Mahon: We have the best safety technology. What the show lacked in fancy tricks, it made up for with mud.
#Monster truck female drivers drivers
Due to a lack of traction on the track, the drivers couldn't perform a lot of their signature maneuvers like full backflips and riding on two wheels. Narrator: On a rainy night at MetLife Stadium these trucks were put to the test. They're 100% like engineered fighter jet airplanes. Meents: They maneuver around the stadium at amazing speed and can fly over 40 feet in the air. And, you know, it's just so cool to drive such a big beast of a truck. They're massive! They're like the biggest tires on any vehicle around. Mahon: Our trucks are 12-foot tall, they're about 12-foot wide and they weigh anywhere from 10 to 12 thousand pounds, 1,500 horsepower. Narrator: According to Monster Jam, each truck costs around $250,000 to build. Meents: They have a place like Monster Jam University where they can perfect their craft, get better when they're out there, and then they can bring their epic performances to the track. Narrator: The drivers get to hone their skills at Monster Jam University, a facility in Paxton, Illinois that's operated by Tom Meents. Competitive, tough, and never wants to give up on training. You could tell there was something special about her. Meents: The women in our sport, they've proven they're just as good as the men. Mahon: Honestly, it's an adrenaline rush that I just don't even think you can explain until you're in it.
Tom Meents: Seeing men in the sport is, it's cool, but when you have a lady that rocks the house, that's epic. Narrator: Of the 83 active Monster Jam drivers, only 14 are female. Like, 'You don't look like a Monster Jam driver.' Mahon: When I get new clients, I tell them and they're just floored. Today, she owns a hair salon in Illinois. Narrator: But Mahon wasn't done with her career in the beauty industry. So I spent all of 2014 training and driving a truck and learning about Monster Jam. Mahon: In 2014, I was sitting in cosmetology school and kinda got a phone call from Tom Meents himself and he had heard about my background and thought I'd be a great candidate to try out. Narrator: An injury to one of her hands brought Mahon's motocross career to an end. And, I mean I remember sitting on a line and the guy next to me, his dad would hit him in the back of the shoulder and say, 'You better take that girl out. They felt that we were a threat because we were faster than them.
We were in a male-dominated sport and the men didn't really want us there. Mahon: I was born into the fast lane and I never left. Narrator: Brianna Mahon's need for speed evolved on the motocross track. Mahon: I'm out here in a male world, you know, dominating for the females, and to have a truck that stands out so brightly against everybody else's, it's such an honor. Narrator: Brianna Mahon may not look like your typical Monster Jam driver, but she definitely drives like one.
#Monster truck female drivers driver
One of the sport's rising stars is probably not who you'd imagine would behind the wheel of a monster truck.īrianna Mahon: My name is Brianna Mahon, I'm the driver of the brand new Whiplash Monster Jam truck. These drivers put their lives on the line every time they suit up, but thanks to extreme safety precautions, they often walk away unscathed after even the most intense accidents. Narrator: This is Monster Jam, the monster truck spectacular that electrifies audiences in stadiums and arenas around the world.
We talked to Mahon to tell her story and she revealed what it takes to be a monster truck driver. Soon, Mahon found herself under the bright lights of stadiums full of cheering fans. While in cosmetology school, Mahon got a call from Monster Jam driver and instructor Tom Meents, who offered her a chance to try out for the company. One of the few female drivers on the Monster Jam circuit, Mahon began her motorsports career as a motocross racer, but a hand injury sidelined her dreams of glory in that sport. On a recent show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., we spoke with rising Monster Jam star Brianna Mahon. We went behind the scenes of Monster Jam, the monster truck spectacular that performs in stadiums and arenas around the world.
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