`THE APEX PREDATOR' IS READY TO FEAST
Ochs revs up ThunderROARus for Monster Jam championship
From combat missions to Monster Jam competitions, Tony Ochs knows how to coax the best out of his machines.
The U.S. army aviation veteran served four combat deployments as a certified Boeing AH-4 Apache helicopter technician crew chief. The twin turboshaft attack helicopter is one of the most advanced of its kind, equipped with laser-guided precision Hellfire missiles, 70-millimetre rockets and a 30-mm M230 chain gun.
It's the most battle-proven gunship in the American military.
ThunderROARus, the custom mechanical dinosaur concept monster truck that Ochs pilots, boasts an equally impressive array of mechanical dynamics. From its CRD Generation 3 chassis, Coan two-speed transmission and 66inch, fourth-generation BKT tires to the 540-cubic-inch Merlin engine, this is a monster truckin' beast.
Ochs admits his whole life has been lived around vehicles.
“Growing up where I did in Pennsylvania near the national forest surrounded by farmland, the only thing to do was to ride four-wheelers, dirt bikes and snowmobiles or operate farm equipment,” said Ochs. “That farm equipment really translates well to the monster truck because you really need to think about what you are doing operating the front and rear wheels separately with two different control systems. Feeling things out in a wheelie or a nose wheelie is something I equate with grading in a bulldozer, as you feel it in your butt to know your angle.”
Following his combat experience in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, Ochs gained chops that come in handy in his post-military career.
“Being a professional technician on a machine of the Apache's calibre really prepares you for getting to know all of the theory behind the operations of a monster truck and all of its mechanical aspects,” he said. “That really makes you a 100 per cent better driver because you know what to feel for and how to operate it with a mechanic mindset so you don't break axles and other things. A lot of drivers get in and drive with no mechanical experience and they do excel, but I believe it helps my driving.”
Before joining Monster Jam in 2016, Ochs plied his trade as a stunt motorcycle crew chief for the Feld Entertainment Marvel Universe Live shows. Being sure that the person suited up as Captain America had a perfectly operating bike was doubly important to Ochs since the rider was his wife to be. She had already been hired as a Marvel superhero and motorcycle stunt rider when the two met.
“She had participated in X Games freestyle street bike stunting and toured the U.S. doing that,” he said. “My ETS — end of term of service — date was coming up, so I put in to see if I could follow along with her and applied for a crew job, which they told me I was way overqualified for. I just wanted to be with her, so I transitioned right out of the army into the Marvel Universe Live.”
At the time, Ochs wasn't aware that Feld Entertainment was also behind Monster Jam. He expressed interest to management in getting a chance to drive one of the trucks.
“At no point did I ever think that I would wind up becoming a driver, as I really didn't think that was a possibility,” he said. “But I wound up being invited for a test drive of the Soldier of Fortune Black OPS truck that they were developing and, within a few moments, they were on the radio asking if I was sure I'd never driven a monster truck before. Right then, I knew I had it in the bag.”
Ochs debuted behind the wheel of Soldier of Fortune Black OPS in 2016 and made it to the Young Guns Shootout round of the Monster Jam World Finals XVII. He returned in 2017 driving Superman, the Punisher and Soldier of Fortune Black OPS on various tours.
Over the next few years his star rose.
Last year, he drove Earth Shaker in South Africa and won racing, the skills' challenge and the overall event championship in Cape Town.
For 2024, Ochs is revving up ThunderROARus.
“ThunderROARus is called the apex predator, a bright, vibrant metalloid dinosaur,” he said. “Since we debuted it in Greenville, S.C., last year it has been a huge hit. This is the first time bringing it to the West Coast arenas and the kids are loving it. Monster Jam actually just came out with this six-foottall ramp Monster Jam ThunderROARus Drop Playset that mounts on the wall that is hugely popular.”
The driver notes that he's had to rearrange his home living room to set up the toy, which his kids love. He freely admits that he takes that same level of fun into every stadium that ThunderROARus roars into.