Updated 1 November, 2003
We've all been in similar situations before. You're driving home from work,
trying your best to navigate through traffic like a civilized 
human being when some knuckle-dragger in front of you decides that his
itinerary is more important than yours, cuts you off, and swerves over three
lanes. You wish, just for an instant, that you could take the law into your
own hands and inflict a little sheetmetal damage, just to prove a point.
Welcome to the world of demolition derbies.
Well, maybe I should clarify that. I'm not actually advocating on-highway violence
here, lord knows we already hear too much about road rage from the braying jackasses in the media. But
sometimes you really do need a physical outlet for all that anger, and demolition
derbies are a fantastic way to take 
out your automotive frustrations in a (relatively) safe, controlled, and amazingly
fun forum. In what other sport do you get to clobber your opponents with a 3500
pound weapon?
For those of you unfamiliar with the sport, here's the deal: 8 to 12 specially prepared cars are sealed into a gravel bull pen measuring around 50' by 100', where they try to pummel each other until only one, the winner, is left running. Kind of like a WWE cage match, when you think about it. There are just a few rules in the interest of safety and fair play, although in my experience they tend to be enforced just about as rigorously as in the WWE.
Like any form of competition, those who know more, try harder, have more talent,
and are just plain lucky will rise to the top. You'll always find lazy 
drivers who simply enter the ring and mindlessly hit everything in sight. These
drivers don't make it to the winner's podium. There is definite skill involved
in the preparation and driving of a demo derby, so click around my web site
and learn more.
I live in London, Ontario, and prepare my cars in Haliburton, Ontario (about two hours north of Toronto) [map of both cities]. The derby in which I usually compete is held every year on the August long weekend in a small town 15 miles from Haliburton. I have found this to be one of the better run derbies in my area, although in the past few years participation has been declining as good cars get harder to find. Meanwhile, figure-8 races, using small 4-cyl cars, are starting to gain in popularity.
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