By Cody Barnes
Dip a toe into the derby mud
You have your old high school car sitting in the yard, your significant other is yelling at you to get rid of it but it has sentiment. A ride that nice deserves to be sent out in style. What better way to end the life of your constantly breaking down clunker than by smashing it into other cars! Wait, I can win money too(?)!
Depending on the class of the derby you enter, I have seen people earn several thousand dollars for a single run, however, as a beginner you may be looking at $500. Plus, you aren’t running in a Walmart parking lot, you’ll be out there in the ring with people who have run derbies since they were in diapers and they aren’t keen on going easy on the new guy when money is on the line.
Big rewind, what on earth is a demolition derby??
Sounds simple right? Foot to the floor into another car, and last person standing gets a big cash prize? Well, not exactly. A demolition derby is a big event put on by county fairs, local race tracks, or other event venues where anywhere from three to sixty drivers enter a mud, concrete, or grass ring. Surrounded by tires or concrete barriers, you’ll see four or more people on each
side of the ring with a red (stop) and green (smash it up) flag that are like referees in any other sporting event.
Referees? You mean there are rules? You betcha! Derby may look violent and very random, but to my knowledge and the mighty google, with the proper safety precautions not a single driver has died in the ring in the last 20 years. Injured? Well, that’s a different story, the adrenaline may cover it up, but it’s generally advised not to get into two dozen 15-30 mile-an-hour crashes in under 20 minutes. But don’t worry, I have announced, driven in, and watched derbies for the better part of 20 years and the worst injury I’ve ever seen was a guy had his tooth chipped and a broken nose. Over several hundred derbies, I would say that’s pretty safe.
Check out our next blog where we talk about rules for drivers and how to build your first car!
Till then, Derby On!!
