Sparkle Smash, El Toro Loco and Grave Digger Monster Jamming their way to Edmonton
Edmonton better be ready to rumble because some extreme heavyweights are getting ready to hit the dirt at Rogers Place on the weekend.
Monster Jam is returning to Edmonton and the drivers are excited to show off their skills, including Kayla Blood, the driver of Sparkle Smash.
“I’ve been driving sparkle smash for about a month and a half now,” said Blood. “She debuted at the world finals, I got to do my first stunt in Sparkle Smash, we ripped through a wall of cars, so that was pretty cool.”
Monster Jam is a competition of speed and skill on the part of the drivers, with competitions ranging from timed laps, to races and freestyle tricks and stunts.
The trucks themselves are massive, being around 3.2 metres tall and weighing around 4,500 kg to 5,440 kg and having 1,500 horsepower engines.
Blood is proud to be a woman in a male-dominated sport.
“I cannot tell you how great of an experience it has been,” Blood said. “I’ve driven El Toro Loco, I’ve driven Soldier Fortune and now to be the face of Sparkle Smash. It’s pretty awesome.”
She started out doing ATV Motocross during the intermission at Monster Jam and was given the chance to test in a monster truck.
“Sparkle Smash is a fierce unicorn and I’m a fierce driver,” Blood said. “I’m an aggressive driver, but a lot of people that meet me face to face don’t automatically assume that I might be a monster truck driver.
“When the helmet goes on and I get on the track, I’m absolutely just out there beating the boys and showing them that we (Blood and Sparkle Smash) belong in a male-dominated sport.”
Monster Jam driver Kayla Blood sitting in Sparkle Smash. (Matt Marshall/CTV News Edmonton)
Sparkle Smash is one of the first female-coded Monster Jam trucks to debut, according to Blood.
Driving in Monster Jam is an all-year job, with several tours in stadiums and arenas all over the world.
Blood enjoys getting to travel and experience different cultures and food from all the countries she competes in.
“My favourite part about driving monster trucks is there’s always something different,” Blood added. “Every track is different, the fans are different, you’re meeting people all over the world.
“Some of these fans that you’re meeting have followed you for so long on social media and have supported you and to be able to meet them face to face and talk to them, it’s just an awesome moment.”
The current driver of El Toro Loco, Fernando Martinez, is one of the other seven drivers competing in Edmonton this weekend.
He’s been working in the industry for years, but this is his first year as a driver.
“I’ve been a fan all my life, I watched it with my family growing up,” Martinez said. “Once I turned 18, I got anywhere I could in the business trying to figure out who I needed to talk to to be a driver, because that’s what I wanted it to be.
“It took a while, I’m 26 now, but I kept my head to the grindstone and I made it. It’s surreal.”
Martinez has only driven in arena competitions, like Rogers Place, and is counting on that experience this weekend. He’s most looking forward to the time racing competition.
Arena driving is more difficult than stadium driving, since it’s a smaller, more confined space, according to Blood. Drivers need to be more controlled, but still need to put on a good show for the crowd.
“You also want to get the crowd out of their seats and give them something to cheer about, be excited about,” Blood said.
“That’s a lot of work inside these tight, confined areas. It is a lot of pressure, more so in an arena than in a stadium.”
Monster Jam 2024 runs July 13 and 14. Tickets and information are available online.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Matt Woodman
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