Kamaikaze Jet Powered 4-Wheeler Ignites Show in Monster Truck Action

The Monster Jam Summer Heat Series in Hagerstown, Maryland was filled with Monster Truck action. Trey Meyers in the Iron Warrior, Michael Vaters in Black Stallion, Randy Brown in Grave Digger, Chad Fortune in Superman, Chris Baker in El Toro and Scott Hartsock in Gun Slinger went out in full force at Hagerstown Speedway.

Iron Warrior powered through the slick track at Hagerston Speedway after stormy weather hit the Maryland area
Iron Warrior powered through the slick track at Hagerston Speedway after stormy weather hit the Maryland area

Black Stallion monster truck weighs about 10,000 pounds but still jumps high in front of a packed stadium
Black Stallion monster truck weighs about 10,000 pounds but still jumps high in front of a packed stadium
It rained all day on the clay oval track and stopped just in time for the gates to open. “The fans just poured into the stands,” said Vaters. “They didn’t care about the wet conditions. They wanted to see monster truck competition.”
Fans waited in long lines to get autographs from their favorite monster truck drivers
Fans waited in long lines to get autographs from their favorite monster truck drivers

Kamikaze jet powered 4-wheeler ignites the crowd at monster truck show in Hagerstown, Maryland
Kamikaze jet powered 4-wheeler ignites the crowd at monster truck show in Hagerstown, Maryland

The rain made the track greasy and added a challenging element to monster truck racing. “The lane on the grand stand side was slick,” said Vaters. “Any driver who was unfortunate enough to get in that lane had problems. The pit side race lane was better because it was gravel and had something for the monster trucks to bite into.”

Racing wins determined the lanes drivers were given. Vaters alternated between good and bad lanes. In round one, Vaters defeated Superman by driving the K&N Ford Powered Black Stallion. In the semi-finals, Grave Digger defeated Vaters. Just before the freestyle the rain started again. “It made the competition more interesting as the 10,000 pound monster trucks ice skated on the greasy clay surface,” said Vaters. “There was a lot of speed and even more sliding.” Despite the hurdles, Vaters managed to take 3rd in freestyle.

The next day the weather cooperated and racing was fast and competitive as the drivers faced off against each other. “The trucks were getting major air,” said Vaters. “I defeated Superman then El Toro Loco in the K&N Ford Powered Black Stallion, but Grave Digger ultimately took the win.”

The monster trucks ran hard all weekend and the abuse came back to the pits. Grave Digger broke an axel during an exhibition and Iron Warrior lost a transmission. The K&N Ford Powered Black Stallion plowed through the competing monster trucks and worked its way into the racing finals only to be defeated by Superman.

Vaters also brought his Kamikaze jet powered 4-wheeler and roared around the track with a flame show. "The crowd loved the noise and I could see their faces as I drove by," he said.

Black Stallion and Iron Warrior depend on K&N air filters and oil filters. “There is no wear pattern on our engines with K&N,” said Vaters. “K&N catches all the dirt under our extreme Monster truck conditions. The K&N oil filter is easy to take off and works well even though it gets banged up every time we take it on the course

Vaters Monster Motorsports will next put on a thrill show for the Washington County Maryland Agriculture Expo and Fair.

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