Tasmanian Devil crosses the Nullarbor
Published: 27/04/2012
Beware Perth! They say the Tassie Devil is a little black and white 12kg timid creature suffering the threat of extinction from the planet and this normally may be so, but for this week only the little Tassie Devil has sent his big brother direct from the east to strut its stuff none other than a replica brand new four ton, fifteen hundred horse powered monster truck is making its Perth debut at the Kwinana Perth Motorplex this Saturday night in the West Coast Monster Truck Nationals.
The Tassie Devil truck was built for the purpose of raising awareness of the plight of the Tasmanian Devils who are fighting a battle unforseen only a few short years ago, struck down by Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), an extremely rare and aggressive cancer. Since being built three months ago the truck has visited over seventy schools across Australia and began its fundraising last week earning over a four figure sum in its first official collection.
The all new $300,000 Chevy powered monster will compete in the first ever sanctioned West Australian Monster Truck Racing and Freestyle Championships against some of the world’s leading monster trucks including the likes of USA champion Monster Patrol from Westville Indiana New Zealand’s Spot the Dog driven by Kiwi champ Danny Pattard and current Australian champion the legendary Outback Thunda driven by international driver Clive Featherby.
“Since the disease’s discovery in 1996 the population of wild devils has declined more than 80%. This is a devastating loss for this Tasmanian icon and the Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal is excited by the opportunity for the Tassie devil truck to raise awareness of their plight. An insurance population of around 500 devils has been established with some of the post-breeding devils housed in Perth Zoo,” said Appeal Manager Rebecca Cuthill.
“The ultimate aim is to keep a devil population sustainable in the wild and every donation we receive helps us achieve these goals.”
Tassie Devil will be driven this Saturday night by 18 year old driving sensation Jaye Featherby who will be keen to show the capabilities of the all new truck on the super fast Motorplex circuit that will see the trucks racing at over 100 kilometres per hour.
Gates open for the night of Monster carnage at 4.30pm and the family night of fun kicks off at 6.30pm.
