Initially Rosalee Ramer had no plans to embrace the fact she’s a successful “female” Monster Truck driver.
“At first it annoyed me when I’d be asked in interviews, ‘What’s it like to be a girl driver?’ Because I worked my way up and I worked hard for my spot. I realized along the way that personally I want to be considered a great driver, not a great female driver,” the 20-year old told the Courier Feb. 14. “But then parents started coming up to me at shows and telling me I’ve been an inspiration to their daughter and young girls told me I’ve been an inspiration to them, do I decided I want to be the best role model I can be.”
The Monster Jam franchise prides itself in being one of the only sports in North America in which men and women are considered equals competing for the same championship on the same track.
Ramer came by her love of Monster Trucks honestly. He dad is long-time driver Kelvin Ramer, who first let Rosalee steer one of his giant trucks at age eight and then drive it by herself at just 11-years old. Ramer began competing professionally at 14, making her the youngest female Monster Truck driver in the world.
Monster Jam trucks are about 12-feet tall — and just as wide — custom-designed machines that sit atop 66-inch-tall tires and weigh a minimum of 10,000 pounds. The trucks also generate 1,500 to 2,000 horsepower and can fly 125 to 130 feet in distance and up to 35 feet in the air.
It was Ramer’s love of Monster Trucks that inadvertently sent her on the education path she’s following now. A 2015 graduate of Pacific Collegiate School in Santa Cruz California, Ramer says it was always assumed she’d go on to become a doctor or lawyer. That all changed after a random conversation at a Monster Jam show.
“I was working on my dad’s truck before a show and some ladies stopped to talk to me and one asked me, ‘So, you’re going to school to be an engineer?’” recalls Ramer. “That’s when it clicked.”
Today Ramer is studying mechanical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology with a minor in industrial design. Last summer she interned at General Motor working in thermodynamic calibration and algorithms. Returning to GM as an intern again this summer, Ramer will work on engine calibration, among other automotive engineering skills.
But for now, Ramer is juggling classes, homework, friends and family with her Monster Jam schedule. The Courier spoke with Ramer while she was at school in Georgia, before heading to Oakland California this weekend for a Monster Jam show. Ramer will also be competing in Vancouver when Monster Jam rolls into the Pacific Coliseum March 2 to 4. Ramer will compete driving her super truck dubbed Wild Flower. And yes, Ramer will be competing against her dad.
Besides Rosalee Ramer, this year’s super truck lineup features Monster Jam icons and world finals champions Grave Digger, MAX-D driven by 11-time champ Tom Meents, El Toro Loco, Monster Mutt Dalmatian driven by Candice Jolly, Team Hot Wheels driven by Scott Buetow, Zombie driven by Colt Stephens and Time Flys driven by Kelvin Ramer.
New this year, fans in every city will have the chance to vote for the truck winner in the donut, wheelie and freestyle competitions in real time, by voting with their mobile phones. In addition to world-class racing and freestyle competition action, fans can arrive at the stadium early on Saturday to enjoy the Monster Jam Pit Party pre-show experience, which gives fans access to view their favorite trucks up close and meet the star drivers for autographs and photos.
For a complete schedule, visit monsterjam.com.
@sthomas10
