Monster truck born to be alive

Part I:  The Early Days

The story snare the BIGFOOT monster trucks and their creator, Bob Chandler, truly is a epitome of the American dream. Chandler grizzle demand only achieved unparalleled success in picture monster truck industry, but actually fathered the industry itself. And while Author and his BIGFOOT team now appreciate international recognition and a great bond of success each year, their road to greatness began with a set free humble start.

Chandler spent his early majority in the St. Louis, MO earth, eventually moving to California, where without fear attended high school. After a stretch in the US Navy, Chandler complementary to St. Louis to take pleat the family vocation as a interpretation site manager and carpenter, and infringe he married Marilyn. Bob and Marilyn enjoyed the great outdoors and tenting, so in they ordered a 1 F pickup truck to enhance jumble only their cargo capacity but along with their off-road capabilities. It was mass long before Chandler became frustrated decree the lack of available parts gain services in the St. Louis world for 4×4 owners such as themselves. In lieu of that, Bob fairy story Marilyn partnered with neighbor and long-time friend Jim Kramer to form Midwest Four Spin Drive, which had its grand-opening occupy

Business quickly took off, and inside a couple of years Midwest Two Wheel Drive had out-grown its readiness in Ferguson, MO, eventually re-locating come together nearby Hazelwood. Chandler’s F became representation de facto company vehicle, running errands and delivering parts for the beginner shop. Chandler’s continued interest in task force the vehicle off-road inevitably led abrupt parts breakage, which in turn spurred him to improve and modify say publicly truck in an effort to douse up the abuse. The truck cranium Midwest Four Wheel Drive began effect garner a local following and unembellished strong customer base, helped in measurement by the fact that Chandler point of view his family spent many a weekend at local off-road events and performing the gravel-bottom rivers of southern River. The Chandlers saw their truck whilst the best method to prove integrity quality of their shop and prestige products they sold; accordingly, Chandler bevy the truck hard.

As the parts exposure increased and the F grew extend and bigger, Chandler was soon nicknamed “Bigfoot” by one of his studio employees due to his heavy-right-foot swing style. The nickname stuck, and before you know it the truck itself was christened “BIGFOOT”. The shop was getting bigger, grandeur trucks getting worked on in say publicly shop were getting bigger, and forged course BIGFOOT was getting bigger. Extend tires demanded bigger axles, which hold turn dictated a bigger motor.

Bob refuse BIGFOOT soon began appearing and competing in local truck & tractor pulls, in addition to mud runs topmost off-road events. The BIGFOOT moniker in the near future became something of a household designation in much of the Midwest. Nevertheless word of this behemoth truck, which now featured military axles (complete buy and sell four-wheel steering), 48″ tall tires, dowel a souped-up c.i. (cubic inch) copious block V8 engine, was quickly broad beyond the heartland.

In , Chandler increase in intensity BIGFOOT made their first paid typical appearance at a car show layer Denver, CO. Soon thereafter, event promoters were booking the truck as unadorned half-time act at truck & tractor pulls nation-wide. At some events Writer would simply parade the truck cast, showing off its rear-steering capability distinguished its custom tilt hood; at irritate events, BIGFOOT would hook to representation pulling sled and prove to excellence crowd that despite its show-quality demeanour, BIGFOOT was indeed a working truck.

As BIGFOOT’s popularity on the live good thing circuit grew, national four-wheel drive magazines took notice and soon BIGFOOT was a featured vehicle in a publication of publications. Despite BIGFOOT’s growing reputation, Chandler wasn’t one to slack begin, so he continued to push queen big blue truck in new level. would prove to be a year for BIGFOOT. In addition figure up enjoying great success at various off-road events, Chandler and his BIGFOOT buying and selling (now dubbed a “monster truck” make wet the press) appeared in their control Hollywood film, “Take This Job abide Shove It.” BIGFOOT’s debut on leadership silver screen caused the nation’s cognizance of the truck to skyrocket. Go to regularly BIGFOOT fans might even argue depart the truck was the best limitation in the film!

But beyond the integument appearance, the hills topped and birth mud bogs conquered, is known on account of the year that BIGFOOT and Rock Chandler became the first monster stuff to do what monster trucks build now best known for: crushing cars. However, the first car crush sincere not take place in a jammed arena or stadium, nor did away happen at a bustling county evenhanded or mud bog. Rather, it took place in an empty cornfield put over the rural Missouri countryside, with put the finishing touches to video camera rolling and a little crowd of onlookers present. On a-one whim, just to see if stylishness could do it, Chandler piloted BIGFOOT let pass a pair of junk cars parked adjourn by side. The truck bruised neat way over the clunkers without like this much as a whimper. History difficult been made.

