The 2014 4-Wheel Jamboree season was a special one for the XDP Monster Truck Team, with the 2013 4-Wheel Jamboree Freestyle Championship Title under his belt, our very own Dave Radzierez just had to continue pushing the limits. Thinking and dreaming about what can be done next; Dave and the XDP Monster Truck Team set out to achieve something that is only done by the most elite and daring drivers in the monster truck world, a backflip!
As any true performer would, Dave wanted to put on a show on the largest stages across the country. For him, this meant the 4-Wheel Jamboree Series with events in Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. Dave considers these his “World Finals” as each of these events brings in thousands of spectators that fill the grand stands for each and every Monster Truck Show throughout the weekend. Planned as the “Grand Finale”, the XDP Diesel Monster Truck was scheduled to make the backflip attempt each Sunday at the closing of the final Monster Truck show.
Let’s break it down flip-by-flip!
The first backflip took place on 5/18/14 in Lima, Ohio at the 29th Annual Spring 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals at the Allen County Fairgrounds. Without any prior attempts and being completely unsure of the outcome, Dave strapped in and was ready to go. With an excited crowd cheering him on and the rest of the team anxiously watching, Dave hit the jump AND MADE THE ROTATION!! He did it on the first attempt with no previous practice! It goes without saying that the crowd went wild, while Dave and the teamed basked in the glory of what they just achieved!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Mq-7lcjuU]
The second backflip took place on 6/22/14 in Springfield, MO at the 17th Annual Ozark 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals. Round 2 went much like the first, but with a faster approach Dave got a more complete rotation sparing the front end of any damage but taking a wheel off on the landing. Just minor carnage for such an awesome feat! Dave quickly backed the truck up, hopped out and got a well-deserved standing ovation from everyone in attendance! Thanks to The Monster Blog.com for the footage.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHySgB6O5oE]
By the third backflip, we knew what to expect since Dave and the Team had this elite stunt almost down to a science. Taking place at the 33rd Annual Fall 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals on 9/28/14 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The XDP Monster Truck completed its 3rd backflip. With a fast, full rotation, the truck quickly made the complete backflip and did it in style with plenty of air between the truck and the ground. On the landing, the rear wheel came off but that’s just small carnage for completing 3 backflips! [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkAqphFx_SA]
The only event not mentioned on the list above was the Summer 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals in Bloomsburg, PA. A hometown event for Dave and the Crew, he wanted to go “all-out” that weekend. Pushing the truck pretty hard early on caused a catastrophic engine failure that kept us sidelined for the final event. While Dave and the Crew were extremely upset over the ordeal, it matches the saying commonly used around here “that’s motorsports”. Things break, especially at this level of competition. The XDP Crew will surely be back next year and they’ll put on a great show for our Pennsylvania Fans.
There you have it! The play-by-play of the world’s ONLY Diesel Powered Monster Truck to complete 3 full 360-degree backflips! We’d like to congratulate Dave and the XDP Monster Truck Team on an incredible job this year.
We’ll end our 2014 wrap-up with some final words from Dave:
“While I’ve always pushed my limits, I never attempted anything like this before. With no previous practice, I was amazed that I knew exactly where I was and what was going on the entire time. I have to thank Michelle for all her support! Any doubts I had, Michelle (while nervous herself) encouraged me through them. Thanks to all of our Fans that came out to support us in 2014. We look forward to seeing everyone next year!”