Demolition derby
Demolition derby is a type of
In demolition derbies, serious injuries such as whiplash are rare but they do happen.[1][2] Drivers are typically required to sign a waiver to release the promoter of an event from liability.[1] At almost all derbies, attempts are made to make the event safer, all glass is removed from the vehicles, and deliberately ramming a driver's-side door area is forbidden.[3] The driver's door is often required to be painted white with black numbers or blaze orange, or with contrasting colors, for visibility.[4][5] Most demolition derbies are held on dirt tracks,[1] or in open fields, that are usually soaked with water. This causes the competition area to become muddy, which helps to slow the vehicles. The part of the vehicle used to ram opponents varies; some drivers use both the front and rear of the vehicle to ram the other competitors, while others tend to use only the rear end of the vehicle to protect the engine compartment from damage.[6]
History
Demolition derbies were first held at various fairs, race tracks, and speedways by independent promoters in the 1950s. There are unconfirmed reports of events occurring as far back as the 1930s utilizing the abundant supply of worn-out Ford Model Ts. The originator of the concept for auto demolition derbies is disputed. One source says that Don Basile is often credited with inventing the demolition derby at the now demolished Carrell Speedway, near Gardena, CA, in 1947.[6] Another source states stock car racer Larry Mendelsohn created the concept for demolition derbies at New York State's Islip Speedway in 1958 after realizing many people favored wrecks to racing.[1]
The sport's popularity grew throughout the 1960s, becoming a standard at county fairs
The sport's popularity peaked in the 1970s.[1] By the 1980s, the sport's popularity began to wane.[1] With the demise of Wide World of Sports, television exposure became scarce. In addition to safety concerns and the shortage of full-size vehicles, some felt that the sport has shown little change or innovation beyond its original premise.
In 1997,
Later in the 2000s (decade), a proliferation of cable television shows about vehicle customizing occasionally showcased junked vehicles in bizarre competitions.
In 2006, the partners of Mike Weatherford Promotions (Mike Weatherford and Dustin Swayne) started DerbyMadness.com while promoting the NAPA Auto Parts Crash for Cash Series. The first annual final show paid out $5,000.00 to the winner of the series. Before competing in the final show, derby drivers across several states had to qualify at any one of the participating NAPA Crash for Cash qualifying derbies. There were over 100 cars in the final show. The series was a success and continues to grow every year. The 2007 series money was doubled, so competition was expected to increase for the 2008 series.
In 2021, Dustin Woods founded Triple D Entertainment and the King of Ohio event (Lima, Ohio) aimed at progressing the sport in the mainstream motorsports world. The focus of the event is to challenge drivers to beat each other through "the format" rather than try to outlast their competition. Cory Roman (Pa) won the inaugural King of Ohio event and $10,000. In 2022 the King of Ohio became the largest individual 1st place prize in the country with a $25,000 pay day collected by Trace Braun of Celina, Ohio. 2023 brought yet another record-setting payday of $26,5000, which JT Hiltibran of Urbana, Ohio collected. 2024 does not look to disappoint as there is a possibility for $50,000 to go to the winner. The event will be held on June 14, 15 and 16 in Lima, Ohio at the Allen County Fairgrounds.
In 2024, the first professional demolition derby organization was founded by a collective group of demolition derby drivers, promoters and parts vendors. This organization is called Demolition Entertainment Motorsports Organization (D.E.M.O.). The first sanctioned D.E.M.O. event is scheduled to be held at Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, TN) in October 2024. This event will feature a "team" format event lasting 4 days and paying out a total purse of over $400,000.
Vehicles
Competitors have traditionally used full-size, American-made
With the dwindling availability of these older vehicles, smaller full-sized vehicles of the late 1980s and 1990s are more frequently encountered today. A separate class of demolition derby for compact cars is increasing in popularity. Compact car events have the advantage of an abundant supply of usable vehicles, which also tend to be more mobile and thus, more entertaining to fans. Being largely front-wheel drive vehicles, their back ends can sustain considerable amounts of damage before the vehicle is immobilized. However, this increased speed, coupled with the fact that compact cars tend to be less crashworthy, makes injuries more frequent.
Other versions of the sport using
The vehicles are stripped of interior fixtures, trim, plastic, lights, and glass.
Popularity
In 2001, the Los Angeles Times estimated that between 150,000 and 225,000 drivers participated in at least one of the 2,000 demolition derbies held in the United States that year.[1] Event purses rose from a pittance of a few hundred dollars to over $50,000 after the popularity of TNN's Motor Madness series.[1]
In 2017 one of the most popular Demolition Derby series is the Tour of Destruction which features School Bus Racing, Trailer Racing, Car Soccer and a large Demolition Derby. These events are viewed by up to 5000 spectators.
