People just love monster trucks. There are a variety of reasons why. For one thing, it is family friendly. Go to any monster truck show and you will likely see of half of the audience is children under twelve years old. Most shows will be lively and wild, which we all know our children love. And they manage to do all of this without any foul language or adult themes. It’s just the mayhem on the field.
Another great thing about monster truck shows is that you don’t have to be a car buff to enjoy it. Everyone can delight in the massive trucks flying through the air and crushing cars beneath their massive wheels.
Part of the draw to these shows are the theatrics that they incorporate. All of the trucks have their own persona. They are depicted as characters that are competing against one another in timed races. Each has their own gimmicks and there are a lot of laughs to be had.
Just like pro wrestling, everyone has their favorite characters. Amongst those favorites is the Mohawk Warrior Monster Truck.
History of the “Mohawk Warrior” monster truck
The Mohawk Warrior, also known as the Great Clips Mohawk Warrior, is a monster truck that competes in a race called the Monster Jam professional racing series. It debuted in 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada in the World Final Obsession Chassis. The original driver was George Balhan, who had previously driven the monster truck called Escalade.
Mohawk Warrior and Balhan first made their appearance in the Monster Jam World Finals in 2011. That year they lost to Bounty Hunter in the first round. They then returned for round 2 and they defeated Monster Mutt Dalmatian. They went on to defeat Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the third round and were later defeated, yet again, by Bounty Hunter in the semi-finals. They ended up with a score of 28 in the freestyle event, which tied with both Iron Man and Bounty Hunter, unfortunately falling short of the championship.
In 2012, Mohawk Warrior and Balhan went on to compete again at the Monter Jam World Finals. This year, Mohawk Warrior set the record for doing two consecutive backflips during the freestyle portion of those finals. Unfortunately, this was done after the scores had already been counted. In the racing portions of the finals, Mohawk Warrior lost to Bounty hunter in the first round. This time they received 25 points in the freestyle event, tying it up with Captain America and Grave Digger.
Balhan and Mohawk Warrior competed in the World Finals again in 2013. This time around they defeated Monster Mutt Dalmatian in the first round. They later lost to Grave Digger The Legend in the second round of the racing category. This time around they only scored an 8 in the freestyle competition, tying with Advanced Auto Parts Grinder. It was at this time that BJ Johnson was announced as the next driver of Mohawk Warrior.
In 2014 BJ and Mohawk Warrior then competed together in the Youg Guns Shootout World Finals. In the racing portion of this competition, they defeated Taryn Laskey and Monster Mutt Dalmatian in the first round. In round two, they defeated Captain USA. Monster Energy then beat them out in the semi-finals. In the World Finals for Racing and Freestyle, they defeated Captain America in the first round and then later lost to Max-D in the second round. They later got 12 in the freestyle portion of the competition.
The team of BJ and the Mohawk Warrior competed yet again in the Young Guns Shootout World Finals a year later, in 2015. They defeated Monster Mutt Dalmatian and its new driver, Cynthia Gauthier, in the first round. The went on to lose to Heavy Hitter in the second round. They received 8.5 points in the freestyle competition. It was at this competition that Balhan received an invitation to the World Finals
New Beadlocks were added to Mohawk Warrior’s tires in 2016. A new “MOTO METAL” logo was also added to the back of the truck, replacing the original Mohawk Warrior logo. This was Balhan’s twelfth time competing in the World Finals. This year, in round 1, they defeated Monster Mutt Junkyard Dog. In round 2 they ended up losing to Grave Digger and Adam Anderson. They did, however, earn 19 points in the freestyle competition, tying with Mad Scientist and Scooby-Doo! It was at this point that BJ decided to part ways with Mohawk Warrior and move on to his new truck, Gas Monkey Garage.
Bryce Kenny, the current driver of Mohawk Warrior, began driving it in 2017. This is also when the name was changed to ‘Great Clips’ Mohawk Warrior, as Great Clips took over responsibilities as the sponsor. The Great Clips logo was then added to the hood. Bryce Kenny and Mohawk Warrior then went on to compete in the World Finals. Unfortunately, the first time racing together in the finals did not go so well. They were defeated by Monster Energy and Coty Saucier in the first round. They also received 8.1 points in the freestyle portion of the competition. Also in 2017, Steve Sims drove a purple version of Mohawk Warrior in international competitions. Camden Murphy also drove the monster truck in Foxboro.
As for 2018, Mohawk Warrior received an updated makeover. Some of the changes included adding the Great Clips logo over the top of the known Mohawk Warrior logo. The previous “MOTO METAL” logo was also replaced by the truck’s new logo “Great Clips Mohawk Warrior” which was positioned in the same location, the back of the truck on the tailgate. This year, Kenny attempted his first backflip. This happened in Houston, Texas. Unfortunately, he did not complete the backflip as intended. He rolled over and the truck landed on its nose. That failure didn’t affect Kenny, however, as he tried again and successfully landed a backflip on all four wheels. This second jump took place in Atlanta, Georgia. Bryce Kenny and Mohawk Warrior were asked to compete in the World Finals. The first round was a free pass for them, as Overkill Evolution required repairs and was unable to compete. So that was a free win in the first round. Grave Digger and Adam Anderson later defeated them in the second round.
Kenny’s favorite event was the Raleigh event he attended in 2016. It was special for him in multiple ways. For one thing, in the wheelie event, he went three for three. In addition to this, it was important to Kenny because he had family in attendance that had not yet seen what his career entailed.
About Bryce Kenny: Monster Truck Driver
Bryce Kenny is the current driver of Mohawk Warrior. He loves to restore older cars. He also loves building old trucks. There is a 1970 Mustang that has been in Kenny’s family for over 30 years. Before every race and event, Kenny has a ritual that he goes through. He always gives the members of his crew a fist bump. He then taps the truck’s body twice. After this, he takes a knee and says a quick prayer. He then climbs into the truck happy that he is able to pursue his dream.
Who is your favorite truck & driver?
