Monster Jam mashes Melbourne

The Monster Jam monster truck tour continues to roar around the country, with the stars of the American monster truck scene demolishing Melbourne's AAMI Park stadium on Saturday, October 10.

Thousands turned out in the Victorian capital to witness the trucks in all their ear-splitting fury, with the evening show's action drawing to a close just as a spectacular electrical storm swept over the city.

The Australian Monster Jam tour kicked off with a thundering start at Brisbane's QSAC stadium on Saturday, October 3, and after playing to packed crowds in Melbourne last weekend the tour now turns its attention to the remaining fixtures in Sydney (October 17) and Perth (October 24).

Monster Jam first made its way Down Under last year, and now its five-tonne, mud-slinging mechanical marvels are back to build on that immediate success.

These trucks stand 3.5 metres tall and their high-octane engines can produce up to an incredible 1500 horsepower, which all add up to an unforgettable spectacle when they battle it out at some of Australia's top stadiums. Able to jump to heights of around 12 metres and accelerate from 0-100km/h in under three seconds, these awe-inspiring vehicles simply have to be seen to be believed!

Organisers say they're expecting the tour to play to over 160,000 fans around the country, with a stellar line-up of 12 Monster Jam trucks and their teams making the long trek from the USA.

This year will see Freestyle and Racing events backed up by a tyre-frying Donut competition and a Sky Wheelie contest. Throw in all the pyrotechnics, the car-crushing antics, and the ear-splitting roar of the trucks themselves, and Monster Jam delivers its own unique adrenalin-charged thrills.

The Monster Jam tour sees some of Australia's best sports stadiums transformed with 3000 cubic metres of dirt, as a specialist construction team works for 24 hours to create a stunning arena of jumps and obstacles to test the Jammers' skill and courage.

This year's line-up of talent includes Adam Anderson in Grave Digger and his brother Ryan in Son Uva Digger, plus Marc McDonald in El Toro Loco and current Racing World Champion and 2014 Freestyle World Champion, Todd Leduc, in Metal Mulisha.

Former motocross ace Damon Bradshaw will be back behind the wheel of Monster Energy, while Scott Buetow will make his Aussie debut in Team Hot Wheels Firestorm. Then there's Neil Elliot in Max DSM, Bari Musawwir in Zombie, Lee O'Donnell in Zombie Hunter and newcomer Scott Liddycoat in Dragon SM.

It's not all about the boys, either, as this year will see female drivers Candice Jolly giving it her all in Monster Mutt Dalmatian and WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Madusa revving up crowds in her truck of the same name.

In Brisbane Todd Le Duc (Metal Mulisha) won the Freestyle and Donut competitions, while Adam Anderson (Grave Digger) took out the Racing category and Candice Jolly (Monster Mutt Dalmatian) triumphed in Sky Wheelies.

The 2pm Melbourne show saw Damon Bradshaw (Monster Energy) win Racing, with Scott Buetow (Team Hot Wheels Firestorm) on top in Freestyle, Bari Musawwir (Zombie) in Sky Wheelies, and Ryan Anderson (Son Uva Digger) in Donuts.

The 7pm show then saw Adam Anderson (Grave Digger) take out Racing, while sibling Ryan Anderson (Son Uva Digger) took out Freestyle, Marc McDonald (El Toro Loco) won Sky Wheelies and Lee O'Donnell (Zombie Hunter) won the Donuts category.

Click here for a full rundown of all the Melbourne action.

The building storm was the perfect backdrop to all the action in Melbourne, with Madusa's double backflip (pictured) one of many highlights.

Tickets are priced from $25 for kids and from $40 for adults, and are available through Ticketek (www.ticketek.com.au/monsterjam or call 132 849) for the Sydney show and Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com.au/monsterjam or call 136 100) for the Perth shows.

The Sydney show and the 2pm Perth show are preceded by a 'Party in the Pits', where an extra $15 gives you the chance to meet the drivers and get up close with their incredible machines.

Remaining Monster Jam fixtures are as follows:

Saturday, October 17, Sydney – ANZ Stadium, 7pm**
Saturday, October 24, Perth – Domain Stadium, 2pm** and 7:30pm

For more information on all things Monster Jam, head to www.monsterjamonline.com.au.