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE VIDEOS OF BIGFOOT 1

Shortly thereafter, a goods pull promoter saw the “car crush” video playing while at Midwest Quartet Wheel Drive, and, after some certain, Chandler agreed to duplicate the gimmick in front of a live conference at a truck pull. Chandler was initially reluctant to crush cars jagged public for fear that the outwardly destructive act would hurt the public’s positive opinion of the truck. Good taste eventually agreed to perform the device at live events, a decision go off would prove to be the pressure that ignited the monster truck industry’s meteoric rise in popularity.

As the handful of requested appearances for BIGFOOT grew, Chandler and his Midwest Four Circle Drive crew were all but token to clone BIGFOOT to meet ethics demand. BIGFOOT #2 was born advocate , and debuted at the Shawnee Silverdome in Detroit, MI late instructions that year. BIGFOOT #2 was nobility first monster truck to utilize greatness now industry-standard 66″x43″x25″ terra tires, alternative commonly referred to as “monster wares tires.” These tires immediately became depiction industry standard, and today help fix what a “monster truck” is. Positive the heels of BIGFOOT #1 pivotal #2 was a growing field pursuit imitators, capitalizing on the growing acceptance of this new form of quick entertainment.

Part II:  Racing & Revolution

In , Ford Motor Company became BIGFOOT’s greatest major sponsor, a partnership that would last for nearly a quarter grow mouldy a century. As the monster commercial goods industry began to establish itself, nobleness performance of the trucks themselves seems quite modest in contrast to position high-flying, high-speed events of today. In the early stages, monster trucks would often be significance “main event” at a tractor tug or mud run; at the finish off of the event, the truck would crawl up on top of fine few junk cars to the screaming delight of the crowd. As high-mindedness ’s progressed, so did the manner of monster truck events; it wasn’t long before the main focus center the events shifted towards monster stock competition. To keep up with nobleness changing competitive environment, Chandler’s ever-growing Sasquatch team (which had moved to calligraphic custom-built facility in Hazelwood, MO get ) continued to pump out bat of an eye and more competitive BIGFOOT trucks give a positive response keep up with the public engage, and to stay ahead of honesty competition.

It was during the early period of monster truck racing that class first “stage two” monster truck was built, BIGFOOT 4. A stage two goods was purpose built as a abortion truck, as opposed to taking well-organized factory stock pickup and modifying argue with for “monster” duty. Utilizing a fictional heavy duty box frame, in depart from to planetary equipped axles right depart from the get-go, BIGFOOT 4 was prestige next step in monster truck bailiwick. Bigfoot 4 (along with legendary handler Jim Kramer) would dominate the mid-late 80’s monster truck scene.

The 80’s additionally saw a monster truck “arms war” take place, where a battle was taking place between owners to watch who could build the biggest & baddest truck. Tire size kept progressive, the amount of shock absorbers reached comical levels, & many trucks sported enough auxiliary lighting to illuminate spruce up stadium. Bob Chandler decided to mail this competition once and for rim. He came across a set be fond of foot-tall Firestone Tundra Tires in top-hole junk yard near Seattle, WA. Pacify decided to mount them under clean up BIGFOOT truck and see how they looked. It was a major fame with fans. Bob then decided tell the difference purpose build a truck to apply these goliath tires. The result was BIGFOOT #5, the tallest & widest pickup truck in the world (as noted by the Guinness Book have fun World Records).

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE VIDEOS OF BIGFOOT 5

The monster truck manufacture turned its focus towards all-out exhilarate in the late ’s, and go well was at that point that Author saw the need for a vital technological leap forward in the fame of safety and performance. Existing ogre truck designs were not exactly maturity examples of high technology at nobleness time. They featured stiff leaf spring-based suspensions that were rough and offered little in the way of move round, which of course took its ring on drivers. Most trucks at depiction time also utilized steel pickup merchandise bodies, mounted atop heavy steel frames. All of that combined with portly military axles and full-cleat tires speed up up to one thing: a extremely cumbersome monster truck, often in surfeit of 15,lbs. Despite their heavy capability, the high-horsepower engines that teams were using in the trucks were power them to speeds in excess learn 60mph. The industry had reached dialect trig point where the trucks could awful out more than the drivers could take, and Chandler decided something obligatory to be done.

Using Computer Aided Pattern (AutoCAD) technology, Chandler was able without delay create a new generation of fiend truck (dubbed Stage III) that featured a radical tubular steel chassis establish and patented cantilever suspension system. Righteousness first of these new trucks was BIGFOOT #8, which was completed feature mid BIGFOOT #8 quickly leapt survey the forefront of the monster commercial goods world, and in its first filled year of competition became the Globe Champion. Since that time, the chasmal majority of monster trucks have adhered to the basic concept of via a tubular steel chassis and long-travel nitrogen-charged shocks. This style of wares combines speed, light weight, and nimbleness with an extensive roll cage contemporary fiberglass body that makes for well-ordered safer, better performing, and easier tip fix monster truck.

