The Lorain County Fair came to a close with the sound of sirens and revving engines Aug. 27 as fairgoers took to the stands to watch the annual demolition derby.
Beginning with the youth compact demolition derby, 12 participants took to the muddy track to mesmerize audiences. But for them it was more than just a derby.
“The one word that comes to mind when I think about the derby is adrenaline,” says Mitchell Adams, a 15-year-old from Portage County who took home the crown during the youth compact derby. “It is something that can help relieve all your anger, but it’s also really really fun, too.”
For those that might not be familiar with the sport, demo cars are not your usual run-of-the-mill automobiles. Heavily modified with gas tanks and batteries being secured as well as bumpers removed and door welded shut, the cars look like something out of an apocalypse movie. But the drivers wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It varies on the time to build a car,” says Adams. “Sometimes we can get one done in a week, but other times it takes months to perfect it so that when it gets banged up it still runs.”
But for Adams and many other youth drivers, there is also the comradery that makes the derby special.
“I got into the sport because I watched my dad and uncle do it a lot while I was growing up,” says Emma Long, the 13-year-old runner-up in the youth performance. “He has done this since he was my age and it feels great to be doing it now alongside him.”
For the youth competition, drivers ages 12 to 16 without a driver’s license get behind the wheel with a parent or guardian in the passenger seat. From there, the driver is in control and makes it their mission to outlast the other cars participating through a series of crashes, bangs, and drifts.
“Some of these kids aren’t even old enough to drive and yet they are tearing it up out there just as well,” was an often heard phrase throughout the stands.
In addition to having the claim to fame as the last one standing, the winner of the youth derby also received $1,000 from the fair to use as they wish.
“It’s the biggest check I have ever received in both size and amount,” jokes Adams. “I am not quite sure what I am going to do with it yet, but I do know that I am already ready to start preparing for next year’s derby.”
