BIGFOOT BESSIE make her Mooooove in 2012 with Darron Schnell
01/10/2012Print this article
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BIGFOOT'S Darron Schnell on the MOOOOOVE in 2012!
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| Darron Schnell spent the last couple years under the Firestone banner. For 2012 he is mooooving into the Vi-Cor/Celmanax BIGFOOT #11! |
All bovine clichés aside, things are looking udderly fantastic for the South Dakota-born sophomore driver. With an outstanding rookie year behind him carrying the team's Firestone colors on BIGFOOT #11, Darron is as optimistic as ever about the upcoming season and the opportunity to put the team's newest sponsor, Vi-COR, in the spotlight.
The Vi-COR truck means a lot to me in several ways," explained Schnell. "Getting to be the first driver to represent a new sponsor is quite an honor, especially when it is as ground-breaking of a sponsor as Vi-COR is," said Schnell.
BIGFOOT VP of Sponsorships & Business Development Bob Trent added to that, saying "Vi-COR is an American-owned company that specializes in yeast-based feed supplements for the livestock industry, specifically dairy cows and such. What that all translates to is they are one of the biggest non-automotive industry sponsors in the monster truck business right now, and we are very proud to represent them in front of thousands of monster truck fans across North America.
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| The Vi-Cor/Celmanax BIGFOOT #11....better known as BIGFOOT BESSIE! |
Schnell's path to success at Team BIGFOOT is much like that of many current and former BIGFOOT drivers. Beginning as a crew member, Schnell quickly took the reigns of the team's Firestone BIGFOOT #8 display program, visiting more than 100 Firestone retailers over the span of more than two years.
As Schnell explained, it was the perfect primer for becoming a competition driver for Team BIGFOOT: "Running the team's Firestone display truck was a huge part of my preparation for becoming a race driver. You spend so much time interacting on a personal basis with fans, in addition to learning to become the best representative you can for your sponsor. All of that is just as important as being good behind the wheel, so when I started racing in 2011 all I had to focus on was my driving, because I already had the other stuff pretty well pinned down."
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| In addition to the monster truck, Darron Schnell will also be piloting a brand new Vi-Cor / Celmanax themed big rig! |
"The close relationship between our fans and our drivers here at BIGFOOT has become one of our hallmarks," said BIGFOOT VP of Driver Development & Technology Jim Kramer, himself a former BIGFOOT driver. "Of course we always strive to put on a great show on-track, but we also put a huge premium on interacting well with our fans and sponsors, and Darron has done a great job in that department, especially with our younger fans. He's very warm, friendly, and approachable. That's made him a huge asset to our program."
What all of this means is a sophomore year of driving that seems to be all but paved in gold for Schnell. He will begin the year competing in the E3 Spark Plugs Monster Nationals series alongside teammate and 2-time defending series racing champion Rick Long in BIGFOOT #15. The Monster Nationals tour will last through the bulk of January, February, and March, and will be Schnell's first opportunity to compete for a championship of any kind. And, in the Monster Nationals tour there are two championships available, a racing and a freestyle title, giving Darron 2 chances to be win a title!
"I'm going to run as hard as I can each weekend. It's all about learning and pushing yourself to new limits every chance you get," said Schnell. "I put the same emphasis on racing that I do freestyle, but as tough as Rick has been in racing the last couple of years, I may have to focus on gunning him down in Freestyle," he said with a chuckle.
So is there a chance the Vi-COR BIGFOOT, nicknamed "Bessie", could end up on its side as a result of an intense freestyle run? "Anything is possible," said Schnell. "We never do anything like that intentionally, but if it happens it happens. That's just how it goes in the monster truck business. I suppose that's one way to go cow tippin'!"