By Cody Barnes
When looking for a car to smash up and destroy, you might be surprised that it’s a difficult find. Because the cars we run, are just on the line of being “fix-up-able” and steaming for the junk yard. That’s bad news for us, because everyone is looking at that car for their kid who just got their learners permit, for an affordable daily driver, or another derby driver. The biggest problem, that has exploded in the last two years, is the price of cars.
The short answer is…any and all.
For as long as I can remember, the average cost of a derby car has ranged from $300 (a cheap, bare bones, one-race and done) to $1,500 (older, more steel, as many as fifteen races per car).
Can I run anything?
Yes and no. The first thing to do before you are on the prowl for cars is to check the classes and rules at the track you want to run. Chances are, there are tracks that run anything and everything near you, but it can turn into a four or eight-hour drive.
If this is your first derby, that narrows down the car you are looking for, or at least my recommendation on what you run. Depending on the size of the derby there will almost always be a handful of these classes running:
-Chain and Go (My recommendation for beginners)
-Small cars (Chevy Lumina, Pontiac Sunfire, Buick Le Sabre. Etc.) with little to no changes to the structure of the car.
-The only plating (pieces of metal) that is generally allowed is a piece of steel covering the driver’s door for safety. As well as chains or wire used to seal the doors closed.
-This class is the safest and technically “easiest” to win because it boils down to the quality of the manufacturing of the car and the ability of the driver.
-Limited Weld (intermediate skill)
-You are allowed to weld your doors closed and have limited plating.
-Car size varies from small cars like Le Sabres to big cars like Lincolns or Crown Vic’s.
-Full Weld (Advanced Skill)
-Welded doors with much plating and components to defend the engine cradle.
-Big cars, hard hits, generally long run times.
-Outlaw (Extreme Skill)
-Outlaw cars are named as they are, they are generally not allowed to run at many derbies because I have seen people spend $50,000 on outlaw cars to ensure reinforcement and the win.
-Imagine two steel I-beams slamming into each other for a half hour, that’s what an outlaw class is.
-For all the money invested, time, and discomfort of being hit by a freight train every 30 seconds, the prizes can be astronomical. Sometimes up to $100,000
Among these classes there are van and truck classes mixed in. I would place them in the intermediate to advanced category. Drive in any class you wish, but recognize the risks.
So now you know the general type of car, you can run, what class to run, and what to look for. Next time we will talk about what it takes to build a derby car.
Until then, Derby on!
Curious about drivers that drive all the time and enter the advanced competitions? Lets go to the West Coast and see what they have to say. https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-cbpex-fcf1ad