After a remarkably strong on-track showing in 2009, Team BIGFOOT was aptly rewarded off-track at the Monster Truck Racing Association’s annual awards banquet, held this past weekend in St. Louis.

From left to right: Bob Chandler, Julie and John Peterson, Lisa and Nigel Morris, Rodney Tweedy, Kyle Doyle, Rick Long, Ann Trent, Jerry Dalton, & Bob Trent.

Team driver Larry Swim, pilot of the BIGFOOT Bad Boy (BIGFOOT #14) captured the coveted “Driver Of The Year” award in only his first full year of driving for the BIGFOOT team. As BIGFOOT Vice-President Bob Trent spelled out during his stand-in acceptance speech, Swim’s fresh new approach to driving not only attracted the notice of both fans and competitors, but also helped Swim capture the 2009 Checkered Flag Productions championship. Swim chalked up an impressive 19 racing wins and 13 freestyle wins in 2009, over the course of 52 events. “This year has just flown by for me,” said Swim after his arrival following the awards ceremony. “My main focus was to just get comfortable with the truck and try to represent my team well, and maybe sneak a few wins in here and there. I certainly didn’t go out expecting to end up Driver of the Year!” Humble as always, he added that “I could not of had the year I did without the help of everyone in the shop at BIGFOOT, the help from [legendary BIGFOOT driver] Jim Kramer out on the road, the great people at Checkered Flag, and of course all the great fans we met. What a way to end the season!”

Swim was not the only member of the team rejoicing, as teammate Dan Runte collected “Truck Of The Year” honors for the accomplishments made by his Summit Racing Equipment BIGFOOT #16 machine. With Runte at the helm, BIGFOOT #16 turned in some of the most scintillating freestyle performances of the year during the outdoor season, in addition to being one of the toughest trucks to beat in side-by-side racing. In the 41 events that Runte and BIGFOOT #16 competed at in 2009, the duo tallied up a combined total of 23 racing and freestyle victories. “This truck has simply been a rocket-ship since its debut a few years ago,” said Runte. “Summit Racing Equipment has been a fixture on this truck since the truck was new, and it has been great having them onboard. We won some races, put on some great freestyles, and didn’t end up on our lid too much, so I’d say it was a pretty good year!”

One could argue that behind any great monster truck (or in this case, fleet of monster trucks) is a great mechanic, and this year one of the sport’s greatest mechanics was also honored by the MTRA. And as you may have guessed, his toolbox calls the BIGFOOT shop home. 18-year BIGFOOT employee John Peterson deservingly won his first “Mechanic Of The Year” award, against a very talented pool of nominees. Peterson, whose calm demeanor contrasts with his scalding-hot engine tunes and unrivaled track-side wrenching abilities, was pleasantly surprised after being called to the podium to accept his award. “I was kind of shocked when I heard my name called,” laughed Peterson. “It’s pretty easy to fly under people’s radar when you spend most of your time out of the limelight and in the pits or at the shop, so for me it’s that much more important. I’m truly grateful to everyone who cast their vote for me!”

Team BIGFOOT was also awarded their championship trophy from Checkered Flag Productions, commemorating their clinching of the 2009 title. BIGFOOT team manager and VP Bob Trent was clearly proud of the team: “Our guys have done a fantastic job this year, both on the CFP tour and elsewhere. Firestone and Summit Racing have helped us grow, and have been a crucial element to our success, both on-track and in promoting their respective brands. 2010 is the 35th anniversary of BIGFOOT, and I know it is going to be a great year with all of the positive momentum we are taking with us from 2009. A big pat on the back to everyone on the BIGFOOT Team! We couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help!”

BIGFOOT drivers Rick Long, Rodney Tweedy, Jerry Dalton, and UK BIGFOOT driver Nigel Morris also attended the banquet along with BIGFOOT creator Bob Chandler, Bob and Ann Trent, and BIGFOOT’s newest team member Kyle Doyle, who also emceed the awards ceremony.

