The Prince Albert Exhibition Grounds welcomed Outlaws of Motorsports Monsters and Mayhem this weekend as Monster Trucks returned to Prince Albert for the first time in 30 years.
Outlaws of Motorsports Event and Marketing Coordinator Neil Schneider said they were happy to be back in Prince Albert.
“I think the last time we were here 30 years ago,” Schneider said in an interview before Sunday’s show. “Rob Waloschuk, who owns Outlaws in Motorsports and Performance Promotions, was one of the drivers at that show at that time. For him to come back, it’s kind of a full circle.”
Drivers hit the road in front of a packed Prince Albert Exhibition grandstand on Saturday. They also had a packed Pit Party on Sunday, where attendees could meet the drivers and ride in the monster trucks.
“It was a great, great turnout, something we were hoping for,” Schneider said.
The show, which included Monster Truck Freestyle, racing, Mini Monster Trucks and other attractions on Saturday and Sunday. Schneider described it as something that has to be seen.
“They’ll see 10,000 pound trucks with 1,300 horsepower flying 30 feet in the air,” Schneider said. “It’s intense.”
Train Wreck got height on a jump during a freestyle at Monsters and Mayhem on Saturday at the Prince Albert Exhibition Grounds.
Kristal Carey met with fans at the Pit Party before Monsters and Mayhem on Sunday at the Prince Albert Exhibition Grounds.
The organization also presented their Freestyle Motocross each day at the Prince Albert Exhibition.
“We were here last week with Freestyle Bikes. Our company, Performance Promotion, does a marketing, large scale stuff. We do everything from concerts to festivals to demolition derbies to everything else,” Schneider explained.
“Yesterday we had the mini trucks or the mini monsters, we call them, and they travel all around with us. We do a winter tour as well as a summer tour. Our summer tour, we hit different markets in Saskatchewan and Alberta and Manitoba.”
The crowd was responsive on Saturday to a request for the show to return in 2027. Schneider said that they are open to the concept.
“A lot of these markets, they’re good to come back every other year. We do that right now in Yorkton. We go back every other year,” Schneider said.
The group does a winter and summer tour with the winter tour running in British Columbia, Manitoba and Alberta.
Schneider said that the Exhibition Association was a great partner, and that’s something they look for when thinking about returning to a city.
“The Prince Albert Exhibition Association, they are so helpful, (and) so easy to work with,” he said. “You got to have a good base, a good quarter, in order to make it work and this board they have right now is fantastic for that.”
Kristal Carey who drives Sabotage and is from North Battleford said that the support in Prince Albert was amazing
“It was awesome,” she said. “(There was) a lot of support being from so close to Prince Albert.”
Carey lost her transmission before her first run on Saturday and crews worked the entire show to get her up and running before the end of the freestyle event.
“It was a little disappointing having trouble so early on in the show,” she said.
“Even when I was even lined up it was showing some signs of problems and then I thought I’d give it a try anyway. I went to perform and it just had no first gear.
“I thought about just holding back … and just run in second gear but then the guys are like do you want to swap the transmission? I said ‘let’s do it’ and it was down to the wire.”
Carey got her truck ready just under the wire to perform in the freestyle after intermission and the crowd was happy to see her return.
“The show was basically over. Then they said, ‘can you go?’ Some people are screaming yes, some are screaming no. They said, just go. And at that time I didn’t have reverse so the guys actually pushed it out of the pits. To the point where I could turn around and I just went for it.”
Before the show on Sunday she had repaired her reverse and was ready to go. Carey said that stuff like losing your transmission before you start is typical of what can happen.
“You think you’re prepared 100 per cent and then you go out and then you’re down in a matter of seconds,” Carey saud.
Carey said that driving a monster truck can be interesting because of how your perception works.
“It’s adrenaline-fuelled for sure. It’s funny because you feel like you’re flying out there and then you watch the video back and you’re like, that’s all I did. It feels a lot different in the truck. It feels 10 times faster than what people are actually seeing,” she explained.
“I don’t know what it is, but maybe it’s the perception part of it. It feels like you’re flying and then you watch the video back and you’re like, okay, I need to go faster.”
Carey said her favourite way to perform is freestyle because it allows drivers to challenge themselves in different ways.
“If there’s something you want to improve on, you can work on it at that time. Racing, I’m not the best at. I would like to get better at it,” Carey said.
“Timing is everything. Momentum, a lot of that stuff matters.”
Carey was pleased to be in Prince Albert for the show.
“It’s exciting to be here,” she said. “(It’s) pretty much hometown show. The crowd was amazing yesterday (Saturday) and I imagine it’s going to be the same today (Sunday). It’s awesome to see so many people after 30 years.”
Before each show there was a Pit Party which will allow people the chance to ride in the monster trucks and meet the drivers.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
