Safety is paramount so I was suited up in protective clothing, including a crash helmet. I squeezed into the driving seat and with everyone cleared from the track I was given the signal to go.

I revved – but didn’t move.

Then I realised I still had my left foot on the brake! The Grave Digger was getting its own back!

I revved again, the engine giving a mighty roar, made sure I was in first gear, and this time the monster pulled away, tentatively at first, then faster as I approached the first earth mound.

I kept wanting to put both hands on the steering wheel but had to resist the temptation as the rear wheels had also to be turned. I was concentrating so much I forgot to change into second gear but that didn’t stop me sailing over the mound at speed, bouncing as the mighty tyres hit the other side.

I swung the truck to the right, ready to go around the circuit again.

Dana had told me to not to be afraid of putting my foot down and attacking the obstacles.

Negotiating the mounds felt a bit like going over a speed bump in my Micra at 70 mph – but with no fear of damaging the vehicle.

The second circuit completed, it was time to leave Grave Digger, but with the adrenalin still pumping I was reluctant to do so.

Relieved that I hadn’t crashed/ turned the vehicle over/ injured myself or anyone else, I now couldn’t wait to see what sort of show the professionals put on.

I didn’t have long to wait because later that day it was the 2010 Monster Jam World Finals.

Almost 40,000 fans packed into the Sam Boyd Stadium, with many having spent the afternoon outside the venue enjoying a ‘pit party’, the chance to get up close with the machines and their drivers, as well as buying souvenirs and being entertained with live music.

The highlight was a parade of trucks, both those taking part in the show and a number of independently owned vehicles lovingly customised.

So alongside GraveDigger, Grinder and Nitro Circus there were the comics-inspired Superman, Batman, Iron Man and Spiderman, the quirky El Toro Loco and Taz and the downright weird Monster Mutt (complete with floppy ears and tail) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

The event itself was launched with typical American razzmatazz – a spectacular fireworks display and a flypast by four jet airplanes!

Then the trucks roared into action. The first half of the show consisted of straightforward one-on-one races with each winner progressing to the next round.

The trucks hurtle parallel to each other on opposite sides of the arena at speeds of up to 70mph before slamming on the brakes, turning to face each other then turning back in the direction they’d come and storming side by side through the centre of the course, over obstacles and towards the finishing tape.

Each race takes less than a minute but is packed with crashes, smashes and photo finishes.

At the end of four knockout rounds the winner is – Grave Digger! Must have been the way I warmed up the engine for the triumphant driver Dennis Anderson!

The show’s second half is freestyle with vehicles that are still in one piece after the races getting 90 seconds to impress six judges who award points out of ten for driving skill and daring.

Obstacles to be negotiated by the trucks include 12 foot high mounds of solid earth, crushed cars, trucking containers and even a cement mixer, a large pool of water and tall rock walls.

Twenty two trucks take part, one after another, but none of the first seven survive for the full 90 seconds, either crashing or suffering malfunctions like broken wheel axles or flat tyres.

Monster Mutt is declared the winner after a frantic minute and a half which saw driver Charlie Pauken push the truck to breaking point, flinging it over walls, crushed vehicles and, finally, onto its side.