Just one year ago Steven Sims and Hooked made their debut on the Oceanfront of Virginia Beach, impressing the hometown fans and the monster truck world alike. With more experience under his belt and plenty of confidence, Sims was set to rock the crowd all weekend long and put the Hooked monster truck in the winners circle, and he did just that. Friday night started off the weekend with a bang as Sims would take the wheelie contest victory with a bang, launching the truck skyward, planting the wheelie bar in the top of the racing ramp. The truck pitched over to the right and looked to be going over, but with the right amount of throttle and some quick steering reactions Sims saved the truck from rolling. Unfortunately he wouldn’t have the same later on in round one. The hard impact damaged the rear steering, and the crew thrashed to make the call for their race against Gun Slinger in round one. Sims gave it his all but the truck got unsettled over the second roller on the three jump straight line track. The front wheels bounced up and the rear steer turned sharply to the left as Sims approached the final jump, which sent the truck over into a barrel roll as it crossed the finish line. Sims would emerge unscathed but the same couldn’t be said for the truck as rear axle damage would sideline the truck for freestyle.
After the rollover Friday night, the crew worked hard and had the Hooked monster truck back in action Saturday afternoon for the first of two events. Their efforts paid off with a great afternoon as Sims scored high with another strong wheelie contest effort. In racing, Sims made his way through the bracket all the way to the final round against Brutus. The truck got squirrely over the starting line roller, causing Sims to lift and he was unable to make up the difference. Sims would bounce back though and put on a high flying spectacle in freestyle as he skied out the big blue Escalade, pushing the truck to the limit throughout his run and on his way to the victory.
The third event saw yet another spectacular wheelie from Sims, but a harsh landing on the rear wheels damaged the rear steer once again as hydraulic fluid could be seen spraying from the steering lines. The damage would hold the team out of the racing competition for the night. Strong thunderstorms rolled in during freestyle before Sims could hit the track, forcing the event organizers to cut the competition short for safety reasons. The weather would be much better on Sunday afternoon for the fourth and final event of the weekend. The wheelie contest would see Sims best wheelie of the weekend, as he put the truck on the wheelie bar, and then walked the truck over the cars and down the ramp in impressive fashion. After a round one bye, Sims faced off against Walking Tall. Wheel spin off the line bogged Hooked down on the start line, as Sims tried to make up the difference in no-mans land but wasn’t able to advance to the finals. The final freestyle of the weekend was a wild one for young Sims and Hooked. With his father Steve sidelined due to engine problems, Steven pushed that much harder to make up for it to their loyal hometown fans. He would unleash Hooked for some of the biggest air all weekend during his freestyle run, soaring the truck over everything in his path. A hard landing on the right rear would break a sway bar and cut short his run, but there was no doubt that he gave it his all for the fans.
After a great weekend at home, the team is looking forward to some great summer events. Check back soon for an updated schedule. Thanks to all of our awesome fans and sponsors for your support!
