Monster Jam driver Bari Musawwir brings Spider-Man to Philly
Before he was given control of a vehicle with tires larger and more expensive than four used cars, Bari Musawwir had exactly zero hours logged behind the wheel.
It all came down to two trucks at Monster Jam's 2012 Young Guns tournament, lurching and belching at the starting line. On the right, "Titan," shaded with the furious yellow of a panicked bee. On the left, "Spider-Man," a pair of super powered eyes glaring from its hood.
When the light turned green, drivers would harness the power of 1,500 horses and send their hulking 10,000-pound beasts forward with unnatural fury. After an endless straightaway, they would turn sharply as the track curled and guided them off a ramp and airborne over the finish line, salvos of flame trumpeting their arrival.
The light turned green.
Spider-Man took the turn a little wide and Titan saw his chance. But Spider-Man remained agile, even in monster truck form. He roared and pivoted with grace he didn't deserve and hit the jump a nanosecond behind his opponent, blasting off the dirt mound and leaving the earth's surface. They were in the air less than three seconds, but it's all the time Spider-Man needed to sling its nose ahead of Titan, bouncing off the finish line and letting the scream of its engine simmer down to a purr.
It would be Spider-Man's closest match of the day. In the semifinals, he was airborne before "Stone Crusher" even hit the jump, and the final saw him crossing the finish line as "Grinder" stalled out during the turn.
Bari Musawwir was all smiles as he hopped out of Spider-Man's cab and ripped off his helmet.
"Four years ago," he said, speaking into as microphone to the adoring crowd, "I was a fan."
Most people have a day when they realize that their professional sports legacy will never extend beyond the stands. Some come to terms with it early, others maintain a delusion for years. But Musawwir's is a rare story that began in the bleachers, continued to the pit, and eventually, thanks to the raised eyebrows of some industry vets, put him behind the wheel of one of the 12-foot monster trucks he so gleefully watched as a child.
"It was always a dream of mine to drive one of these Monster Jam trucks," he said. "Back in '06 when I got the chance to drive, it was kind of surreal for me in the sense that it was like a dream coming true. Just to be given the opportunity to become a driver for somebody who doesn't have any motorsports experience at all is nothing short of amazing."
Yes, it's true. Before he was given control of a vehicle with tires larger and more expensive than four used cars, Musawwir had exactly zero hours logged behind the wheel. Instead, he was invited out of the stands and onto the track after having his driving skills witnessed on the mostly unseen world of the professional R/C circuit.
"I call it one of the best kept secrets in the hobby industry," Musawwir explained. "Most people think, 'Oh, those R/C cars are just toys that you get from Wal-Mart.' But there's world class drivers that drive all over the world in R/C competitions, and that's actually their job.
"Back in the '90s, the hobby grade R/C car came in the box in pieces, so you actually had to follow the instructions to assemble it. You took pride in knowing that you put this piece of machinery together that actually worked and drove," Musawwir said. "It was a pretty neat hobby to get involved with. It kept me busy and there were always new cars coming out, as opposed to now, when most of the hobby grade R/C cars are already built for you."
His first exposure to his future profession came early, as an awestruck six-year-old in the Pontiac Silverdome in 1986. Monster Jam stormed into Michigan and Musawwir's mother made the drive from Cleveland to make sure her young son got his fill of speed and destruction.
He did. And then some.
Musawwir breathed in enough gas fumes to keep him a Monster Jam fan for life. At 11, he had entered the competitive world of R/C racing, even if that world began in his backyard. When he was old enough to start driving cars with his hands on the wheel, he did so in a 1987 Jeep Cherokee. Despite the fire and noise in his future, he managed to avoid the vehicle's total destruction as a teenager.
"You love your first vehicle. You never forget it," Musawwir said. "I fixed it up, I put a lot of stereo equipment in it, of course. I've always been a truck guy. And I'll always remember that truck."
Now, Musawwir makes memories for a new generation of awestruck six-year-olds, preaching that his R/C background clearly had enough overlapping skills with a Monster Jam driver to bridge a successful career from one to the other – that, and a bit of luck.
"I was at the right place at the right time and the right person happened to be there to notice me," Musawwir said. "I try to use that story to inspire other people, young or old, to keep following your dreams, work hard to achieve your goals, no matter what you want to do in life."
Musawwir's dreams will bring him to the Wells Fargo Center for the Monster Jam on October 3-4, where he looks to continue the rather loud, car-crushing journey he began eight years ago.
"I think I've barely scratched the surface," he said. "You're controlling a 10,000 pound truck with 1,500 horse power, so it's a wild ride. You never stop learning when you're driving these trucks."