Sarah Spina-Matthews & Suzanne HaileyNorth West
/Suzanne HaileyA monster truck driver has said having his daughter follow in his footsteps and start driving alongside him was the “best feeling in the world”.
Tony Dixon, has been performing and competing in his massive Swamp Thing truck for over two decades, and now his 22-year-old daughter Georgina has joined him in the arena.
The father-daughter duo are the headline act at this weekend’s Truckfest North West at Cheshire Showground in Knutsford, and have been taking turns to do stunts in the 12ft (3.65m) 4×4 vehicle.
Tony, 53, said Georgina had been driving monster trucks full time as a job for a year, “and to tell the truth she does better jumps than I do sometimes”.
Monster truck drivers use the behemoth vehicles to show off stunts and race competitively in a sport that is less common in the UK than in the US.
Although it might seem dangerous to most, Georgina said she had grown up with the motorsport and started driving for fun before it became her full-time job.
She said: “It’s a dream job definitely, loads of people want to do it and I’m lucky enough that I have the ability to do it.
“I never expected all the little girls to come up to me and say ‘I look up to you so much’.”
The pair do stunts and jumps in the truck that have the same impact on the driver as being in a car crash, meaning they each have their own custom seats and other safety equipment.
“Because I’m getting a little bit older, I’m 53, I can see me doing it for probably about another 10 years and I’ve already got aches and pains,” Mr Dixon said.
He said: “To get your daughter living her dream through me is the best feeling in the world.”