West Sussex Monster Truck Driving Experience

Last weekend we had the amazing opportunity to meet Grizzly – the 4.5 tonne, 7.5 litre V8 Chevrolet Monster truck! She has 5ft 5inch wheels and can crush cars, fly over mounds, climb steep hills and make great speed. Grizzly is a genuine retro American-born ’96 model Chevrolet Silverado, and can get up to 1700 horsepower when racing. We chose the passenger ride experience, but you can also learn how to drive Grizzly yourself and share the driving experience with others!

We set off from Brighton and drove to Blackland Farm in East Grinstead, which despite being in the country was surprisingly easy to find. Blackland Farm is a large activity centre site with several other activity centres in the same area. This gave it a friendly and exciting atmosphere.

Leisure Pursuits’ meeting point was clearly sign posted and we made it down to the designated car park where we were met by one of the instructors, Daryll. He took us down to the site in a 4×4 Jeep through the forest. We didn’t drive for long but it was still a fun experience as the Jeep was very bumpy, and it got us even more excited for the Monster Truck! The site was a huge open field on one side of a small forest featuring a stationary bus, which contained a seating area and fresh tea which we were encouraged to help ourselves to.

Once everyone had arrived, we were taken through the different parts of the truck and were briefed on the history of how Grizzly got to the UK. Believe it or not, Grizzly has made appearances in several TV shows and adverts, including ‘Don’t Tell The Bride’, ‘The One Show’, ‘Top Gear’ and the recent ‘McDonalds’ advert. Once we knew more about this world famous American classic, it was time for the safety briefing. We were provided with helmets and shown into our seats. There were eight seats in the back of the truck and as a kind gesture I was lucky enough to sit in the front next to the driver!

The rest of the group got in by climbing a tall ladder, showing off just how tall the truck was. Feeling a little nervous, and not knowing what to expect of the ride, we were off before we knew it! Tim (our driver) put his foot down and floored it – the monster truck raced over the huge hill and as the grass was wet we skidded here and there which made the whole experience even more exciting. Our adrenaline was pumping as we drove through ditches, over steep hills and in-between fields, making sharp turns left and right to give us that true ‘roller coaster’ style ride. The best bit was saved for last as we drove over two cars! Making our way back to our set off point, hearts still pounding and faces aching from smiling, we were so excited to have experienced such an amazing Monster Truck ride.

Huge thank you to Daryll and Leisure Pursuits for a fantastic day in the countryside, and to Grizzly for being such a lovable beast! There are plenty of monster truck experiences available, from drives to passenger rides to off-road combos, you’re guaranteed to find the ultimate grizzly gift that’ll never be forgotten.