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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Meet KJ, the mini driver who's a monster trucker... at just SEVEN


He can barely see over the steering wheel but at just seven years old, Kaid Olson-Weston is the toast of the monster truck world.

Working his way through an arena tour of America, Kaid, or KJ, as he is better known to his fans and family, handles his 2,500-pound, seven-foot tall truck called Monster Bear like a pro.

KJ's only been driving for a year but has amazed the monster truck circuit with his talent for maneouvring the massive vehicles around dirt tracks and obstacles.

Scroll down to see video of KJ in action

Mini monster: Kaid Olson-Weston, 7, is the world's youngest monster truck driver

Mini monster: Kaid Olson-Weston, 7, is the world's youngest monster truck driver

Lift-off: KJ has already won acclaim for his skill at driving monster trucks

Lift-off: KJ has already won acclaim for his skill at driving monster trucks

'I wanted to be a monster truck driver when I was three,' the youthful motorist explains.

'I thought it would be cool to drive a monster truck because you jump cars.'

KJ's father Tod, also his crew chief and manager, says that though other drivers didn't take him seriously at first, KJ's dedication proves that he's in it for the right reasons.

'After his first probably half a dozen shows, he has displayed an incredible talent to drive and took it seriously and is very safety conscious and so they began to respect what he could do,' he said.

'When they saw him acting accordingly and professionally, they gave him a tremendous amount of respect.'

Adrenaline junkie: KJ was a keen skateboarder and jet skier before taking up monster truck driving

Adrenaline junkie: KJ was a keen skateboarder and jet skier before taking up monster truck driving

KJ's daredevil driving is of little surprise to his parents, with the seven-year-old a dedicated fan of extreme sports - he was skateboarding at one, riding dirt bikes and snowmobiling by three, and go-karting and jet skiing by four.

A year ago, he stepped behind the wheel of his half-scale monster truck named Monster Bear and made history by being the youngest-ever driver the monster truck sport had ever seen.

The Monster Truck Racing Association normally would not allow a child as young as KJ to drive, the association suggests that drivers of regular monster trucks be at least 18, but an exception was made for KJ because of his competency behind the wheel.

'He was ready the day he walked into that seat," said Tod Olson-Weston. 'It was absolutely intuitive.'

KJ's routines tend to last about five to eight minutes, taking in everything from jumping over other cars to manoeuvring around the dirt to create a "doughnut.

Other kids are amazed by KJ's incredible skills. 'They think it's pretty cool because they see a seven-year-old driving a monster truck,' he added.

While KJ has a bright future ahead of him, his five-year-old brother, Jake, may be following in his footsteps soon.

'Before that though I am going to be the youngest driver of a full sized monster truck,' said KJ.

Flying the flag: Monster truck officials made allowances for the youngster's age due to his talent behind the wheel

Flying the flag: Monster truck officials made allowances for the youngster's age due to his talent behind the wheel

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