We went to the Monster Truck thing last Saturday. I’m not sure how I feel about it. The pit pass was neat. I’ve never seen a monster truck up close. They’re not just lifted trucks. The engine is in the middle and the axels are insane. For example, torso-sized (to avoid the metric system) differentials.
The actual monster-trucking was sort-of interesting. It was a “drive over five cars” contest. Some drivers made it look easy. Some did not. The younger drivers definitely didn’t drive the way the older drivers did. The younger ones were more interesting to watch, but not necessarily more successful.
The ancillary events were more interesting.
There was a lawn-mower race. I’d never heard of such a thing. In case you’re wondering, the blades were removed; the announcer made sure to point that out. It had its moments.
There were two go-cart races. The winner of the youngster race also won the adult race. This one was a real test of driving skill. Apparently, the concrete at the two ends of the oval had different traction. The winner did an excellent job of taking advantage of this (passing on the inside on one end and the outside at the other, more slippery, end). Some of the drivers didn’t seem to notice the difference. The go-carts have different sized back wheels. The inner one mostly matched the front wheels, while the outer one was significantly wider. This is apparently standard since they all looked this way. What happens on a track with S-turns?
The motocross bike exhibition was very good, if a bit stacked in favor of the home-town rider. The takeoff ramp was a steel framework. The landing ramp was a giant, inflatable thing. It is a pretty amazing piece of kit. All three were good, but the home-town guy was the only one to do flips.
From takeoff to landing was approximately four seconds of air time. Human reaction times are about 250msec. I’m old and slow, now; they are young and do this for a living. Let’s say 200msec for them. That’s 20 decision points per jump. They used them all. They also really understand physics! Some of the most gasp-inducing tricks were “conservation of” tricks. Angular momentum to twist body and bike in opposite directions then get lined up again for landing (those ate almost all 20 decision points – lots and lots of change). Linear momentum to let go of the bike and still end up back on it for the landing (those ate very few decision points – it was mostly disconnected hang time). Both LOOK insane. Of course, doing flips on a motorcycle is insane -and also looks it.
Obviously, the motocross jumping was my favorite, but the whole thing was a fun time. Not sure if I’ll go again – it was also very long.
No, I didn’t “forget” to take pictures. I was planning to bring my phone, but it was at 10% charge when I picked it up to leave. I just left it at home.
Image credit: I snatched it off The Monument webpage.
Update: Almost forgot to mention that it was sponsored by the USMC. They had a booth in the pit. I’m not sure how to describe the ammo-box thing. Apparently, it’s a marine strength test of sorts: How many times can you press a full ammo-box? An astonishing number of people – mostly, but not exclusively, men – had to try. It was fun people watching. No, I was not one of them. If I care, I can do it without anyone watching to laugh at the result; I have a full ammo-box in my hall closet.
Marked Up 