Blue Thunder (truck)

Blue Thunder

Blue Thunder in Stafford Springs, CT at Stafford Motor Speedway
Owner and driver information
Owner Monster Jam/Feld Motorsports/Feld Entertainment
Driver(s) Tyler Menninga
Home city Oskaloosa,IA
Truck information
Year created 2001
Body style 2008 Ford F-150
Chassis Carroll Racing Development (CRD)
Engine 540 C.I. Merlin (big block, blown, methanol injected)
Transmission 2-speed Coan Powerglide
Tires BKT 66"x43"x25"

Blue Thunder was a monster truck that raced in the USHRA Monster Jam series. It was sponsored by the truck division of Ford Motor Company and Live Nation. The truck has several similarities with the monster truck Bigfoot. Some fans saw Blue Thunder as a replacement for Bigfoot in the Monster Jam series. The truck had been moderately successful and won several major events during its existence. However, it has not yet won a championship. Blue Thunder is used by Ford Motor Company for promotional purposes along with competition. The truck is currently driven by Dan Evans. The truck did not compete in 2012 when Todd LeDuc moved to Metal Mulisha after driving Blue Thunder in 2011. The truck was brought back in 2013 with a veteran driver, Dan Evans; who use to own and drive Destroyer, then Team Hot Wheels, as well as a new paint job. For 2016 Tyler Menninga will take over in Blue Thunder. He will compete in Council Bluffs, Tacoma, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Spokane, Portland, Albuquerque, Nampa & Reno.

Truck history

Ford Motor Company teamed up with Live Nation to create a monster truck that would highlight its "Ford Tough" campaign. The body style would be based on the F series Ford pickup with the body style being changed with each model year. Patrick Chassis was chosen to construct the chassis for Blue Thunder.[1] The drive line consists of a Merlin 540ci blown & injected engine with a Dedenbear two speed automatic transmission. This setup has caused some controversy, as Merlin engines are based on the Big Block Chevrolet. The tires on Blue Thunder are 66" Goodyear Terra Tires. Construction of two trucks with the "Blue Thunder" name were completed. The debut of Blue Thunder was January 6, 2001, at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Since its debut, it has placed in the finals every year. It performs at more than 20 events per year and is displayed at various promotional events.[2] It also has been licensed for various toys and for two upcoming video games [3]

Current Drivers

Former Drivers

When the Blue Thunder debuted in 2001, Lyle Hancock was the primary driver. Through the years, Norm Miller, Bobby Zoellner, George Balhan and Tony Farrell have also been drivers. In July 2007, it was announced that Linsey Weenk of CSK Motorsports joined Live Nation Motorsports to drive Blue Thunder. He debuted at Monsters on Mainstreet in Kankakee, IL Speedway. In 2011 after ford left FELD motorsports, Todd LeDuc was announced the new driver where he would drive it for one season and win a SPEED TV event. After taking a year off it was brought back with veteran driver Dan Evans behind the wheel. The current driver was Dalton Millican competing in the #MoreMonsterJam tour with 7 other drivers in arenas across the country. [4]Former driver Tony Farrell was attending a Trace Adkins concert at a campsite in Huntsville, Tennessee on May 22, 2015. A man reportedly drove his car through the campsite into the crowd. Farrell tried to help somebody else, but was run over by the man. The next morning, Farrell was pronounced dead. Billy Joe Carson, 42, was charged with criminal homicide with a vehicle. Tony Farrell was 52 years old. Dalton Millican died on August 12, 2015 of a single-vehicle motorcycle crash at age 22.

Awards

Monster Jam World Finals

  1. Driver: Lyle Hancock
  2. Racing: Lost to Goldberg in the Finals
  3. Freestyle: N/A
  1. Driver: Lyle Hancock
  2. Racing: N/A *Broke after intros.*
  3. Freestyle: Scored 35 - Tied for Third
  1. Driver: Lyle Hancock
  2. Racing: Lost to Madusa in Round 1
  3. Freestyle: Scored 34 - Third
  1. Driver: Tony Farrell
  2. Racing: Lost to Blacksmith in Round 2
  3. Freestyle: Scored 9 - Three Way Tie Last
  1. Driver: Tony Farrell
  2. Racing: Lost to Bounty Hunter in Quarter-Finals
  3. Freestyle: Scored 31 Tied First Place With Bounty Hunter. Scored 36, Second Place, In Tie breaker
  1. Driver: Tony Farrell
  2. Racing: Lost to Taz in Round 2
  3. Freestyle: Scored 24 - Sixth
  1. Driver: Tony Farrell
  2. Racing: Lost to Monster Mutt Round 2
  3. Freestyle: Scored 21 - Three way tie Tenth
  1. Driver: Linsey Weenk
  2. Racing: Lost to Bounty Hunter in Round 2
  3. Freestyle: Scored 30 - Tied Grave Digger for fourth
  1. Driver: Linsey Weenk
  2. Racing: Lost to Captain's Curse in Semi-Finals
  3. Freestyle: Scored 28 - Fourth
  1. Driver: Linsey Weenk
  2. Racing: Lost to Maximum Destruction in Semi-Finals
  3. Freestyle: Scored 25 - Tied Iron Man and Avenger for fifth
  1. Driver: Pablo Huffaker
  2. Racing: Lost To Grave Digger The Legend In Round 3
  3. Freestyle: Scored 30 - Second

Other monster trucks named Blue Thunder

There was also an earlier monster truck under the same name campaigned by Kevin Dabney and Kirk Dabney which had a Camaro body and raced in the 1980s.[5] The two vehicles are unrelated although the name of the current truck may have been derived from the earlier vehicle.

References

  1. ↑ RC Monster Motorsports: Blue Thunder
  2. ↑ Monster Jam Online: Blue Thunder
  3. ↑ Press release by "Game Press" 3/23/2007 "Activision Publishing Signs Exclusive Deal With Live Nation"
  4. ↑ MonsterJamOnline
  5. ↑ Monstrous Trucks, Bill Holder, 1989 Gallery Books, page 73 (ISBN 0-8317-6076-1)

External links

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