Youtube vid here. I don't know how to make this movie box bigger yet.
Oh yea baby! Ok, so I guess this is the place to tell the story. Let's see, PRI 2006. I was standing in line waiting to speak to a gentleman in the Bell Racing booth. Dan and I stood there forever waiting for our turn. You see, PRI is one of the places where us drivers dress nice for once, act professional and wait in line all day only to have our dreams squashed. Anyway, so we are standing in this line forever and there is this other guy waiting also. I had seen him throughout the week waiting to speak to some of the same people as Dan and I. So, just like the bank line, us strangers started to talk.
Turns out homeboy is a Monster Truck driver. Lionel Easler. Drives the Instigator:
At the time, he was one of the only privateers left driving in Monster Jam (later that week he signed a deal). So, blah blah blah, "I'll call you." La tee dah, "See you around sometime."
We part ways and in 2007, I see him again at PRI. Blah blah blah, "I gave your number to the guy" blah blah blah, "Nice to see you, too."
2008, I get a call from MONSTER JAM. They want to know if I can come out to North Carolina to test. I scream and say yes, of course. So, they fly me out for 2 days. We get there in the eventing so when we wake up the next day we head to Dennis Anderson's shop aka Digger's Dungeon. We walk into the shop and it is monster truck chassis galore. It's hard to tell which truck is which because none of them have their bodies on them. I ended up having to sit in a few truck to find one that kind of fit me. These are real competition trucks that we are getting to drive, so their seats are welded in with no slider. There is no such thing as "test" trucks. They are all the real deal. So, we find me one and to be honest, I can't remember which one I drove all weekend. It wasn't a big name truck and it was down a cylindar...but it was the only one I could reach the pedals in, so I just had to deal with the cylindar issue. I couldn't tell either way. Seemed like it hauled balls to me, but it didn't jump as far as the others.
Once I get me a truck we head up to the office to watch a video made on a 1940's video camera. It was about 5 minutes long and didn't tell us much other than how to not get run over and other safety signals and procedures. Which is a good thing. Next we head out to the testing area (a big field in Dennis Anderson's backyard) and they throw us in the truck for a "drag race". It has a Powerglide, so all you really have to do is power-brake; then when you are ready to go: let off the clutch, jam the gas and shift to 2nd all at the same time. So, let me tell you! I am used to a turbo and some lag before the power hits. Let's just say I was not ready for all of that power under my ass. Ends up they have to cut me off because I went too far and I almost went in the ditch at the end of the field. LOL!
We make 3 runs then we do some figure 8's to get used to the independent rear steering, which is basically a toggle switch that you use to steer it with. Kind of crazy. I excluded it from the video because it was kind of boring to look at...although it was pretty fun for me. All in all, the drag runs and the figure 8's took about 30 minutes. Then next thing you know, they line us up to start jumping!!!!! I was like WHAT? This is all of the training we get!!!!???? I tell myself, "You gotta just do it. Everyone is watching and you are the only chick here. Man up!" So yea, basically the way you jump a monster truck is DRAG RACE off of the dirt jump then blip the gas in the air a few times so you land semi-smooth—which, by the way, there is no such thing as a smooth landing. My first jump, I almost bit my tongue off. The next few went good (aside from my low cylindar count).
Now, the next day. HOLY FREAKING CRAP! I have never been so sore in my entire life. I can't move my neck—or any body part for that matter. First thing we do is suit up and get to jumping. I was a little more confident the 2nd day and all of my jumps went fine. The last thing we learned was how to do slap wheelies. I never actually got around to the wheelie part because I was too busy working on the slapping part—SLAPPING MY NECK OFF that is. I honestly blacked out the first time I tried it. I really hit hard. I just had to shake it off and circle back around for a few more tries—2 more tries—in a row—no break to gather my beans. Same thing happend all 3 times and I just couldn't get it. I wasn't the only one, so I didn't feel too bad about it.
So, let's see. Did I get the job? I don't know. They say they only do testing every few years and that if they brought you out there to test, they already like you. They have done their research. The issue comes down to profile. They have to match a truck sponsor to your look and image. It's more than just being a good driver. Understandable. One of the guys who was training us said that he didn't hear from them for 2 years, then just one day they called and said you are flying out tomorrow to drive. They told me to watch my videos and be ready. I will never have the chance to drive/practice again until game day. That weekend was all the practice we will ever get!!!!!!
And that's my Monster Jam story.
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