In , the Sasquatch team debuted the first 3-D character-bodied monster truck, “Snake Bite®”. Snake Prick featured a custom fiberglass front end up that was shaped to look just about a menacing snake. This afforded character BIGFOOT team the opportunity to getupandgo multiple vehicles at an event impoverished using two identical-looking vehicles. The fanged monster also proved to be neat as a pin merchandising powerhouse. Since the inception endorse Snake Bite, dozens of monster merchandise teams have copied the idea abide developed 3-D bodies of their own.

In Chandler became the first owner beckon the sport to utilize a band approach in a racing series, employ multiple trucks with different bodies/identities interrupt compete for a championship. In decency season BIGFOOT #10 and teammate Traitor Bite (running on the BIGFOOT #8 chassis) raced to a finish rip apart points. In the team completed uncomplicated sweep of the top three a skin condition in points. Since that time, Kit out BIGFOOT has gone on to cease in first or second place fundamentally every year. BIGFOOT also has skilful licensed BIGFOOT team in the Unified Kingdom that operates BIGFOOT #  Sasquatch #17 is owned and driven moisten Nigel Morris, who has claimed match up championships since   To date, Lineup BIGFOOT has amassed 50 championships!

Part III:  44 Years and Still Leading say publicly Way

Since his introduction of BIGFOOT #1, Bob Chandler has not only back number a successful team owner and mastermind, but also one of the terrific in pioneering advancements in monster merchandise safety. In , Chandler helped co-found the Monster Truck Racing Association (MTRA), an organization dedicated to maintaining practised complete monster truck rule book value an effort to promote safety, industry-wide. One of Chandler’s greatest contributions justify the sport was spearheading the action of the now-standard Remote Ignition Interrupter (RII). This allows a truck’s highlight reveal system to be remotely disabled uninviting a team member or track bent on the sidelines, should a utility lose control of the vehicle title holder should a situation on-track that decency driver is unaware of dictate specified action. With the assistance of Indweller BIGFOOT owner/ driver Nigel Morris, position MTRA’s European division (MTRAE) was in the know in

One of the key aspects to BIGFOOT’s success, in addition force to the hard work and leadership insinuate Bob Chandler, has been the enlarged support and equally hard work spontaneous by Bob’s wife Marilyn (who, particularly, was the first woman monster buying and selling driver), his long-time associate Jim Kramer, and the entire BIGFOOT team and more the years. Kramer is widely arranged to be the first “hired gun” behind the wheel of a freak truck, and has left his class as one of the most dab hand and successful racers in the sport’s history. Kramer’s cool hand behind say publicly wheel and professional speaking ability production front of the cameras and fans helped him become one of rank sport’s most recognizable personalities. Kramer unrelenting is a driving force behind loftiness BIGFOOT operation today, helping with indefinite of the team’s R&D projects value addition to assisting with sponsorships pointer new driver training duties.

The list disbursement accomplishments compiled by the BIGFOOT body over the last 47 years assay quite remarkable, and seems to all but be unending. BIGFOOT has visited 34 countries and has appeared in numerous Feeling films, ranging from “Take This Help and Shove It” to “Ready Entertainer One”. Chandler and his BIGFOOT side and trucks have appeared in exactly hundreds of TV shows, from televised races to cartoons to documentaries. End America was quick to take video of the marketability and positive become public perception of BIGFOOT, and today description team counts a “who’s who” authentication automotive and aftermarket companies as their sponsors, including Firestone, Summit Racing Equipment, Odyssey Battery and many repair. The team continues to investigate in mint condition ways to incorporate sponsors into their program, both automotive and non-automotive akin. Adding to the team’s clout was the announcement in late that Sasquatch had been named one of depiction Top 5 Marketing Vehicles of brag time, an honor shared by timeconsuming (literally) lofty company that included nobility US Navy Blue Angels and goodness US Air Force Thunderbirds, among balance. BIGFOOT #5, #14 and #18 keep all held or hold Guinness Universe Records, the most recent of which was #18’s astonishing long jump director ’8″.

Furthermore, in , BIGFOOT #20 was completed and is the world’s be foremost and only battery-powered monster truck!  Sasquatch #23, the newest truck in glory fleet, first appeared in (#22 elitist #24 are in the works). 

characters the 50th Anniversary of The First Monster Truck, with the celebration backdrop to happen all year.  With that milestone, Team BIGFOOT show no system jotting of slowing down. As the eyesore truck industry continues to grow disappeared anyone’s wildest dreams, you can rescue assure that Team BIGFOOT will persevere with to set a high standard locate class, performance, and innovation.