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Air Force's newest recruiting tool scores high marks
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AFTERBURNER
UPDATE - JAN. 15
In Afterburner's second event of 2006 (held at the
Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas), the USAF-sponsored
monster truck faced off against some of the biggest
names in monster truck racing, including Grave Digger,
Predator, Prowler, King Krunch, El Matador, Destroyer,
Taz, Eradicator and Backdraft.
Here are the results:
Monster Racing Competition -- Afterburner (and
driver Paul Cohen) crushed opponent after opponent,
making it to final race, where they took on Monster
Truck legend Dennis Anderson, behind the wheel of the
world-famous Grave Digger. When the dust
settled, Grave Digger was victorious, but Afterburner
put up a good fight.
Freestyle Competition -- Paul Cohen
(Afterburner) and Dennis Anderson (Grave Digger) met
again in the freestyle competition. This time,
Cohen buried the champ, scoring an impressive 28
points. Cohen brought the fans to their feet as
he rolled his truck at the end of his run. |
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The Air Force newest recruiting tool -- a
monster truck named "Afterburner" -- made its U.S. Hot Rod Association
Monster Jam debut Jan. 6 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
Afterburner -- a Chevy Suburban modeled after the F-22 Raptor -- is
driven by Paul Cohen, last year’s Monster Jam Driver of the Year.
The event kicked off with a wheelie competition. The first three
competitors -- Pit Bull, Excalibur and Sudden Impact -- posted scores of
10, 8, and 15 respectively. That's when Afterburner made its Monster Jam
debut, lighting up the arena with a massive 17 points. However,
Afterburner's lead was short lived. The last truck, Tasmanian
Devil, took top honors with a respectable 21 points. Although Taz
driver, Adam Anderson, is a rookie, his father is none other than
Dennis Anderson, creator and driver of Grave Digger, perhaps the most
popular monster truck on the track.
After the wheelie competition, Afterburner lit up the arena again
posting the fastest race qualifying time, while veteran trucks Sudden
Impact and Excalibur struggled with mechanical problems.
In the first race of Round One, Devastator advanced by beating the
rookie Pit Bull, while both Afterburner and Taz scored bye runs (because of
the mechanical problems of their opponents, Sudden Impact and
Excalibur).
In the semi-finals, Afterburner bested Pit Bull to advance to the
finals, where the Air Force's newest recruit faced off against Taz.
During the first lap of the race, the trucks remained even. In the final
turn, Taz struggled to make the turn, giving Afterburner and Paul Cohen
their first victory in 2006.
During the final event of the evening, the fan-favorite freestyle
competition, the first three trucks -- Pit Bull, Excalibur and
Devastator -- scored solid scores of 16, 21 and 25 respectively. Then it
was Afterburner's turn to thrill the crowd, and that's just what he did.
The Air Force-emblazoned monster truck went full throttle ending its run
with a perfect crowd-thrilling doughnut. His score of 29 was nearly
unbeatable. But in monster truck freestyle, it ain't over till it's
over, and the relentless Taz made a flawless, thrilling run that ended
with an amazing save. During his run, Taz' rookie driver was pulling a
doughnut when his rear truck tires dug in causing the truck to flip. In
monster truck freestyle, crowds loves crashes, and Taz pulled out of the
competition with 30 points, beating Afterburner by a single point.
To see a Monster Truck event in person, visit the USHRA Monster Jam Web
site at
http://www.ushra.com.
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