Stadium Super Trucks Racer Spotlight: Blade Hildebrand

Blade Hildebrand is a 19-year-old racer from Yucca Valley, California. A high-school football player, he began racing at age 4 in mini moto, go-karts, and BMX. He was selected to participate in the KTM Jr, Super Cross challenge in 2007. Well known to off-road racing, he has competed in Class 5 unlimited, where he earned a SNORE championship, as well as Class 10, and new for 2018, in the 6100 truck class. He has also raced non-winged sprint cars, and Pro Lite trucks in the Lucas Oil series.

Blade Hildebrand flying his Class 10 car in the desert.

“It’s pretty cool to be a local boy here this weekend as SST travels all over the world,” says Hildebrand. “I have a good fanbase coming out here; I raced Pro Lites here as well. Shelly (Sheldon Creed) and I grew up racing dirt bikes here at Glen Helen. It brings back a lot of great memories. It’s a huge difference going from dirt to pavement. It’s big. On pavement you have to be a little more conservative. You have to hit your marks every single corner. Dirt is a little more forgiving for sure. It’s going to be tight, fun racing.”

When asked about racing the trucks on pavement, Hildebrand replied, “Driving on three wheels is a cool feeling you can’t really get anywhere else. If you are on three wheels, you know you are pushing it; it’s an adrenaline rush. If you can do that and hit your marks, you’re going fast. It’s a great feeling. Robby did a great job building these trucks. The SST trucks are loaded with good equipment and the Toyo tires really hook up in the dirt, and on pavement.

“Qualifying is a big deal because you get points for qualifying well,” commented Hildebrand. “Qualifying up front lets you pick your starting gate for the land rush start, so it’s important.”

Blade Hildebrand debuted his new 6100 truck at the BITD Laughlin Desert Classic.

About the author

Mike Ingalsbee

For more than two decades, Mike Ingalsbee has worked as an automotive writer and photographer and covered just about everything that burns fuel or throws dirt. His writing and photography has been published in over 20 magazine titles and websites in North America, Europe and Australia. He has worked as a design engineer for several manufacturers in the automotive aftermarket and is a founding member of the Association of Motorsports Media Professionals, (AMMP), an organization that consults with racing sanctioning bodies on safety and media issues.
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