Farmers take on the demolition derby
Two farmers are about to take on a different sort of race and it is far removed from a cattle race.
Roger Dettling and Michael Stratton are gearing up to compete in the revamp of what used to be the team’s demolition derby at Ferndene Speedway.
This is the first time Stratford has held this event and the pair, who are Central Taranaki Young Farmers members, are looking forward to the night.
‘‘I’m getting excited. It’ll be a massive night,’’ Stratton said.
Stratford Speedway President Richard Kettle said years ago this sort of race was held at Ferndene Speedway in Egmont Village, but when it shut down people began asking Stratford to run one.
‘‘The committees have finally agreed that we’re going to run one there. We think it’s going to be a good thing for spectators and everyone,’’ Kettle said.
The farmers said an eager crowd of up to 5000 or 6000 people was expected to cheer on competitors.
He described the event as very similar to a stock car or a super stock teams race.
‘‘It’s the same type of thing, but it’s in a demolition derby style.’’
A well thought-out strategy and reliable cars are the key to winning the teams event.
Stratton said it was totally different to a normal demolition derby where the last man standing wins.
Dettling agreed.
‘‘You have a team of five drivers and six cars, with the sixth one being a spare,’’ he said.
‘‘The aim is to block and ram the opposing team’s cars so your lead driver can make it across the finish line first.’’
Kettle said there were two teams on the track at once and six teams all up involved in the event.
‘‘One team’s basically got to stop the other team from finishing first,’’ he said.
Stratton said drivers are often forced to carry out repairs between races to fix damage.
‘‘The idea is not to bang your car up too much because there are several races,’’ he laughed.
‘‘But we have spare tyres and radiators just in case we need them.’’
The farmers had a lot of preparation for the event, and had been busy stripping and adding bits to their cars ahead of the big race.
Competitors from across the North Island are expected to be at the event on April 1.