Monster Jam London: Inside the world of monster truck driving

Massive trucks performing jaw-dropping stunts returned to London for the third year in a row, taking over the ground usually used by West Ham footballers.

Monster Jam at the London Stadium saw the five-tonne behemoths somersault, spin and race over the dirt track as drivers showed off their skills.

The sport is less common in the UK than in the US, and many fans were seeing the spectacle in person for the first time.

Both female and male drivers compete against each other in the larger-than-life contests.

The event’s operations director, Jayme Dalsing, said: “The UK doesn’t have a whole lot of large trucks so being able to see these vehicles in a jam-packed, crazy event is very interesting to the folks here.”

Fans Connie and Alice Nicholl said they were pleased to see it in their home country rather than watching live-streams of contests from America.

Connie said: “We’re just so excited by the atmosphere. I think we’ve missed out on quite a lot of these events for a while and now there’s kind of a demand out there.

“I mean, why not come to the UK?”

Her sister Alice added: “It’s just a real gap in the market. There’s something that everyone can enjoy.”

The pair were particularly excited to see their favourite trucks compete, El Toro Loco and Megalodon.

Myranda Cozad, who was the only female driver to compete in London this year, said “nothing compared” to monster trucking.

She grew up around motorsport, starting her career through drag racing, which her father also competed in, before moving on to drive in Monster Jam.

Despite being the only woman on the London track, she said they were getting the recognition they deserve in competitive monster truck driving.

Ms Cozad added: “It’s been challenging, but not as challenging as people may perceive it to be. There’s more and more females coming in to the sport.

“We’re out here competing, we’re winning and we’re competing on the same level as men.

“I want to be known as a fierce competitor on the track, not just as a female competitor.”

She added she hoped to continue to inspire women and girls to “chase their dreams, whether it’s driving a monster truck or going after anything in life”.

Driver Bernard Lyght got involved in the sport through an untraditional route – he was a cheerleader.

He said his acrobatic talents helped him to stand out and he now drives a Spiderman-themed monster truck.

Mr Lyght said the motorsport was particularly special as male and female competitors are integrated.

“The females in this sport are ridiculous, they are no joke.”

Mr Dalsing said he was “confident” monster truck competitions had a place in London.

“It’s all about getting to see something you don’t get to see on a normal basis.

“London is a great home for us and we’re looking forward to coming back.”