ESTEVAN - David Alexander said it was "awesome" to be able to perform in front of fans in what is essentially his hometown.
The Bienfait-area resident was one of three entrants in the mega trucks competition that was part of Monster Mania at the Estevan Motor Speedway on Aug. 16 and 17. While a lot of fans were at the event to watch five monster trucks perform, there was also a hearty contingent of people present to root for Alexander, who piloted a rock-bouncer truck that he calls Screamin' 2.0.
Alexander pointed out there are differences between a rock bouncer and a mega truck.
"Mega trucks are fairly tall, and they have ag. tires on," said Alexander. "Mine is built for climbing hills, so it's got to be low to the ground, nice and wide."
He also has his "truggy", which is half truck and half buggy named Pure Screaming Hell. It did not compete at the speedway.
Alexander said his introduction to these unique vehicles came through his son Craig, who had a small truck that he built and drove around the coal mining spill piles east of Estevan.
"I went out with him one day and got hooked, and it just evolved from there," said Alexander.
The elder Alexander finished his truck in 2018.
Monster Mania marked the first time he has competed in Estevan, but not his first time in an event. He goes to the Filthy Redneck Country Club competition at a mud park in Waldron; mega trucks, quads and side-by-sides are also part of the event. They have many of the same competitions as what fans were treated to in Estevan, with a J-race using ramps and a freestyle event with lots of table-top or gap jumps.
Driving his trucks provides an adrenaline rush, Alexander said. And he enjoys trying to get as much air as possible and then landing on the ramp.
"I don't have the suspension like those monster trucks have, so I can't fly as high as they can and then land on the flat [ground]. I try to get as much air as I can, but I need a ramp to land on. And that's what Estevan tried to do for us."
During the show in Estevan, Alexander performed donuts and jumps like the monster trucks, and even raced one of the towering vehicles. In the freestyle portion of the event, he suffered a broken axle on Screamin' 2.0, and his front power steering belt started coming off. He also had to fix a pin hole in a radiator hose using a zip tie.
But he was happy with how he did during Monster Mania.
"When you're in the truck, driving around, trying to hit all of the jumps that you possibly can, it feels pretty good. Then when you watch the video, it looks like I could have possibly done more," he said.
