We all know summer time is unpredictable in a sense of the weather. One minute we can be sweating ourselves to death, then the next seeking shelter from a downpour.
But, when it comes to the 4-wheel jamborees, come rain or shine, the fans are there.
Friday was the opening day of the 2011 A&A Auto Stores 4-Wheel Jamboree in Bloomsburg, PA. Highlighting the day was a full run of monster trucks to cap off the entire day. But, changes came not only as the day progressed, but as the show opened.
When I first arrived, I saw there was a minor change in the line-up. Both the Avenger and General Tire machines were at the show, but not with the usual drivers.
Jim Koehler and Chris Bergeron were slated to take part in Monster Jam's "Havoc in the Harbor" in Baltimore, and were unable to make this year's show.
Not wanting to disappoint the fans, fellow team drivers Rich Hilgendorf and Steve Koehler, who happens to be Jim's brother and driving his hold truck, put on the famous colors and now were ready to live up to the Team Scream monicre that had been built over many years.
Looking at the track, I was both amazed and disappointed. I'll begin with the disappointment because when I first saw the racing lanes, I originally expected to see a "New Orleans" style track, where the jump in between the cars was the start, followed by two twisting turns leading to the final stack.
Once the show began, I realized that Bloomsburg again went with the straight-line, drag race style course. So, I give a thumbs down to that idea.
After that, it's nothing but praise.
In years past, the Bloomsburg stage has taken up a lot of space in the infield, and created a lot of scary situations. Two years ago, this problem was fixed as the fairgrounds owners built a new stage that could be torn down and rebuilt later, since the Bloomsburg fair would be at the end of September.
With that out of the way, the track crews were able to move some of the bigger stacks from the infield near the backstretch closer to the grandstands. This also opened up the infield for more opportunities for slides, donuts, and major air.
And when we talk air, the biggest stacks they built included box vans and buses, with ramps giving the trucks a launch right at the hit of the throttle.
That being said, the racing bracket saw nine trucks competing. Originally there were to be 10, but the Crushstation was not there as was originally predicted. So, rather than make a bye-run, officials did a bracket with 8 trucks going through two rounds, with the points leader, Dan Runte in Bigfoot, getting a bye to the semi-finals. A fast loser would be picked up from round 2.
It would be a struggle for everyone as in early afternoon, a light shower began falling on the fairgrounds. It wasn't enough to make anyone run for the hills, but at least seek some shelter for some short time spans. It cleared up before racing, and stayed away for most of the evening.
But, Runte came with a plan. He brought back his deep-cut tires to put on the back, and then put his standard cut up front with the shallow insides for stability. Despite having no practice and being directly in the semi-final round, Runte managed to make it to the finals.
His opponent would be Steve Koehler in General Tire, who beat teammate Hilgendorf the round prior.
But, the shallow tires on Koehler's truck made for a hard run, and Runte hooked up just right and cruised to another win, his fourth of the year.
The way he wanted to cap of the night was to win freestyle, which was judged based on crowd response. Hilgendorf laid down a superb run complete with sliding donuts, major air, and powerslides through the infield. But, Runte was last to go, and knew he could get the job done.
Runte brought out his big Ford and let the truck do the talking. A lot of momentum, and some unique slide jobs, kept the crowd interested. But his finish gave him the victory.
The big bus stack at the bottom of the track was set at an angle, so the driver could ride out major air or even grab a wheelstand. Since Bigfoot trucks are known to go skyward, Runte landed his truck perfectly and stood hard on the throttle. The nose lifted like a wild horse, and the fans loved it.
Runte pulled up after one last jump, saluting the crowd and finishing off his victorious night.
That was only night one of the Jamboree. Saturday is the big day at Bloomsburg as a total of three monster truck shows fill the weekend. Two racing programs are at 12:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The night ends with a monster celebration with all freestyle and fireworks.
For now, I'm signing off from Bloomsburg.
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