted the same number of events. It was very close. In fact, coming into Indy…4 drivers had a shot at the title. I am just glad we pulled it off. Our RAM ran great all weekend, and we drove it into the finals. It was a great weekend for the whole team. I want to thank Special Events for putting on a great series again this year. All the racers did a great job. Nobody ran away with anything…and it was very competitive.“

The team plans to return in 2010 to once again defend its title, and try to round out the decade with another championship. “That would be really cool!” Hall said. We definitely are hungry for more!

Vinyl Images is celebrating its 8th year in business and would like to invite you to join in the celebration.  Friday Oct 16th 4-10pm BBQ, Fish Fry, MONSTER TRUCK, Stunt bike show, give aways, bounce house for the kids and much more!  Its sure to be a fun night out for you and your family.  We hope to see you there!

Photo by Missy Simpson.

September 23, 2009 – (Hazelwood, MO) BIGFOOT®, The Original Monster Truck®, was named one of the “Top 5 Marketing Vehicles of All Time” by the St. Louis-based experimental marketing firm Pro Motion. This lofty honor is certainly a feather in the cap of the monster truck industry.

Joining the BIGFOOT trucks in the top-five were the US Navy Blue Angels/US Air Force Thunderbirds (#4), the Goodyear Blimp (#3), the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile (#2), and the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale Hitch (#1). Certainly some well-known company to be rubbing shoulders with!

Pro Motion described BIGFOOT’s place in marketing history:

“It all started in 1974 when Bob Chandler built the first BIGFOOT, right here in our own backyard, St. Louis, Missouri. It was built under a 1974 Ford F-250 body with giant Firestone flotation tires. In 1979 they added rear-wheel steering, which made parallel parking at the mall a breeze. In 1981 the famous words “Hey guys, watch THIS!” were uttered by Bob when he decided to see if he could drive BIGFOOT over a couple of old junk cars. Bob survived, and a new “sport” was born. Monster trucks are.[now] branded, promoted, and highly attended by millions every year.”  [BIGFOOT Firsts]

BIGFOOT certainly has had an impact on the automotive world over the last three and a half decades, not only spawning an entirely new form of automotive competition but also increasing the world’s awareness of and passion for the four wheel drive. Today the BIGFOOT trucks represent a number of high profile sponsors like Summit Racing Equipment and Firestone Tires, continuing a tradition of excellence on the national and international stage while keeping true to the core values that helped launch BIGFOOT’s “career” 35 years ago.

For more information on Pro Motion, you can visit them online at www.promotion1.com. You can also read their online post detailing the “Top 5 Marketing Vehicles of All Time” by visiting their blog:  http://exclamnation.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/top-five-marketing-vehicles-of-all-time/ .