The BIGFOOT monster trucks will return to action in January, kicking off the 2010 35th Anniversary season with throttles wide open the weekend of January 8th through the 10th. All five BIGFOOT race trucks will be tearing it up nationwide from West Valley City, UT to Oklahoma City, OK to Trenton, NJ. Check out the schedule and more about Team BIGFOOT at www.Bigfoot4×4.com!

Bar’s Leaks / Rislone monster truck drivers Greg and Zach Adams took home their share of hardware this past weekend in St. Louis at the Monster Truck Racing Association’s annual awards banquet. The father and son duo made big waves in the monster truck industry in 2009 by stepping up their game considerably, and that earned their Truk Wurks team the 2009 Most Improved Team award. While the elder Adams was a rookie in the organization 21 years ago, young Zach Adams enjoyed a successful rookie season in 2009, capped off with the MTRA’s Rookie Of The Year honors.

“I’m very proud of our team, and it definitely means a lot to bring home these two awards,” said Greg Adams, Bar’s Leaks Eliminator driver and Truk Wurks general manager. “We went from a very spartan one-truck team to a full-blown two truck operation. With the help of Bar’s Leaks and Rislone we’ve not only done that, but we’ve upgraded to a fully vinyl-wrapped 18-wheeler transporter, and moved our team and off-road shop into a new, state-of-the-art facility.” While the nuts and bolts improvement to the operation are easily visible, the team’s performance behind the scenes and off the track aren’t as readily seen.

“Saying that we ‘put in a great deal of time’ working on the new Rislone Defender monster truck is putting it nicely,” explained Defender driver and Truk Wurks owner Zach Adams. “The truth is we had to work our butts off just about every night we weren’t at an event to get the truck
finished in time for the outdoor season. It definitely took its toll on us, but when the truck finally drove out on the track for the first time in May, it was a total relief.”

When the Defender did debut, fans and members of the Truk Wurks team knew immediately that Zach had the skills behind the wheel to make a name for himself, and the Rislone Defender. After steadily improving over the course of the summer, and despite the normal teething problems experienced with an all-new truck, Zach saw his first-year driving career peak in Albany, NY during his first-ever indoor arena show. Zach piloted his Rislone machine to the final round of racing both nights, loosing out narrowly to veteran driver Rick Long in Bigfoot. Along the way, Zach managed to defeat his father in the semi-finals of racing each night, and nearly experienced his first rollover during a hair-raising wheelie contest effort.

“I’m very proud of Zach,” said Greg Adams. “Learning to drive a monster truck back when I started was a bit easier than it is today. It may have been a bit more punishing physically, but the trucks just weren’t doing the kinds of things we ask them to these days.” He added that “Zach really stepped up in a high-pressure situation and made it look easy. I definitely didn’t cut him any slack, and for many shows we had no crew other than he and I, so he earned every bit of that award.”

So while the Truk Wurks team may have won the Most Improved Team award for 2009, that doesn’t mean they are planning on slowing down any. “We are looking forward to a very busy 2010 schedule,” said Zach Adams. “We’ve changed a few things around on the trucks, made some improvements here and there, and best of all I’m not a rookie anymore!” His father echoes those sentiments: “Getting this team built up to what it is today was the hard part. I think with that behind us, we’ll have a lot more fun and pick up even more wins in 2010. I can’t say enough about how good Bar’s Leaks and Rislone have been to us, without them we wouldn’t be anywhere close to where we are now. I can’t wait to charge into 2010 and beyond with our Bar’s Leaks and Rislone monsters!”

For more information on the Truk Wurks team and their Eliminator and Defender monster trucks, check them out online at www.TrukWurksOffRoad.com. There you can find a 2010 event schedule, team member bios, photos, news, and even a downloadable coloring sheet for kids!

The MTRA would like to congratulate all of the winners of our 2009 Awards!

(Photos Courtesy TheMonsterBlog.com)