We want to acknowledge and congratulate the family of Mark Gilbert on his induction into the Australian Monster Truck Hall of Fame, forming part of our inaugural class. Mark’s unwavering enthusiasm for motorsports began in the latter half of the 1960s and continued to grow as he began competing in Motocross and Solo Speedway before moving over to Speedcars and later to Sprintcars.

In 1986, Gilbert would enact the return of speedway to Wayville showgrounds, 52 years after the last speedway event was held at the venue. From then on, he worked tirelessly as an advocate for and promoter of motorsport events in South Australia, irrespective of the discipline. As Mark’s career progressed and he retired from the competitive Sprintcar scene, he began working with monster trucks and partnered with different promoters and owners over the late 1990s and early 2000s to host these events in Adelaide.

As his interest and involvement in the sport grew, he would eventually purchase the iconic Monster Patrol, which initially debuted as Boogey Van in the United States some 15 years prior, and began competing in events. It was behind the wheel of this historic truck that Mark would gain his reputation as a pillar of the Australian monster truck community. Renowned for his heavy right foot and drive to put on world-class shows, his efforts in promoting, managing, and competing within the annual monster truck event at Wayville (Adelaide) Showgrounds for well over twenty years regularly drew in capacity crowds. With many being recognised as some of the best events in the country.

Mark’s consistent dedication to developing and promoting monster truck events saw him not only compete in various shows across the nation but drastically improve show quality and humbly carry the legacy of the Monster Patrol name in Australia. All of which makes him one of our proud inductees into the Australian Monster Truck Hall of Fame.