Rules
Derbies have many different sets of rules, often pertaining to how much welding can be done to the vehicle, and the class of car (example: compacts, trucks, minivans, full size; some rules are 1980 and newer, etc.).[1] Drivers are often required to be at least 16 years old and hold a valid driver's license. They are required to have seat belt and a helmet, and, depending on sets of rules, roll over bars and cages inside the vehicle.[1] An event usually begins with drivers lined up on the track facing rear to rear, or circling on an oval track.[1] Drivers are usually required to crash into another vehicle every 2 minutes or they are labeled as "sandbagging" and become disqualified. Hitting a driver intentionally in the driver's door and sometimes rolling another car intentionally, are also grounds for disqualification.[1]
When a car is disabled or loses power, the driver is allowed time to restart their engine, usually 30 seconds to a minute, and must be able to move. If the car cannot start and move, the driver is forced to concede and is eliminated from the heat. Most events require a slat of wood with a flag attached to be placed in the front column of the driver door, a judge breaks this to disqualify a driver, or a driver can break it in order to resign. The first and second place finishers of a heat move on to the next heat, in competitions with multiple heats.
Depending on the sanctioning body, it may be illegal for multiple cars to collaborate and gang up on opposing cars in a sandwich effort, and could result in disqualification for both parties that do so; although the enforcement of this rule varies widely. The time it takes for one of these events varies, depending on if the derby being run has multiple heats and feature, or just a single heat, as well as the types of vehicles being demolished (compact car derbies tend to be finished much more quickly than school bus derbies, for example). Normal heats can last anywhere from 10–30 minutes, while an entire event can take place over the span of a few days.[1]
The last running car that makes contact with another driver wins the event.[1] In addition to a winner, most derbies also award a "Best in Show" or "Mad Dog" award to the participant who puts on the most exciting or spectacular performance without winning the derby; this is usually decided by voice vote of the audience. (This is especially true in multiple-heat contests, where the addition of best-in-show provides more contestants for the feature event.)
Rollover competitions
Also included at some demolition derbies in the US and UK are rollover competitions, where the object is to drive a car so that only the wheels on one side hit a ramp, causing the vehicle to roll over repeatedly. Drivers take multiple runs at the ramp until their vehicle dies. The driver who completes the most rollovers before their vehicle ceases to function is declared the winner. Compact cars, especially hatchbacks, are used in rollover competitions. Their lighter weight enables them to roll more easily than larger vehicles. However, with modern high-horsepower unibody sedans and coupes now appearing on salvage lots, some of this conventional wisdom is being questioned and some major competitions have been won by drivers of small size, mid-size and full-size sedans.
Video games
Demolition derby is a popular theme portrayed in video games. While some games aim to be a realistic simulation of real-life derbies, others such as vehicular combat games include gameplay features that would be impossible in real life. Notable demolition derby video games include:
- Auxiliary Power's Demolition Derby and Figure 8 Race
- BeamNG.drive
- Carmageddon, Carmageddon II, Carmageddon: Reincarnation
- Cars 3: Driven to Win
- Crash 'n' Burn (2004 video game)
- The Crew 2, The Crew Motorfest
- Demolition Derby (Bally/Midway 1984 Arcade Game)
- Demolition Derby 4 (Racing Adventure Game Factory)[11]
- Demolition Racer, Demolition Racer: No Exit
- Destruction AllStars
- Arenas
- Dirt: Showdown
- Ultimate Carnage
- Grid Autosport
- Mayhem
- Race Driver: Grid
- Racing Destruction Set
- Rogue Trip: Vacation 2012
- SpongeBob's Boating Bash
- Test Drive: Eve of Destruction / Driven to Destruction
- Twisted Metal (series)
- Wreckfest [12]
- Demolition Derby 2, Demolition Derby 3 (Beer Money Games)
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w MacDonald, Brady (July 21, 2001). "Some Cars' Road to Ruin Leads to O.C. Fair". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
- PMID 15827919.
- ^ a b Orzolek, Jared (August 10, 2008). "Demolition Derby: Fair time also means derby time for drivers". Defiance Publishing, LLC. Columbus Crescent-News. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
- Jaycees Demolition Derby. 2008. Archived from the originalon 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
- ^ a b c "Rules - Demolition Derby 2008". Huntsville Speedway. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-08-13. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
- ^ a b c d Delaney, Bill (April 1999). "Demolition Derby PM Style". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
- ^ "Speedway Net Australian Speedway". Speedway.net.au. 2007-07-02. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "Watch SPIKE TV Shows Online | Full Episodes, Free Video Clips, and Event Coverage". Spiketv.com. Archived from the original on 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
- ^ JM Productions (national sanctioning body) demolition derby rules. Retrieved 2010-07-30. Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
- Evening Observer. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "Demolition derby 4: Android Game". Retrieved 2021-03-29.
- ^ "Next Car Game: Wreckfest on Steam". Store.steampowered.com. 2014-01-14. Retrieved 2015-04-18.