Laugh at monster trucks all you want but they are some of today’s more incredible competition vehicles. The evidence to back that up is below in video form courtesy of Bigfoot 4×4, the epic enterprise that first launched the monster truck craze in the early 1980s. The trucks have advanced from lumbering giants capable of barely crawling over a stack of cars to tube framed mind benders that can leap and fly like trophy trucks on steroids. Monster trucks don’t crush cars as much any more as they do fly over them. And fly they can.
In this video you’ll see Dan Runte at the wheel of Bigfoot #18. He’s attempting to reset the world’s record for a monster truck jump which is something he has done a few times. Several years ago, he jumped a big plane and over time has cleared other obstacles as well. This time there were no obstacles other than physics. Runte made a test jump and then lined ‘er up for a big one. He hit the ramp at somewhere around 85mph and the truck lept skyward, landing more than 214ft later. That’s the vast majority of a football field, kids! The truly shocking thing is watching the in truck video of the landing. In the old days, drivers would get the snot beaten out of them by the trucks. This sucker lands with nary a heard twitch from Runte!
It takes some big stones to even attempt this. We would have been screaming like little girls mid-flight!
Press play to see the longest monster truck jump in world history!
Ah… I think they marked it about 2 feet long…just say’en…..
They must be NFL temp refs.
sounds like he kept the throttle flat while mid air – sounds like its valve bouncing
I think this one is more impressive. 202 feet 13 years ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vxv5j7PAk4&feature=player_embedded
@John, it may be to do with trying to keep the nose up. I have no idea if what happens at a small scale applies to the big scale but with my RC car keeping the throttle pinned lifts the nose. Not saying the two are anything alike but just a guess!