Autoblog

Watch Grave Digger kick a man when he's down, monster truck-style

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos, Specialty

Our automotive leanings generally favor cars that sit down close to the ground, with low-profile tires and suspension travel measured in the inches. Still, a good helping of Monster Jam never hurts, and it can be fun to watch machines with mondo-size rubber and a few generous feet worth of springs and shocks jumping hither and thither off platforms, ramps and, of course, other cars.

If nothing else, monster truck drivers know how to put on a good show. Evidence supporting this fact can be seen down below, where Grave Digger is freestyling a dirt course with all the expected obstacles, plus one: another truck that goes by the name Maximum Destruction. For those unaware, these two outfits are longtime rivals that have been lining up against each other for the last decade or so.

Wanna see how Grave Digger treats his mortal enemy, even after it has fallen in battle? Scroll down below to watch the video.

Continue reading Watch Grave Digger kick a man when he's down, monster truck-style

Watch Grave Digger kick a man when he's down, monster truck-style originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Car and Driver dissects the physics of monster trucks

George Kennedy — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 08:45:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Truck, Off-Road

It doesn't really matter what age you are, we can all agree that monster trucks are awesome. How can you argue with a 20-foot tall tube-frame harbinger of destruction, mowing down row after row derelict cars and trucks? Every "SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!," somewhere in America, a dirt-filled arena is hosting this spectacle of high-horsepower automotive carnage.

For the more mathematically inclined, monster trucks are a also feat of engineering, sending over 10,000 pounds hurtling through the air at 30+ mph. To this end, Car and Driver has put together a little breakdown of the physics behind these beasts. For instance, a monster truck needs 1,500 horsepower, developed from a supercharged, alcohol-fueled V8 to rocket into the air at a 45-degree angle at 40 miles per hour. The likes of Bigfoot and Gravedigger reach a peak altitude of 32.5 feet, moving through the air at 32 miles per hour.

When a monster truck makes its descent, things get interesting. A direct landing can come down with the force of 25,500 pounds. That's enough to turn a Crown Victoria or Oldsmobile 88 into a doormat.

Some other fun facts: two-thirds or roughly 7,000 pounds of a monster truck is unsprung weight. In the main, that means the wheels, axles and rubber. The tires themselves are about 66 inches tall.

C/D explains that with the four-wheel steering systems on these behemoths, these trucks can maintain spins in a nearly inverted turning radius. As their speed rises, the center of gravity pushes to the outer wheels, and the truck can topple over.

Hold on to your corn dogs.

Car and Driver dissects the physics of monster trucks originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Jul 2012 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Conan drives Grave Digger monster truck

Jeff Sabatini — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Truck, Videos, Celebrities, Humor, Off-Road

While Conan O'Brien may not be the car guy that Jay Leno is, for our money, he's funnier. Especially when he's doing vehicular bits on air, in this case, rubbing elbows with monster truck drivers.

But Coco doesn't just play the redneck card and point and laugh. He actually suits up in full Nomex and drives one of the most famous monster trucks of all time, Grave Digger. While Conan's performance behind the wheel is pretty tame by Monster Jam standards, he sure seems like he's having fun and it translates into some laugh-out-loud comedy.

No matter how you might feel about the sport of crushing derelict vehicles, we're pretty sure there's some little part of everyone that would like to get behind the wheel of one of these awesome trucks and unleash 1,500 horses of destruction at least once in their life.

Click past the jump to watch the full video.

Continue reading Conan drives Grave Digger monster truck

Conan drives Grave Digger monster truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video: Watch Son-uva Digger monster truck perform huge backflip

Aaron Richardson — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:26:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Videos

Son-uva Digger backflip - Click above to watch video after the jump

Ryan Anderson is the son of monster truck legend and Grave Digger owner/driver Dennis Anderson, which makes him monster truck royalty. Despite his privileged place among the elites in the high court of methanol and fairgrounds, the young Anderson doesn't spend much time riding his father's coattails.

