Pat Gerber, 21-Year-Old Monster Truck Driver
By Skylaire Alfvegren
Continued...
Pro sports have always had their share of ingenues. "Racing doesn't seem novel to me. I've been doing this for six years already! But there have been times I've sat back and thought, 'How bizarre. What's this little kid doing driving this gigantic truck?'" So, has your driving mellowed in the last six years? "No," he grins. "I'm still a kid." Pat's co-ordination is superb and he's a surprisingly delicate driver. His youth has given him an edge. "I've never felt alienated because of that," Pat says. "But some of the older drivers complain I drive crazy." There's no ranking among the 150 or so professional monster truck drivers around the country. No ones seems overly concerned about this, not even Pat, who probably ranks among the top 10. "He deserves recognition," says Beef Jerky kingpin and monster truck promoter Eric Hanson. "He's the King!"
Pat was never discouraged by his parents. "It's a great way to keep a teenager out of trouble." says his mother, Mary Gerber. Monster trucks create a good environment and aren't plagued with the various scandals that infect most pro sports. "Most drivers don't flaunt their money," Says Ed, "and they aren't into drugs or alcohol." Do you get flack for your age? "No, it's almost like a big family." says Pat. There are friendly rivalries among competitors, however. Pat's perky girlfriend Randi giggles. "It's just like any guy with their truck... Mine's bigger than yours!"
"As soon as he could walk, we took him to the mud races. At six, seven, we put him and his buddy on little three wheelers and let them run around." Pat learned the ways of the monster trucks in his father's shop, and they have been a good antidote to the snail's pace of his hometown of Bakersfield, California. Ed has worked on four monster trucks over the last decade, including The Shocker, Pat's bionic Dodge Dakota. "It was like a fish to water. We had to trade the truck out from the owner." Laughs Ed. At 15, Pat got behind it's wheel, and it was by chance that at a rally in Lancaster later that year he was allowed to compete. "The officials said he had to be 18. Pat had the experience, and the owner said he'd just haul the truck home if Pat couldn't drive it." Chuckles Ed. "He's just gone from there."
"I was terrified at first," Mary admits, "but I'd rather see him doing this than playing football or riding a motorcycle!" Safety is the main concern of the Monster Truck Racing Association, the sport's regulatory organization. Remote control kill switches, on board fire retardant system, and bodily protection like helmets, foam neck padding and fire suits are required. And for all the twisted metal, Pat's no Evel Kneivel. "I've never broken a bone in my life," he asserts. "You may fly 30 feet into the air, but you're in a steel cage, there's no body to ground contact." "Pat's only safety concern," Randi interjects, "would occur if he flirted with one of those chicks in the audience!"
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