Charlie Pauken, aka Grave Digger, guides his Monster Truck around a course.
Charlie Pauken drives a giant truck worth a quarter of a million dollars for a living. He'll be in New Zealand this weekend for the live Monster Jam event.
This is the first time we've experienced Monster Jam live in New Zealand. What are we in for?
I'm really looking forward to experiencing Monster Jam in New Zealand for the first time. Whenever you go to a place for the first time it's like a magical experience. The fans have
seen us on TV and know what to expect and are thrilled to meet us and experience it live for themselves.
What does the show involve?
The show is like a motorsports show on steroids with 10,000-pound monster trucks with 1500 hp alcohol burning power plants. There is nothing cooler than seeing what a driver can do with their truck which includes big air, cyclone donuts, slap wheelies, saves and more.
Is it a competition? Are you competing when you're out there? Or is everything scripted and rehearsed?
The two main events include racing and freestyle. It's a true competition with elimination style racing and nobody likes to lose. Freestyle is the element that I love the best. It's just that, you get to take a 10,000-pound vehicle out and do whatever you want for crowd applause. I call make it dance. Taking the truck to the ragged edge and saving it is awesome, but it doesn't always end how you want and carnage sometimes prevails. Either way the fans love it.
Everyone's seen footage of the things you guys can do in these giant trucks - so is it as dangerous a sport as it looks?
It can be dangerous. However with all the safety guidelines we follow it is one of the safest motor sports. For example, the trucks are equipped with a remote ignition interrupter. This enables a marshal to shut off the truck remotely if there is any sort of vehicle or driver safety concern. I wear a helmet, neck restraint and a fire suit, and a vehicle made to drive through a brick wall.
How much are these monster trucks worth?
Monster jam trucks cost about US$250,000. Luckily Grave Digger is supported by all of our fans. Our great fans are the ones that drives us and I will expect to see them with banners in hand in full force come show time.
Should you really call yourself 'Gravedigger' if you're involved in a sport like this? How did you get that nickname?
The Gravedigger name came about from the originator Dennis Anderson in his mud bog days. His friends were messing with him and he told them he would take this old mud truck and dig their grave with it. Hence, bury the competition.
How do you wind up doing this for a living?
Growing up in a little town in Maumee Ohio, starting out on mini bikes and go carts, I never imagined myself driving one of the most popular monster trucks as a career. I still can't believe I'm doing this, meeting great fans around the world for more than 27 years. I love my job! To put a smile on a kids face to me is priceless.
