EXCLUSIVE: Tom Meents Excited for Maple Leaf Monster Jam at Rogers Centre

After missing the Rogers Centre stop on the Monster Jam tour for the past two years, Tom Meents is set to make his return to Toronto as the Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour kicks off on January 17th and 18th behind the wheel of his famous Maximum Destruction truck.

“Very excited to be in Toronto,” Meents commented earlier this week. “The thing about the Roger’s Centre is it’s a huge floor. Two big shows with the Maple Leaf Monster Jam tour. Plenty of room for Max-D to air it out and tear it up.”

The Maple Leaf Monster Jam tour will play host to a pair of shows at the Rogers Centre – a nighttime show on Saturday January 17th, and an afternoon show on Sunday January 18th, with a star-studded 16 truck line-up.

“I love the facility. It’s very comforting to the drivers,” Meents said. “We get to stay right there in the Rogers Centre in the hotel right there. You get to see the floor more and look it over as its being built, and think about our run. But even more importantly, Max D has been there five years in a row, but I haven’t been there for three years. Very excited about coming back this year. Neil Elliott has been driving Max D the last couple of years – great driver, too. Just can’t wait to get up there.”

Of course, each show starts off with the ever-popular Pit Party that starts off both days. For only an additional $10, fans get to walk on the floor that the trucks will compete on a couple hours prior to the show, getting up close to the trucks and drivers.

“That’s my favorite part of the day – getting the chance to meet fans that you haven’t seen in three years, and an even better opportunity to meet new fans this year,” Meents commented. “We’ve got two big pit parties over two different days; it’s a great part of the show.”

Once the pit party is done, though, the focus for a driver immediately shifts to the competition at hand.

Starting off with racing, the fans will witness the pure power of the monster trucks as they go heads-up against each other – bracket style – till there’s only one driver remaining, who is crowned the winner.

Then, there’s the ever-important freestyle, which allows the driver to take the truck and jump as high as they can, while tearing up as many as the obstacles as they can in the process. Previous shows in Toronto have produced thrilling freestyles, that have included trucks launching high in the air over buses and off of man-made jumps, to crushing cars and motorhomes, and thrilling donuts that spew dirt in all directions.

“If you drive Max-D, there’s only one way that you go – go big right from the first hit, and it kind of throws strategy out of the window,” Meents commented. “The overall strategy is just to go as hard as you can, for as long as you can.”

Though while trying to go as hard as you can, there’s also the other side of the spectrum – making sure that you fill the 90 seconds on the clock to score the most points as possible.

“If you want to win, you need to make the entire 90 seconds, plus into bonus time – at least make it into those last 30 seconds,” Meents added. “But if you drive Max-D, they know and expect you to drive hard the entire time and that’s what we do. We don’t want to roll over early, we don’t want to break early; we know Monster Jam fans want to see you go out the entire time hard.”

On top of the normal show that Canadian fans have grown used to, there’s going to be a bonus this year – the back flip ramp will be making it’s first appearance at the Rogers Centre in 2015. Though beyond giving the fans a chance to witness a back flip live in freestyle competition, Meents is also bringing his special stunt truck, in an effort to deliver a double back flip.

“When I figured that I could do a single, the next thing on my mind was a double back flip; now I am thinking about a triple,” he explained. “It’s really cool that we’re bringing the back flip ramp to the Rogers Centre for the first time. The stunt truck will be there as well, so we’re defiantly excited to be bringing a back flip to the great fans of Toronto.”

Over the years of his career, winning the Monster Jam World Finals Championship on multiple occasions, Meents has certainly made a name for himself. Though of all the memorable moments of his career, Meents says the most memorable is watching his family follow in his footsteps. Meents’ step son Colton Eichelberger stepped behind the wheel this season, driving Grave Digger as part of the MORE Monster Jam tour.

“It’s awesome,” Meents expressed. “It literally makes me want to cry when I see him out there on the track. At only 18 years old, he’s driving the world’s most famous monster truck – Grave Digger. That part made me a little upset, but it’s really cool to see him out there, and very humbling to see.”

Eichelberger is having success already, having picked up a couple wins in first few shows of his career.

“I love this job. I have done it for 22 years and now to be able to see my family – Colton’s brother Jared is his crew chief. To see them out there having a great time, competiting alongside the best and doing really well, it’s great to see,” Meents added.

Certainly, seeing as to how much Meents and others are having, it’s no wonder that others want to join them. In offering advice to aspiring drivers out there, Meents keeps it simple – never give up on your dreams, no matter what they are.

Make sure to come out and see the Monster Trucks in action as Meents competes alongside Cam McQueen in Northern Nightmare, Chad Tingler in Grave Digger and nine others, as they battle hard to capture the victories.

Monster Jam^® shows run Saturday, January 17 at 7pm and Sunday, January 18 at 2pm atRogers Centre. Ticket prices start at $20 for adults and $15 for Kids tickets for children 12 and under. Pit Party Passes are available for purchase for $10. Tickets and Pit Passes are available at the Rogers Centre Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.ca, and at (855) 985-5000. There are a limited number of TAP ($135) and Gold Circle ($55) seats available for both shows. Additional fees may apply.

The Pit Party will be held from 3pm to 5pm on Saturday, January 17 and 10:30am to 12pm onSunday, January 18. The pre-show pit party gives fans the chance to see the massive Monster Jam trucks up close, meet drivers, take pictures and get autographs. To access the Pit Party, event ticket and Pit Party Pass must be presented upon entry.

For more information, visit www.monsterjamcanada.ca.