| Blue Thunder | |
|---|---|
| Blue Thunder at the 2007 Monster Jam in Stafford Springs, CT | |
| Owner and Driver Information | |
| Owner | Live Nation and Ford |
| Driver(s) | Todd Leduc |
| Home city | Detroit, MI |
| Truck Information | |
| Year created | c.a.2000 |
| Number built | Two |
| Body style | 2008 Ford F-350 Superduty |
| Chassis | Built by Patrick Chassis |
| Engine | 540 ci Merlin, Blown & Injected |
| Transmission | Dedenbear two speed automatic transmission |
| Tires | 66" Goodyear Terra Tires |
Blue Thunder was a monster truck that raced in the USHRA Monster Jam series. It was sponsored by the truck division of Ford Motor Company and Live Nation. The truck has several similarities with the monster truck Bigfoot. Some fans saw Blue Thunder as a replacement for Bigfoot in the Monster Jam series. The truck had been moderately successful and won several major events during its existence. However, it has not yet won a championship. Blue Thunder is used by Ford Motor Company for promotional purposes along with competition. The truck is currently driven by Todd Leduc.
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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 [1]. The drive line consists of a Merlin 540ci blown & injected engine with a Dedenbear two speed automatic transmission. This setup has caused some controversy, as Merlin engines are based on the Big Block Chevrolet. 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.[2] It also has been licensed for various toys and for two upcoming video games [3]
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. The current driver is Todd Leduc.[4]
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.
http://www.monsterjam.com/Bios/Trucks/Blue_Thunder/ http://www.monsterjam.com/Bios/Drivers/Tony_Farrell/ http://www.monsterjam.com/Bios/Drivers/Linsey_Weenk/ http://www.monsterjam.com/Bios/Drivers/Frank_Krmel,_Jr/