There are few events on the planet that compare to the earth-shattering roar and full-on devastation of a monster truck rally.
This sport of giant, high-flying, car-smashing super trucks sprung up in rural parts of America over three decades ago, and has gradually become one of the largest touring stadium events in the country.
Monster Jam, the largest of the monster truck event organizations, added El Diablo–a truck that, if viewed overhead is designed to look like a giant devil’s face–and the bull horn-sporting “El Toro Loco,” both of which are designed to reach out to the monster trucks’ Latino fan base.
At the recently sold out Monster Jam event held at Oakland’s Coliseum on Feb. 22, El Diablo driver JP discussed his thoughts on the growing Latino fan base and the surprisingly friendly nature of the sport.
El Diablo, which was named in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, is one of the newest trucks on the Monster Jam roster.
“Last year, there was a vote on the name of the new truck that was coming out, so the fans chose El Diablo,” said JP. “What mine (and) El Diablo’s job is, is to bring in the Spanish-speaking community to what Monster Jam does.”
And it seems that this type of outreach to the Latino monster truck community is working. During a race between the trucks “Captain USA” and “El Toro Loco,” the announcer asked the crowd: “Who do you want to win, Team America or Team Mexico?” When it came time for those in the crowd who were supporting Team Mexico to cheer, the sound of applause filled the coliseum with every bit of the veracity of what Team America had just received.
“I’ve been into monster trucks since I was a little kid, so I’m still a loyal fan of Grave Digger, but my two little boys like El Diablo,” said monster truck fan Andre Cruz, speaking on the growing popularity of El Diablo and El Toro Loco. “Unlike a lot of other motor sports, there really isn’t a sense of rivalry between trucks and their fans. It just seems like everyone is just here to have a good time.”
For a sport that is defined by testosterone-fueled super trucks that boast a deafening 1500 horsepower, it was surprisingly refreshing to find a general sense of good-natured competition both within the crowd and among the drivers.
“When I have something go wrong, other (drivers and their mechanics) will come help me. If something is going wrong with another truck, as long as I’m not driving, I’ll run over and help anyway I can,” said Captain’s Curse driver Alex Blackwell. “You never want to see someone not make a show.”