ONE OF THE TRUE ORIGINALS
In 1974 a new sport known as Monster Truck Racing was born thanks mainly to a man called Bob Chandler. Bob built and began driving a big truck with 66-inch tyres at Fairs and Speedways around the United States. This truck was to become the World Famous BIGFOOT.
As Bigfoot's popularity grew, a Drag Car Racer named Fred Shafer decided he wanted to give Monster Truck driving a go. So in 1979 he built a Chevrolet powered pick up truck and called it "Bearfoot". Bearfoot was the second ever racing Monster Truck to be built. The name Bearfoot came from Fred's genuine love of animals and on his Pontoon Beach Illinois property Fred had two American black bears named "Sugar" and "Spice" who traveled the Show circuit with him hence the name BEARFOOT was born. Over the years Monster Truck racing grew at a rapid pace. Fred's ex partner Jack William built a truck named Taurus, Denis Anderson's Gravedigger was born along with literally hundreds of new trucks across the USA. Today there are over 700 Monster Trucks in the USA.
In 1984 the USA Hot Rod Association organized the first ever side by side Monster Truck racing event and by 1990 the sport of Monster Truck racing had become a huge multi million dollar operation so the USHRA ran a points series around the Nation with about 50 of the USA's top trucks; Fred Shafer designed and built a new big monster for the Series named "Bearfoot Racer".
The Series was very close and came down to a last round decider in Chicago Illinois and in a Grand Finale battle with Big Foot, Bearfoot emerged the victor and the first ever World Monster Truck Champion was now reality. In 1992 Bearfoot switched from his original bodies to become the first ever Dodge "works" Monster Truck.
From that day on the Bearfoot list of achievements grew to make "Bearfoot" a true USA Motor Sporting great.
Paul Shafer owns no less than 21 other World Famous Monster Trucks including Monster Patrol, Carolina Crusher and Frankenstein and newly built Jesse James.
Bearfoot USA is the 17th Bearfoot truck to be built by the Bearfoot team and it is Bearfoot's first ever long term base outside of America.
Bearfoot's owner Paul Shafer Motor Sprots is the USA's largest Monster Truck racing team and negotiation are currently underway for Paul to bring down both Frankenstein and Kid Rock Monster Trucks to join Bearfoot in the New Year.
Bearfoot is formerly a Dodge Ram body and it took three months to build at a cost of almost $250,000 Bearfoot USA is Australia's second 3D style (moulded shape) body.
It's driver is Ipswich based Sherri Shaffer, Sherri is Australia only full time female Monster Truck driver having been driving on a weekly basis for the past 2 ½ years.
Sherri originally was a successful Litre Sprintcar and V8 Sprintcar driver. Sherri is also the World's only Monster Truck Driving Grandmother.
Sherri spends many weeks of the year racing Monster trucks out of Paul Shafer's Chicago base and is a true lady of destruction.
The truck has undergone a transformation into Aussie Predator.
As Bigfoot's popularity grew, a Drag Car Racer named Fred Shafer decided he wanted to give Monster Truck driving a go. So in 1979 he built a Chevrolet powered pick up truck and called it "Bearfoot". Bearfoot was the second ever racing Monster Truck to be built. The name Bearfoot came from Fred's genuine love of animals and on his Pontoon Beach Illinois property Fred had two American black bears named "Sugar" and "Spice" who traveled the Show circuit with him hence the name BEARFOOT was born. Over the years Monster Truck racing grew at a rapid pace. Fred's ex partner Jack William built a truck named Taurus, Denis Anderson's Gravedigger was born along with literally hundreds of new trucks across the USA. Today there are over 700 Monster Trucks in the USA.
In 1984 the USA Hot Rod Association organized the first ever side by side Monster Truck racing event and by 1990 the sport of Monster Truck racing had become a huge multi million dollar operation so the USHRA ran a points series around the Nation with about 50 of the USA's top trucks; Fred Shafer designed and built a new big monster for the Series named "Bearfoot Racer".
The Series was very close and came down to a last round decider in Chicago Illinois and in a Grand Finale battle with Big Foot, Bearfoot emerged the victor and the first ever World Monster Truck Champion was now reality. In 1992 Bearfoot switched from his original bodies to become the first ever Dodge "works" Monster Truck.
From that day on the Bearfoot list of achievements grew to make "Bearfoot" a true USA Motor Sporting great.
Paul Shafer owns no less than 21 other World Famous Monster Trucks including Monster Patrol, Carolina Crusher and Frankenstein and newly built Jesse James.
Bearfoot USA is the 17th Bearfoot truck to be built by the Bearfoot team and it is Bearfoot's first ever long term base outside of America.
Bearfoot's owner Paul Shafer Motor Sprots is the USA's largest Monster Truck racing team and negotiation are currently underway for Paul to bring down both Frankenstein and Kid Rock Monster Trucks to join Bearfoot in the New Year.
Bearfoot is formerly a Dodge Ram body and it took three months to build at a cost of almost $250,000 Bearfoot USA is Australia's second 3D style (moulded shape) body.
It's driver is Ipswich based Sherri Shaffer, Sherri is Australia only full time female Monster Truck driver having been driving on a weekly basis for the past 2 ½ years.
Sherri originally was a successful Litre Sprintcar and V8 Sprintcar driver. Sherri is also the World's only Monster Truck Driving Grandmother.
Sherri spends many weeks of the year racing Monster trucks out of Paul Shafer's Chicago base and is a true lady of destruction.
The truck has undergone a transformation into Aussie Predator.
Copyright Downunder Monsters 2006
