Just one week into the 2016 Monster Jam FS1 Championship Series and the storylines are already growing in the hunt for the title and a guaranteed spot into the Monster Jam World Finals. 16 trucks did battle on the floor of the Georgia Dome and two drivers currently sit atop of the series standings after leaving Atlanta.
Following a break out season last year Dustin Brown has his sites set on the championship and showed just that in Atlanta on Saturday night. While the likes of Adam Anderson, Tom Meents, or Damon Bradshaw might’ve been the odds on favorites to win the racing bracket, it was Brown and the Monster Mutt Junkyard Dog putting down strong passes all night long en route to the finals. Brown’s 24.519 second qualifying pass was good enough for third place and he would continue to turn in consistent 24 second passes throughout the night. The final round was a spectacular race between Brown and Meents, but it would be the Junkyard Dog nosing out Max-D for the victory while Meents would roll into the wall protection at the end of the track. It was by far the most spectacular race of the night and the closest finish with the two separated by just .165 seconds.
Brown looked to take the Double Down trophy and sole possession of first place in the points standings following his racing win with a strong freestyle. He would start off well with some big hits early in his run, but a lull in the middle would hurt his chances. To cap off the run in spectacular fashion Brown attempted a backflip, but the truck twisted mid rotation and sent it off axis and into the wall protection ending his run. A solid performance but just wasn’t enough for the lead or the victory as Brown finished 7th with a score of 31. Once again though Brown has opened up the FS1 Championship Series with big wins two years in a row. Now the question is can he deliver more wins throughout the season to take the top spot?
The other man at the top of the points standings is Adam Anderson, however his night wasn’t exactly what he was hoping for. After clipping a turning car in the first turn during qualifying, Anderson and Grave Digger were out of contention for the racing bracket and relegated to the donut contest. That contest didn’t fare much better for Anderson as he found himself on his lid with only a score of 20 which wasn’t nearly enough for the win. A frustrated Anderson knew he needed a strong freestyle and as the last driver out he was able to study what the competition before him had done. On a track where many seemed hesitant to go big and not break early, Anderson knew he needed a complete run but still had to take some chances. He put together a good run with some big air hits and a couple saves in regulation time. Not long after bonus time began a bad bounce put him on his roof for the second time of the night ending his run. Anderson’s efforts would be just enough though to eke out the victory over Damon Bradshaw by just one point. While Anderson might’ve been disappointed with result despite bringing home the freestyle trophy, he did score two valuable points on the FS1 Championship Series which could prove to be a difference maker later in the season.
Speaking of Damon Bradshaw, it was another great performance by the Beast From the East as he and Monster Energy were on the verge of scoring points in every competition. Bradshaw put up a second fastest qualifying time, just missing the point there. He would follow that up with a semi-finals appearance where he lost to eventual winner Dustin Brown. As for freestyle, Bradshaw was on pace for the win with a fast paced, high flying freestyle with one of the strongest regulation time performances all night. However just ten seconds into bonus time, Bradshaw’s shifter broke on Monster Energy and ending their efforts before bonus time was up. Despite not earning a point in Atlanta, Bradshaw has to be one of the favorites heading to Tampa this weekend.
#monsterjam #MonsterEnergy pic.twitter.com/hw9BuhtnjH
— Scott Baer (@hrbaer) January 10, 2016
For Tom Meents and Max-D the night got off to a great start as they collected one point early with the fastest qualifying time. Meents would work his way through the bracket with wins against tough competition in Linsey Weenk and Steven Sims Jr. before his eventual loss to Brown in the finals. The spectacular crash after the finish line kept crew chief Josh Dyche busy but they were able to get Max-D back for freestyle. Unfortunately for them their run was short lived after a broken shock cut Meents’ run short well before regulation time was done. While a disappointing night in Meents’ eyes he did pick up a point and looked very strong in racing. It could be interesting to see how Meents responds in Tampa.
Much like Adam Anderson, Mike Vaters II had a tough start to his night but would finish up strong. Vaters and Overkill Evolution clipped a turning car at the final turn and put themselves on their roof in qualifying. The crew thrashed to get the truck back in action but just missed out on making the donut competition. However the truck was running strong in freestyle and Vaters delivered a great run with momentum rivaling that of Bradshaw. It was an impressive display and Vaters nearly pulled off a victory with a score of 36 which was good enough for third place. Had he been able to go deeper into bonus time he may have been able to take the top spot.
Pirate’s Curse is Steven Sims’ new ride on the FS1 Championship Series in 2015
Steven Sims Jr. had a strong debut in the all new Pirate’s Curse machine in Atlanta. After working out some steering problems in his first practice pass, Sims showed some speed with the second fastest practice pass Friday night just behind Adam Anderson. On Saturday he started off well with a 5th place qualifying pass. He would get a bye run in the first round after his dad and Stone Crusher had electrical issues and couldn’t make it to the line. A spin in the first turn would end Sims’ racing hopes against Meents in the semi-finals but he did show he has the pace to run with the top guns. In freestyle he put up a great effort early with some nice momentum and attacked every obstacle except the backflip ramp. Most importantly he finished his run and didn’t go too big too early. It was a good run to feel out an all new truck and still good enough for 6th place at the end of the night. As Sims gets more comfortable with his new ride we can expect bigger and better things to come this season.
Linsey Weenk would’ve loved a repeat of his trip to Atlanta last year where he took the Double Down trophy and the FS1 Championship Series lead. This year was much different as he left pointless as both his racing and freestyle efforts ended early. He and the Lucas Oil Crusader were looking good early in freestyle, but an early rollover knocked them out of the hunt quickly. While the truck came back onto all four’s, Weenk was unable to get the Crusader re-fired which had to be a massive disappointment. Look for Weenk to try and bounce back next week with better results in Tampa.
Other strong runners came from the likes of Steve Sims Sr, Bryan Wright, and Becky McDonough. Sims Sr. put up a 4th place qualifying time and was able to finish 5th in freestyle with the Stone Crusher. For Wright, he too made the racing bracket with the 7th place qualifying time and turned in a respectable freestyle for an 8th place finish in Hooked. The all new truck for McDonough looked good and she put it to work with a 6th fastest time in qualifying and a solid freestyle early in the order that some may argue was underscored by the judges. Regardless, she put together a good outing with the new El Toro Loco machine.
Last but not least, Jim Koehler and Avenger are no longer pointless! After making a statement last year with the “Rockin’ 0 points” graphic on the roof, Koehler was able to secure his first point on the FS1 Championship Series. The newly introduced donut competition which replaced last year’s obstacle course was right up Koehler’s alley as he spun his way to the win. Although he got a point Koehler would probably tell you he wasn’t satisfied with his night in Atlanta. A relatively early rollover in freestyle was a disappointing start to the year but there’s still eight more stops to make up ground and challenge for freestyle wins.
Be sure to catch the Monster Jam FS1 Championship Series all season long on FS1 starting next Sunday January 17th at 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT. We’re looking forward to seeing what happens next week for Round Two at Raymond James Stadium!
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Speak Your Mind