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Ford
Motor Company teamed up with Live Nation to create a monster truck that would
highlight its "Ford Tough" campaign. The body style would be based on the F
series Ford pickup with the body style being changed with each model year.
Patrick Chassis was chosen to construct the chassis for Blue Thunder. The drive
line consists of a Merlin 540ci blown & injected engine with a Dedenbear two
speed automatic transmission. The tires on Blue Thunder are 66" Goodyear Terra
Tires. Construction of two trucks with the "Blue Thunder" name were completed.
The debut of Blue Thunder was January 6, 2001 at the Houston Astrodome in
Houston, Texas. Since its debut, it has placed in the finals every year. It
performs at more than 20 events per year and is displayed at various promotional
events. It also has been licensed for various toys and an upcoming video game.
Blue Thunder Drivers
Dan Evans
Lyle Hancock
Norm Miller
Bobby Zoellner
George Balhan
Tony Farrell
Linsey Weenk
When the Blue Thunder debuted in 2001, Lyle Hancock was the primary driver.
Through the years, Norm Miller, Bobby Zoellner, George Balhan and Tony Farrell
have also been drivers. In July 2007, it was announced that Linsey Weenk of CSK
Motorsports joined Live Nation Motorsports to drive Blue Thunder. He debuted at
Monsters on Mainstreet in Kankakee, IL Speedway.
There was also an earlier monster truck under the same name campaigned by
Kevin Dabney and Kirk Dabney which had a Camaro body and raced in the 1980s [5].
The two vehicles are unrelated although the name of the current truck may have
been derived from the earlier vehicle.
PRESS RELEASE Linsey Weenk to Make Blue Thunder Debut at
Monsters on Mainstreet
Source: Monster Jam Media
Weenk Joins Farrell on the Built Ford Tough Truck Team
AURORA, Ill. (July 21, 2007) – Monster Jam® announced today
that Linsey Weenk, a seasoned veteran of the Monster Jam tour, will make his
debut performance this Saturday at Kankakee Motor Speedway in the Built Ford
Tough Blue Thunder® monster truck to kick off the second-annual Monsters on
Mainstreet season long promotion brought to you by Ford Trucks and Monster Jam.
The 28-year-old Weenk, who made his Monster Jam World Finals debut last year
at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium, has been racing monster trucks for the past
seven years. After a breakout 2007 season with 21-consecutive race wins and six
major stadium victories, Weenk qualified for the Monster Jam World Finals and
finished in third place during the Monster Jam freestyle competition.
“I had a great year, and my hard work and dedication has paid off,” said
Weenk. “Driving Ford’s Blue Thunder is a great opportunity for me. I am looking
forward to a big win this weekend for the Ford team.”
“Linsey brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Blue Thunder
team,” said Bill Easterly, senior director of operations for Live Nation Motor
Sports. “We are excited for his debut on such a special weekend for Ford Trucks
as the second-annual Monsters on Mainstreet event takes place at Kankakee Motor
Speedway.”
Weenk joins long-time Blue Thunder driver Tony Farrell on the Built Ford
Tough Truck team.
“We are excited to welcome Linsey to the Blue Thunder team,” said Todd
Eckert, Ford Truck & SUV Communications Manager, “He brings a wealth of
experience and strong performance to the team. We look forward to Linsey being
an outstanding representative, along with Tony (Farrell), of the Built Ford
Tough brand”.
 External Links
Blue Thunder on Monster Jam
Blue Thunder
from Wikipedia |
