The live event debuts for three of the newest built PEI Chassis took place this past weekend as the 2015 Monster Jam season got underway. In Miami, Florida it was the new look Razin Kane piloted by Buddy Tompkins along with the brand new Jester of Matt Pagliarulo hitting the track for the first time ever. Tompkins and Razin Kane got the season off to a solid start at Sun Life Stadium as they made it to the semi-finals of racing before falling to Lee O’Donnel and the Zombie Hunter. Jester had some tough luck with a transmission issue that would end Pagliarulo’s night early but they’ll be back in action next weekend at the Alomodome in San Antonio, Texas.
One of the most anticipated debuts of the new year was of Donald Epidendio’s Titan. It was a busy November and December for the PEI crew and the Titan crew as they worked feverishly to finish the chassis and assemble the truck respectively. Dan Patrick and Rick Steffens of PEI delivered the chassis on December 8th and Epidendio’s crew completed the assembly. The end result is one of the sharpest trucks on the circuit, with the always clean look of Titan sporting an updated paint scheme on the 72 Chevy body. As a part of the new Monster Jam Fox Sports 1 Championship Series Epidendio and Titan made the trip to Houston, Texas just days after completing the assembly for the first event of the season. The truck worked well right out of the gate on Friday night in practice as Epidendio and Titan turned in a top 8 time but was assessed a penalty for not getting both front tires up the final ramp. Tacky dirt conditions caught many drivers off guard during Qualifying Saturday night, but Epidendio was able to qualify 7th and make his way into the racing bracket. Unfortunately for Epidendio, he would lose the motor going over the first jump in round one against fellow PEI customer Steve Sims and the Stone Crusher. While the tough break makes things challenging for Epidendio as he chases the series championship and one of four automatic qualifier spots into the Monster Jam World Finals, there’s still plenty of time to make up ground with eight events remaining.
We’ll be sure to keep an eye on these three new pieces in the coming weeks, as well as all of our great PEI customers as they embark on the new year. Be sure to check us out on Facebook for more information on PEI. Also don’t forget to grab your own PEI Hoodie at our merchandise store! Thanks to Andrew Fielder and Matthew Ison for the photos!
