This Bus will Take You to School!

Michael and Denise Vaters who campaign the Black Stallion Monster Truck have recently unveiled their latest creation that should excite school-aged children and bus drivers around the world.   The King Shocks suspended “Higher Education” Monster Bus made its debut in front of a huge crowd at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. During the pit party, the bus was hidden from spectators until after the wheelie competition. The house lights were then dimmed as Higher Education, driven by Jimmy Tracey, roared out onto the track with lights flashing to the music of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.”  The crowd went crazy! What could be more awesome for a kid than to see a school bus getting big air, crushing cars, and causing destruction to buses, RVs and everything else in its path?   Inspiration for the project came from Ken Nelson’s “Cool Bus” wheel stander that Ken and his wife built  for dragstrip exhibition runs all over the US, Canada and Mexico. Michael Vaters has always had a great respect for Ken Nelson and sends out a special thanks to Ken and his wife for their help and cooperation in making this project happen.   Several years were spent planning the bus so construction only took 13 long days to complete by the Black Stallion crew. The bus is built to ¾ scale and constructed to withstand the constant abuse that Monster Trucks endure. They built two fiberglass sections to make up the roof and a fiberglass front clip. The sides of the bus are built from fiberboard donated by Capitol Building Supply in Hagerstown MD, one of Black Stallions sponsors. The paint, (school bus yellow), was provided by PPG another team sponsor and applied by the Stallion crew in house.  Vaters wanted the bus to look as realistic as possible so he fabricated black rub rails to run down both sides of the bus, installed red flashing lights and a flip out STOP sign. With plenty of horsepower and King Pure Race shocks on every corner, this is one bus that will definitely take you to school! *Photos courtesy of  Johany Jutras, Stephanie Cotnoir and Black Stallion Racing.