Monster Profile: Chris Bergeron

Chris Bergeron is best known for some of the most outrageous moves in the sport of monster truck racing. From the cartwheel flip earlier in 2006 at the Georgia Dome to the nosedive he had during World Finals 6 freestyle in Las Vegas, Bergeron has taken many a rough landing. He and teammate Jim Koehler (Avenger) are known for their wild style on the track, especially during freestyle. Bergeron was kind enough to take a few minutes with Josh Rhodes for an interview at the Indianapolis Jamboree.

Josh Rhodes – Where do you see yourself within the next 5 years? Still working for Jim Koehler?

Chris Bergeron – I actually don’t work for Jim. A lot of people think I work for him. I own my own truck, Brutus. Jim and I are actually partners. To answer the question though, hopefully I’m still racing monster trucks, maybe won a couple World Finals by then.

Bergeron rarely has a freestyle run on television that ends without some mayhem. He and teammate Jim Koehler’s personalities during interviews earned them the nickname “Team Scream.” (Photo By: Josh Rhodes)

JR – What do you have planned for next season? Do you plan on racing at the World Finals, if you’re invited?

CB – We hope to be at the world finals. If they invite us, we’ll definitely be there. We’re going to have a new truck next year; hopefully it will be there. We hope to have four trucks there, including a couple backups.

JR – What will be different about the new trucks compared to your current ones?

CB – It will have a totally different chassis. Wired cradle, kind of like the (Dan) Patrick trucks.

JR – Have you strengthened the knuckles on the new truck? You and Jim (Koehler, driver of Avenger) both seem to break them a lot.

CB- Yeah, we actually bought new knuckles at the beginning of the year, and haven’t had a wheel break off since. We didn’t have them on for the World Finals. They were done, but they weren’t on the truck at that point.

JR – How did you get your start in Monster Truck racing, for those fans that don’t know?

CB – I actually hooked up with Jim in mud racing. Jim and a bunch of his buddies were going to build a monster truck, and I built my mud car. We were going to run the Jamborees together. I mud raced, and he drove the monster truck. I eventually decided to build my own truck, and here I am.

Chris Bergeron debuting the 2nd dog body, Spike (Photo By: Josh Rhodes)

JR – Are most of the parts interchangeable between Avenger and Brutus?

CB – For the most part yeah, all the four-links are the same,drive shafts are the same, all the axle stuff is the same. I run a bigger cubic inch motor than Jim, and transmission though.

JR- Earlier this year, Scott Douglass began to call you and Jim “Team Scream.” Do you feel that name fits you guys?

CB- Oh yeah, definitely! Perfect fit. We’re hyper, we get crazy. We love doing this. The adrenaline takes over. It’s who we are.

Freestyle is a perfect fit for Chris Bergeron and Brutus, as seen here, as Bergeron leaps Brutus over a van stack.

JR – What do you prefer driving, The S-10 body (on Metallic Mayhem during Jamborees), or the Brutus 3-D body?

CB- I like Brutus. More fans know the Brutus, because its been on TV. Also, the Brutus body is me. That’s what I’ve always wanted. Thats why I built the dog truck. I was always the big dog in mud racing. I wanted to build a Big Dog truck, but as far as novelties, that would have been a conflict.

JR – How difficult is it to see out of the Brutus body?

CB – Once in awhile, when I’m staging. I pretty much tell all the guys at the drivers’ meeting, “You can’t see me, I can’t see you.” I close my eyes half the time anyway!

JR – Thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. It is greatly appreciated.

CB – Not a problem man. You’re welcome.

To find out more about Chris Bergeron, Brutus, Jim Koehler, Avenger, and more, visit www.avengerracing.com and www.brutusracing.com. We thank Chris Bergeron for his time.