Motor Madness changed the rules from last car running to largest number of offensive hits in a time frame. Live demolition derbies could last indefinitely. Motor Madness derbies were primarily for broadcast and needed to fit into a time frame. In 1997, The Nashville Network (later part of CBS) returned demolition derby to national television in its TNN's Motor Madness series of various motor-sport events. 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. With the demise of Wide World of Sports, television exposure became scarce. By the 1980s, the sport's popularity began to wane. The sport's popularity peaked in the 1970s. Folk-pop singer Jim Croce wrote and sung about the sport in one of his popular songs, "Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)" on his 1972 album, You Don't Mess Around with Jim. The popular ABC sitcom Happy Days included the character Pinky Tuscadero, a female professional demolition derby driver and occasional love interest to the show's most popular character, Arthur Fonzarelli. In 1972, the Los Angeles Coliseum hosted a demolition derby with mint-condition late model cars driven by Mario Andretti, A. Demolition derbies in Australia generally take place at speedways (usually on the opening or closing night of the season), with most cars being older model Australian-made sedans and wagons.ĪBC's Wide World of Sports televised the World Championship Demolition Derby from the mid-1960s until 1992. The derby itself had over 75 entries and lasted for over 100 minutes. Due to the size of the crowd (about twice the venue capacity), the police closed the speedway's gates. In 1963 a reported crowd of 20,000 packed into the Rowley Park Speedway in Adelaide to see Australia's first demolition derby. The popularity of demolition derbies also spread overseas. The sport's popularity grew throughout the 1960s, becoming a standard at county fairs and becoming a subculture nationwide. 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. One source says that Don Basile is often credited with inventing the demolition derby at Carrell Speedway in 1947. The originator of the concept for auto demolition derbies is disputed. There are unconfirmed reports of events occurring as far back as the 1930s utilizing the abundant supply of worn-out Ford Model Ts. Many derbies have local firefighting crews standing by in the arena.ĭemolition derbies were first held at various fairs, race tracks, and speedways by independent promoters in the 1950s. Fire extinguishers are conveniently placed for easy access. Sometimes the action unintentionally spills out of the "crash zone" boundaries. 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. This causes the competition area to become muddy, which helps to slow the vehicles. Most demolition derbies are held on dirt tracks, or in open fields, that are usually soaked with water. The driver's door is often required to be painted white with black numbers or blaze orange, or with contrasting colors, for visibility. 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. Drivers are typically required to sign a waiver to release the promoter of an event from liability. In demolition derbies, serious injuries such as whiplash are rare but they do happen. In the UK and parts of Europe, demolition derbies (sometimes called "destruction derbies") are often held at the end of a full day of banger racing. For example, Australia's first demolition derby took place in January 1963. Demolition derbies originated in the United States and quickly spread to other Western nations. The last driver whose vehicle is still operational is awarded the victory. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehicles into one another. Attendance at the event ranges from 2,000-4,000 spectators.ĭemolition derby is a non-racing motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. This annual event is held on three successive nights each August, with approximately 100 automobiles entered each night. Competition at the West End Fair Demolition Derby, Gilbert, Pennsylvania.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |