Keep on truckin’: The dirt will fly as Monster Jam revs into Tingley Coliseum

Six-ton trucks will be revving, flipping and flying as Monster Jam comes to Tingley Coliseum on Friday, March 13, through Sunday, March 15.

The monster truck event that is all about the “skills and thrills,” said Tristan England, the Monster Jam driver behind the wheel of JCB DIGatron. 

“You never know what you’re going to get out of the Monster Jam experience, but you can guarantee that you’ll get all the action,” England said. 

England is a Monster Jam legacy, starting as part of the crew for his dad’s truck, the Big Kahuna. He and his dad, Shane England, shared a dream of participating in Monster Jam.

“I followed in his footsteps,” England said.

After helping his father build from the ground up, once he got old enough, he was invited to attend Monster Jam University and become a driver. 

England said what drew him and his father into the world of Monster Jam was that it was something they could do together. 

“It was actually just camaraderie together,” England said. “Something that we could strive for … it was just building something together.”

His dad not only influenced his Monster Jam career, but also the truck he drives, JCB DIGatron. 

The truck is inspired by J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited’s backhoe loader, created in 1945. He said the backhoe was one of the first pieces of farm equipment his dad taught him how to use. 

“Now, I drive a 12,000-pound beast of a backhoe,” England said. 

“This is just a dream come true,” England said. “It’s all falling into place.”

He said the first time he got behind the wheel, the adrenaline rush was through the roof. Ten years later, he still feels the adrenaline, but a lot of the moves are second nature, like riding a bike. 

“Once I get (the truck) stood up into the moonwalk position or in the wheelie, I typically engage with the fans,” England said. “I know exactly where I’m at on the dirt, so that way I can be safe inside the cab of that truck, but still be silly and goofy towards the crowd.”

He said he enjoys moves like taking his steering wheel out the truck’s window or listening to the crowd roar as he balances on the truck’s “nose.” He said he also enjoys making the truck wave. 

“We actually have a switch for hydraulics for the rear tires, so I can sit there and wave at you with the rear,” England said, “or if I’m standing on the rear tires, I can wave with the front.”

One of his favorite moves, he said, is the nose flick, which was inspired by his 6-year-old.  

“You take the Monster Jam truck, and you walk in on its front two BKT tires like a balancing act,” England said. “I’ll walk all the way up the ramp, and then right when I get it good and balanced (and) vertical, I’ll fling it from the front two tires to the rear into a wheelie.”

Over the last decade, he has worked on learning and implementing new moves, including a backflip into a moonwalk. During the move, the truck does a full backflip and, upon landing, immediately goes into reverse while trying to balance on the back tires, he said. 

“(Monster Jam’s) just evolved over the past 10 years, and luckily, my friends and I that started roughly 10 years ago, we’ve just been trying to push the envelope of the sport,” England said.

Monster Jam is as big as it gets, England said. 

“Every weekend is like a Super Bowl. We’re just having fun.”

Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow from the New Mexico Local News Fellowship program. You can reach her at esecor@abqjournal.com.