Fans of the Monsters and Mayhem tour packed the stands of the Estevan Speedway on Friday, but were forced away by the intense weather on Saturday, cutting the two-day show in half.
Still, Rob Waloschuk, promoter with Performance Promotions, the company that holds the tour, thinks the Sept. 4 show was action-packed enough in its own right.
“It was a great show, and a success for sure. It wasn’t a financial success for us, having to cancel a day, but that’s fine,” stated Waloschuk. “It’s nobody’s fault but the weather's, that we had to cancel.”
Walsochuk noted the immense amount of rain that fell on Saturday morning flooded the tracks and completely filled the infield area with water. That, paired with the stormy conditions on Saturday morning, made it far too hazardous to continue on Friday’s success.
Friday’s event featured monster truck racing, and a monster truck freestyle competition, in which trucks roared, flew and grinded through an obstacle course and were judged by the crowd. There was also a tough truck competition with smaller trucks given three chances to maneuver around the same obstacle course, vying for the fastest performance.
In the case of the freestyle competitions, Waloschuk said, “They try to impress the crowd. You’ve got sky-wheelies, car-crushing, and everything is voted on pure crowd appeal.”
Many of the tough truck racers put on great spectacles, with their vehicles careening wildly over the ramps and jumps. Some drivers ended up wrecking their own vehicles with gusto, smashing front-ends and ripping tailgates, much to the enjoyment in Friday’s full stands.
Waloschuk said tickets for Saturday, Sept. 5 would be refunded on account of the cancellation. If tickets were purchased at Henders Drugs, they can be returned for a full refund. If tickets were bought online, the credit cards used to purchase them will be automatically refunded this week, he added.
Marvin Anderson, of Kelowna, B.C., took first place in monster truck racing, driving his rig, Identity Theft. Aaron Ride, of Weyburn, Sask., took first place in the freestyle competition, driving a truck named Crude Behaviour. The winner of the tough truck competition was Ian Tindal of Lloydminster, Sask., driving a modified Ford Explorer.
