Madusa Wins 2005 Monster Jam World Finals Racing Championship; First Woman in History Ever to Earn This Title

AURORA, Ill., April 19 -- The 2005 Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas on March 19 will go down in history as having opened new doors for women everywhere. In front of 37,000 fans at Sam Boyd Stadium, Debrah Miceli, better known by her fans as Madusa, became the first woman ever to earn the esteemed Monster Jam World Finals racing championship. A native of Tampa, Miceli captured the title in her Ford F-150 monster truck Madusa. She joins only a small number of females ever to win a major motorsport championship against an almost all-male field of opponents.

Breaking down barriers is nothing new for this femme fatale. Madusa earned worldwide notoriety while wrestling for WWE (formerly WWF) and WCW in the '80s and '90s. In 1999, her career as a monster truck driver began. "It's like a controlled accident," says Madusa of driving monster trucks. Excelling at a rapid rate within the sport, she became a fan favorite around the globe. After winning the Monster Jam World Finals freestyle championship in 2004, she put all of her focus into racing for 2005.

"There's the old way of doing things, but there is also always a way to go faster, and higher. And I found that niche. I sweetened it up if you want to say. I tell people that I put the lipstick on Monster Jam," said Madusa about her win.

Considered to be the ultimate monster truck event by the competitors and spectators, a total of 100-plus challengers spent the entire year battling for the opportunity to compete at the Monster Jam World Finals. Racing monster trucks that exceed 10,000 pounds and travel at speeds of up to 75 mph, Madusa aggressively piloted her way through the brackets beating Destroyer, El Toro Loco, and King Krunch in the semi-finals. That led her into the final round win against her mentor and monster truck legend, Dennis Anderson in Grave Digger.

Besides gaining the adoration of fans, she has also earned the respect of fellow competitors. "Madusa's championship at the finals is well deserved and her results as a monster truck driver over the past 6 years have been phenomenal," said Grave Digger's Dennis Anderson. "This Monster Jam World Finals championship just shows that women can be as competitive as men in the sport of monster truck racing."

"Everything was there," said Madusa upon accepting her trophy. "I wanted it more than anything. Being a woman in a man's world, being a woman in a man's business, I'll tell you one thing ladies -- it isn't easy."

Madusa has been featured on Politically Incorrect, and Regis & Kathy Lee. She's also been featured in magazines such as Marie Claire, Maxim en Espanol, Woman's Own, Femme Fatale, Rides magazine, and Italian publication, Amica, in addition to numerous newspaper articles and other press both in the US and internationally.

Madusa will defend her title on March 25, 2006 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas at the 2006 Monster Jam World Finals.

For more information about Madusa and Monster Jam log on to http://www.ushra.com/ .