MONSTER TRUCKS: Sunday evening was the setting for monster truck madness, as a packed crowd gathered at Bassett Park to watch members of Ace Fireworks, Brendon Harper and Kerry Dorman crush cars and catch air.

The two trucks, Scruffy and Spirit of Australia, proved to be a hit with the crowd, the air was filled with the sound of raucous engines and loud applause.

Both vehicles took it in turns to launch themselves over a line of vehicles that had been especially set up for the evening's entertainment.

Earlier in the day, the drivers had been giving children rides around the grounds and let them climb over each of the massive wheels while the trucks sat idle.

Kerry Dorman, driver of Scruffy, was excited with how the afternoon unfolded.

"I was really happy with the drive today, we had a little bit of a fuel problem with Scruffy but we seemed to get it fixed so it was good to end the show on a good note,” Dorman said.

The trucks run on a 454 big block engine and a three-speed powerglide gearbox. They can produce an astronomical amount of grunt, but will rarely reach their maximum potential.

"They both carry about 1100 horsepower, but we don't use that much as the tyres aren't balanced, otherwise it would shake your teeth out before you get to that speed.”

While the vehicles are worth about $70,000 each, mechanical parts are often expensive and hard to replace - each shock absorber is worth about $10,000.

For Mr Dorman, who has been in the industry for eight years, he just does it for the kids.

"I love being able to put a smile on their face.”