Moira demolition derby raises money for North Lawrence Fire and EMS
Mar. 7—MOIRA — Last car standing.
Those were the words of the day Saturday when a demolition derby was held at Snyder's Motorsports in Moira as a fundraiser for North Lawrence Fire and EMS.
"They take junk cars off the road and strip them down," Jamie St. Mary said.
Dubbed the "North Lawrence Fire & EMS Winter Derby," it was a smash 'em, crash 'em afternoon of action. As the retrofitted junk cars rammed each other, spectators wearing toques, gloves and face masks to guard against temperatures in the teens lined up for the best view on a large snowbank that surrounded the track.
Mr. St. Mary has been running demolition derbies as fundraisers for about 25 years. It's the sixth year he's organized it for the North Lawrence Fire and EMS.
"They line them up and smash the car until the last guy is standing. It's a lot of fun," he said. "This is like one of five or six shows I'm going to put on this year."
He said about 50 vehicles were entered for the competition, which consisted of several heats for different classes of vehicles throughout the afternoon.
Drivers were required to maneuver their cars forward to hit another car within one minute from their last hit or they would be disqualified, but no deliberate driver door hits were allowed. Sandbagging was also a no-go. That's when a driver may hit other cars weakly or avoid contact with other cars to lessen the damage to their cars to ensure better odds of surviving to win the derby as the last car running.
Klane Russell was among the competitors. He's been participating for about six years, using cars that have been picked up in junkyards and retrofitted specifically for smashing other cars. This was the second time he had participated in the North Lawrence Fire and EMS fundraiser.
"My family has done it for years," he said.
Speaking to the participants before the first heat, Mr. St. Mary's stressed safety.
"I don't care who wins the derby. Your safety is my number one concern. Read the rules. They were posted. It's for your safety," he said.
Among the rules — all glass, airbags, chrome, lights, carpet, headliners, back seat, Fiberglass and headlight header panels had to be removed. Rear seats and deck lids had to be removed from station wagons.
One battery was allowed per car and could be moved anywhere under the hood or the passenger side front floor board. It also had to be in a metal box bolted to the passenger floor if it was moved inside the car.
No factory gas tanks were allowed inside the vehicle. All stock gas tanks had to be removed unless they were in front of the rear axel from the factory. They also had to be secure, with no movement, and no gas tank protectors or guards were allowed.
All vehicles had to be on the inspection line one hour before the start of the event to ensure they were safe. And then the fun was on.
"If it wasn't for you guys, we wouldn't have a fundraiser," Mr. St. Mary told the participants.
