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For the last pair of weekends, the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live schedule has been one of the more grueling weekends for every team in competition. It’s well known in the monster truck world that having four shows over the course of three days is tough on equipment, because there’s not much time to repair parts if something does go awry during an event.
Every team deserves a break, both because they need it, and also having fewer shows means that fans will come out in bigger numbers across the board for the action in the arena.
This past weekend, the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, hosted a weekend of intense action for the Hot Wheels machines, but it would ultimately be an easier weekend for teams, because it was just a two-show event over the course of one day. Sure, it meant fewer times behind the wheel, but it also raised the intensity up among the six drivers. To no one’s surprise, the Saturday afternoon Crash Zone brought out a vast array of fans, as hosts Freddie Sheppard and Ken Navitsky kept the entertainment high and the crowd engaged.
After putting away all the displays and allowing the crowd to get into their seats, the afternoon festivities were set to get rolling. Fans were ready for the trucks to come to life, and just like always, the start of the action began with wheelies.
This week’s opening victory went to a young man who’s finally found his groove at the wheel on the tour, Cody Holman. The Bone Shaker was soaring to the sky on the afternoon, as he took the opening round competition.
Navitsky and Sheppard kept the crowd going as the beasts cooled off, but then it was time to begin a smoke show. The donut contest was next, and every truck was trying so hard to figure out a way to beat out the V8 Bomber, as Steven Snellen was the winner of the last eight competitions. On this afternoon…things remained the same.
Snellen smoked the tires like he has the last two weeks to record his ninth consecutive donut contest victory, and it’s clear he is not looking to let up at all as the year continues.
Freestyle motocross gave everyone a nice break to let things settle back down, and when the engines fired yet again, it was all about distance as it was time to go after a long jump title.
This time, just like the last two weekends, it was the Demo Derby Cadillac of Derick Anson making the leap across the cars and landing well beyond the rest of the field, taking home what is now his ninth consecutive victory in the competition. The graffiti-colored SUV is certainly soaring to new heights with every opportunity.
Fans and teams got a chance to really take a break during intermission, and in doing so allowed drivers to get even more focused and get their reflexes reacting as quick as possible.
Racing got started after the beast Megasaurus had his lunch on an old subcompact car, and when it came down to the finals, Anson made it in, but he was joined by probably the best racer on the tour this year, Christian Norman in the Hot Wheels Racing 1 Raptor.
Both launched on the line with authority, but Norman seemed to keep the nose down just enough to stretch to the line first, giving him yet another racing win on the season to his very large tally.
Then, the floor was cleared, one of the cars got moved beside the light blue van in the center of the arena, and the safety crew was put on standby. The final part of the night was ready to rock, and freestyle was the competition that would officially determine the winner of the afternoon’s Titan Cup.
Every driver took to the course extremely hard, hammering with speed and authority, getting the crowd roaring with what seemed every motion.
This afternoon, it was Anson that put on a clinic against the rest of the lineup to take home yet another freestyle crown, and take another Titan Cup back to Kentucky to share with the team.
SATURDAY MATINEE RESULTS:
- Wheelie Competition: Cody Holman, Bone Shaker
- Donut Contest: Steven Snellen, V8 Bomber
- Long Jump: Derick Anson, Demo Derby
- Racing Finals: Christian Norman, Hot Wheels Racing 1, def. Derick Anson, Demo Derby
- Freestyle: Derick Anson, Demo Derby
- Titan Cup Champion: Derick Anson, Demo Derby
With just about four hours between the conclusion of the afternoon event to the start of the second, teams had to do a lot of reworking to make changes for the second show. Luckily, unlike last weekend, no teams needed major repairs before needing to compete once again. Most of the work was done with the crews themselves getting hands on, as the drivers continued to sign autographs prior to the doors opening up for the evening show.
The track crew was busy as well, as they needed to maneuver some fresh iron into position for the second performance. But, by the time the gates opened for round two on the day, the only indication that a prior show ever occurred was the rubber marks on the floor.
But, another crowd was ready to witness the $3.88 toys available at Target and Walmart come full size and hit the track.
The wheelie contest did see a bit of a difference in winner, as after being shut out of the early show, Darron Schnell skied the Bigfoot Raptor to the top of the arena on each of his hits on the fresh car stacks. It certainly gave the team from Pacific, Missouri, a boost in morale as they had only a few wins between Schnell and Norman over the last several weeks outside of the racing bracket.
But, the next two events were mirror images of the afternoon, as both Snellen and Anson won their tenth consecutive donut and long jump contests, respectively, to keep a streak alive.
In between, the freestyle motocross and another dinner break for Megasaurus got the crowd really hyped up for when racing came around. It ultimately came down to the heavyweight battle between Foot and Demo Derby, just as so many prior showdowns in weeks past. This time, Schnell got the better of the Cadillac, reacting quickly to the green light and powered to the racing win on the evening.
Two wins on the night meant Schnell was leading the Titan Cup standings, and it would take a strong performance in freestyle to dethrone him.
Anson was up to the challenge, and after a performance that included a couple donuts, some fast hits on all the stacks and the van, and a couple moments where he got almost over, he was declared the winner of freestyle on this night. However, even with that win, his runner-up finish was the deciding factor. That meant Schnell because of his racing victory was the official Titan Cup champion of the second show.
Quite the way to end the weekend in the home town of Elvis Presley.
SATURDAY EVENING RESULTS:
- Wheelie Competition: Darron Schnell, Bigfoot
- Donut Contest: Steven Snellen, V8 Bomber
- Long Jump: Derick Anson, Demo Derby
- Racing Finals: Darron Schnell, Bigfoot, def. Derick Anson, Demo Derby
- Freestyle: Derick Anson, Demo Derby
- Titan Cup Champion: Darron Schnell, Bigfoot
Another two-show weekend awaits the Hot Wheels tour next weekend, but this one is a trip south to the state that just recently played host to Super Bowl XLIII.
The Peach State is awaiting a pair of shows on February 23 in Albany, Georgia, inside the Albany Civic Center. Tickets are available for both shows, with the 1:30 p.m. performance having a Crash Zone party prior to show time.
Get your seats now to see the Hot Wheels on the shelf become life-size beasts.