While Ryan may have used his father's success as a launch pad, the Grave Digger heir apparent is eager to prove himself worthy of the crown. Anderson showed this at Monster Jam 2011 in Las Vegas, executing an awesome monster truck backflip. This may not be the first time a monster truck has ever flipped end over end, but it's certainly the biggest one yet. Hit the jump to check it out.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Watch Son-uva Digger monster truck perform huge backflip

Video: Watch Son-uva Digger monster truck perform huge backflip originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video: Bad Habits' monster truck world record practice session doesn't go as planned

Zach Bowman — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Truck, Videos, Off-Road, Racing

Bad Habits takes a dive - Click above to watch the video after the jump

Few realms of motorsport live the "Go big or go home" mantra to the fullest quite as well as the monster truck world. Aside from one of the largest voiceovers in the industry ("Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!!"), the guys who wrangle the epic horsepower, rear-wheel steering beasts of the Monster Jam circuit also boast some of the biggest egos. You know, the kind of sheer will of character that it takes to look at Bigfoot's 202-foot, record-setting jump over a jetliner and think, "Nah, I can do better." Such is the case with Joe Sylvester, the 26-year-old driver of the Bad Habits truck.

Sylvester has got it into his mind that he can embarrass the Bigfoot record, and has set about building a truck and a ramp to do just that. Only thing is, things didn't go so swell during a practice session this week. After nailing his homemade ramp, the Bad Habits truck promptly began to turn its nose back toward terra firma, and it wasn't long before the machine evaporated into a cloud of giant tires and red clay. Sylvester was unharmed in the accident and plans to officially attempt to break the record at this weekend's Cornfield 500 at Columbus, PA's Miller Farm. If you can't make it, don't worry - the folks at DirtVision plan a live webcast of this Sunday's attempt.

Either way, we wish Sylvester the best of luck. You may want to do the same after hitting the jump and watching his failed practice attempt for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Shawn!

[Sources: YouTube, Cornfield500, DirtVision]

Continue reading Video: Bad Habits' monster truck world record practice session doesn't go as planned

Video: Bad Habits' monster truck world record practice session doesn't go as planned originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SEMA 2009: Bigfoot still a crowd favorite, 35 years later

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Classics, Truck, Ford, Off-Road

Bigfoot #1 - Click above for high-res image gallery

We distinctly remember 3rd grade. Specifically, sitting in the library once a month during recess. Why would we give up dodgeball and four-square to sit inside and read? Because the new issues of Off Road and 4Wheeler had just dropped and they had stories about Bigfoot! Bearfoot too, and Carzilla - but mostly Bigfoot! Happy days, happy days. And here at this year's SEMA Show, both the original 1975 Bigfoot #1 (the world's first monster truck) and the new-for-2009 Bigfoot (#12 of fifteen Bigfoots) showed up to terrorize the Las Vegas Convention Center's parking lot.

Well, not terrorize - because people love the Bigfoots (Bigfeets?) so very much. But lordy, are these some hella intimidating trucks, even all these years later. Perhaps most notable is that the new Bigfoot is actually a 2008 Ford F-250 body cut to look like a 1979 F-250. Also cool is the 35-year gulf in technology between the two beasts. We could have spent a couple hours standing underneath (no, really!) Bigfoot #12 just admiring the headers. And the gas bypass shocks. And the supercharger, etc. Sadly, the duo of Bigfoots won't be crushing any cars this week. Let's make that double sadly, as this year's SEMA show features many deserving candidates. For more (and better) details, check out pickuptrucks.com's Bigfoot post.

Gallery: SEMA 2009: Bigfoot

SEMA 2009: Bigfoot still a crowd favorite, 35 years later originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Announcer killed at Wisconsin monster truck show

Chris Paukert — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Safety

It has been less than ten days since a tragic accident at a Tacoma, Washingon monster truck show killed a six-year old spectator. Now comes word that a promoter/announcer at a Madison, Wisconsin Monster Nationals event has been killed at a similar event run by a different promoter.

According to reports, George Eisenhart Jr., 41, was hit by a monster truck called Samson during competition. Evidently, Eisenhart was standing in a well that feeds out onto the Alliant Energy Center's floor when he was struck. He was subsequently taken to the University of Wisconsin Hospital, but did not survive.

Unlike last weekend's event, the show in Wisconsin was immediately halted and the subsequent Saturday afternoon show was canceled as well.

Early investigation shows that applicable safety regulations were adhered to during the event, and that neither Eisenhart nor Samson's driver, Daniel Patrick, saw each other in the moments leading up to the accident. County investigators and Madison's Occupational Health and Safety officials are looking in to the matter, but early reports suggest that they have yet to find "any obvious safety issues." Associated Press video coverage available after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Jim.

[Source: Channel3000; Associated Press]

Continue reading Announcer killed at Wisconsin monster truck show

Announcer killed at Wisconsin monster truck show originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments