Demolition derby is a motorsport usually presented as a comedic attraction at county fairs and festivals in the USA.
While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of 10 or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehicles into one another. The last driver whos vehicle is still operational is awarded the winner.
Demolition derby can be very dangerous, but serious injuries are rare. To make the event safer, all glass is removed from the vehicle, and deliberately ramming the driver's-door area is usually forbidden. Most demolition derbies are held on dirt tracks or open fields that are usually soaked to become muddy to further slow the vehicles. Drivers use the back end of the vehicle to ram to protect the engine compartment from damage.
Most demolition derby competitors are amateurs, though some professional teams tour events. Competitors have traditionally used junked full-size American sedans, especially those from the 1960s and 70s, which were larger, heavier, and had more robust frames than later full-size vehicles. (The mid-1960s Chrysler Imperial achieved near legendary status for its crashworthiness, and is still banned from several derby events.) Vehicles are purchased from junkyards and private owners, usually for less than $500. A vehicle may be patched up and re-used for several derbies.
With the dwindling availability of these older vehicles, smaller full-sized vehicles of the 1980s are more frequently encountered today. Vehicles from the 1990s and later are thusfar rarely used as their more complex engine emisions controls are difficult or impossible to re-tune for derbying. A separate class of demolition derby for compact cars is increasing in popularity. Compact car events have the advantages of an abundant supply of useable vehicles, which also tend to be more mobile and thus, more entertaining to fans. However, this increased speed, coupled with the fact that compact cars tend to be less crashworthy, makes injuries more frequent.
Larger vehicles such as pickup trucks and SUVs are rarely used in demolition events. School bus demolitions are a notable exception.
The vehicles are stripped of interior fixtures and glass, and repainted, usually in loud, garish designs.
Additional modifications include trimming sheet metal from around the wheel wells, welding the doors shut, relocating the battery, and occasionally cutting an escape hatch in the roof. In many instances, roll bars, fire extinguishers, and other safety equipment is installed.
History
Demolition derbies were first held at various fairs and race tracks by independent promoters in the 1950s. There are unconfirmed reports of events occurring as far back as the 1930s.
The sport's popularity grew throughout the 1960s, becoming a standard of county fairs in rural areas, and becoming a quirky subculture nationwide. ABC's Wide World of Sports, featured demolition derbies on several broadcasts in the 1970s. The popular ABC sitcom Happy Days included the character Pinky Tuscadero , a professional demolition derby driver and occasional love interest to the show's most popular character, Arthur Fonzarelli.
By the 1980s, the sport's popularity began to level off, and then possibly decline throughout the 1990s. With the demise of Wide World of Sports, television exposure became virtually non-existent. 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 of giant lumbering cars sloshing through mud.
In the 2000s, a proliferation of cable television shows about vehicle customizing occasionaly showcased junked vehicles in bizarre competitions. Spike TV's "Carpocalypse " [1] was a reality documentary series on variations of demolition derby filmed in Orlando, Florida. The cable TV exposure has led to renewed interest in demolition derbying.
Demolition derbies in Europe
The large amounts of motor oil, gasoline, and other chemicals spilled into the ground, and unfiltered vehicle exhaust released into the air at derbies prompted several European countries to enact environmental legislation that effectively banned the events, just as the sport was beginning to establish itself there.
Great Britain has been an exception to this trend. British "banger races" (known as enduro races in the USA) differ from American derbies in that drivers actually attempt to turn laps on a race track, while also trying to knock the other competitors off the track. The events often climax with an American style derby, with the last driver whose car is still functional awarded the victory.
Rollover competition
Also included at many 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 easier than lager vehicles.
Figure 8 racing
Various classes of vehicles have competitions staged on figure 8 shaped tracks. While many figure 8 racers are serious competitors who try to avoid crashing, demolition derby vehicles - especially school buses - occasionally compete on figure 8 tracks. The best known figure 8 track in the US is Riverhead Speedway in Riverhead, New York.
Monster truck racing
Junked vehicles are also destroyed for entertainment at monster truck competitions, so demolition derbies are often staged there as a preliminary event. The rise in popularity of monster truck competitions, beginning in the 1980s is sometimes cited as coming at the expense of demolition derby popularity. While derbies featured mostly local amateur talent, monster trucks popularized a new set of competitors and vehicles recognized nationwide by fans.
Demolition derby simulators
is a demolition derby simulator made by Atari for the Xbox game console.
External links
PBS report on demolition derby history
UK banger racing webpage
