Seven-and-a-half tonnes. Sixteen feet tall. And about to flatten a perfectly good car.
Big Pete and the Grim Reaper are returning to Dorset County Show this September – and we spoke to the man behind the wheel about what it’s actually like to drive one of these monsters.
There are certain things you expect to find at a traditional county show. Prize cattle, immaculate sheep, heavy horses, tractors and the odd exceptionally competitive vegetable. A 7.5-tonne monster truck flattening a car is possibly less traditional.
But on 5th and 6th September, Big Pete and the Grim Reaper will be back at the Dorset County Show, where the pair will be jumping, crushing cars and generally causing carefully controlled destruction in the NFU Mutual Dorchester Main Ring.
Big Pete stands an extraordinary 16ft tall and 12ft wide. Alongside him is the rather sleeker Grim Reaper – lighter and more agile, with even a hint of sparkle in the bodywork, though considerably less delicate once there is a car in its path.
Behind both machines is Michael Murty, one of the UK’s most experienced monster truck drivers. When Dorset Life spoke to Michael ahead of the trucks’ last appearance at the County Show in 2023, we discovered that driving enormous vehicles is very much a family business.
‘I come from a second generation of motorsport fanatics, drag racers and motorbike stunt riders,’ he told Tracie Beardsley. ‘My father and my brother did it. It’s a family thing and very much in our blood.’
In fact, Michael started unusually young. At six years old he was already driving a ten-tonne tipper truck around the disused airfield where his father practised drag racing.
‘I think I’ve driven most forms of vehicles,’ he said.
From America to a Dorset showground
Monster trucks have their roots firmly in American motorsport. During the 1970s, heavily modified trucks were being used for mud bogging and tractor pulling, before increasingly enormous tyres – and increasingly spectacular performances – transformed them into an entertainment phenomenon.
Big Pete and the Grim Reaper themselves also began life in the USA, but the machines Dorset audiences see today are very much Michael’s creations.
‘They are both completely my own creation – a hybrid of USA and UK that I’ve rebuilt and rebranded,’ he told us. ‘The work is never finished – owning monster trucks is very much a labour of love.’
He has owned five over the years, but says these two have been adapted specifically for green-field entertainment.
Even their names have American roots. Grim Reaper is a nod to Grave Digger, one of the best-known monster trucks in the sport, while Big Pete is based on the style of truck made famous by American manufacturer Peterbilt. There is, however, an alternative explanation for the Grim Reaper.
‘I joke and say Grim Reaper is named after one of my ex-girlfriends…’ Michael said.
An assault on the senses
From the safety of the crowd, watching a monster truck launch itself into the air or drive over a line of cars is noisy, spectacular fun. From the driver’s seat, apparently, things are rather less comfortable.
‘It’s loud and extremely intense. An assault on your senses,’ Michael told us.
And despite those enormous tyres, don’t imagine a beautifully cushioned ride.
‘The suspension has to be extremely hard because the truck is so heavy. The visibility is also limited. I always need a long, hot bath afterwards, and a deep tissue sports massage!’
Life on tour doesn’t really provide either – Michael and the team can spend six months of the year travelling and living in caravans.
‘So all I’ve actually got is a shower!’
Twenty-three years after he first entered the monster truck business, Michael will bring Big Pete and the Grim Reaper back to Dorchester this September, where their appearances – sponsored by Evans & Pearce – will headline the Main Ring programme on both days.
And if monster trucks aren’t quite your thing, there is plenty of more recognisably agricultural County Show territory elsewhere.
Thousands of animals are expected across the showground, including cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, poultry and alpacas, alongside blacksmithing, food and drink and the many competitions, displays and attractions that fill the two-day show. The Wurzels will be headlining the music stage on Saturday night.
But when a 16ft monster truck fires up in the Main Ring, we suspect even the most dedicated livestock enthusiast might find themselves wandering over to see what all the noise is about.
Dorset County Show takes place in Dorchester on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September 2026. Advance tickets are currently £21 for adults and £2 for children, with the advance discount ending on 30th August from dorsetcountyshow.co.uk
