People crave destruction, according to veteran derby competitors, and a taste of destruction is exactly what spectators got at Glendon's annual Derby Daze on Aug. 11.
Jim Johnston, who drove #8 in Glendon, has been competing in derbies for more than 40 years and said the “competitiveness” is what keeps bringing him back year after year.
“My brain keeps telling me, ‘Yeah, you can do it!' but my age keeps telling me, ‘Hey buddy, you better start thinking about backing down,' ” said Johnston. Somehow, the derbies always find a way to draw him back in.
Johnston reflects that anyone could potentially get hooked on derby racing, saying, “People like to see things destroyed; it's just human nature. You're going down the highway and you see a bad accident, what are people doing? Everybody's rubber necking, they just have to see the carnage and destruction.
“Nine out of ten new drivers, you put them in there once and they're hooked. It's such a rush. It is so much fun and it's the thrill of destroying other vehicles.”
Irene White, one of the derby organizers, said 2,460 people attended the demolition derby and mud bog. After a few good rains and Saturday's hot and sunny afternoon, the weather made the perfect recipe for a great event, with White hailing the day as a success.
“We have 16 cars (in the derby) and one of the cars is a raffle car,” she explained, stating this number is up three from last year.
There were five mini cars, one down from last year, and 22 trucks that competed from across the province. As for the mud bog, 26 trucks competed, which is down from 34 last year.
For the derby, first prizes were $2,000; second were $1,000 and third were $300.
This year, the raffled mini car placed first, driven by Chris Hyde. Will Hebb followed behind in second. Hebb won Best Dressed Mini.
Wayne Cardwell won first place for the trucks and also won Myles Cotton's Most Aggressive Driver Overall Award. He was followed by Ole Lotsberg in second place and Derek Cote in third, who also won the Redneck Trophy. Chase Burshtinski won Best Dressed Truck.
Joe Johnstone won first place in the cars, followed by Kyle Nendze and David Pattison in third. Justin Catudal won Best Dressed Car.
As for the mud bogs, the first place winners received $1,000. Second received $500 and third received $150.
First place in the stock division went to Dean Gamache, who also won the title Stock King of the Hill. He was followed by Shane Kotovich in second. Third place went to Steve Wychopen.
In the modified divison, Gilles Lord won first, who won the title Modified King of the Hill as well as the Ted Cardwell Biggest Air Memorial Award. He was followed by Chris Hanson in second and Arnon Thompson in third.
