Derby Madness
Ever dream of taking your nearly
broken down car and driving it in a demolition derby? Well,
they do that in Tennessee and Kentucky every summer.
It’s actually much more complicated
than that. The motors that get run are valuable, some worth up
to $10,000. And the drivers are car experts, people who can
get a crippled car back out and on to the mud track with a
jack, a sledgehammer and a blowtorch.
“Derby Madness: The Movie” - now
showing on The Documentary Channel - pulls back the curtain on
competition car demolition driving. It plops you in a bucket
seat and takes you on a ride through a full season of derbies.
Filmmakers John Dudley and William
Middleton introduce the men and women who are determined
enough to make this difficult sport their hobby, revealing how
much work and money they put into it.
Who will accumulate the most points
throughout the season? Who’s going to take home the $5,000
prize at the Big Show? You’ll find out, despite the car fires,
all the crunched metal and busted tires … and even a tornado.
“We had a tornado touch down in
Dover, and it’s comin’ this way, so y’all get ready to take
cover, OK?” the emcee told the crowd.
Mike Weatherford organizes and runs
the “Derby Madness!” circuit. His gruff smoker’s voice and
commanding presence allows him to wrangle and prod drivers
into the mud pit on time. It’s not an easy job. It’s not his
only job either. During the week he runs a muffler shop.
Weatherford inspects cars for
illegal reinforcements before any derby begins. He’s looking
for drivers who double up sections of metal to give drivers an
unfair advantage over other more fragile cars. Sometimes he
discovers a double bumper and has to give the driver the boot.
But much of the time - most of the contestants being expert
mechanics - they’ll find a way to fix the problem and get
right back in line.
"This is what I hear from other towns
and other places,” Weatherford told the group of drivers who
made to the finals. “Y’all want to know why nobody from other
towns come here and derby? Y’all too rough … You guys in this
area are the best of the best.”
Watch this documentary you’ll see
some great driving, how you’d end up lighting a tire on fire,
and why all tailpipes come out of the hood.
Gregory Crofton
* Buy DVD or just Watch trailer
here !!
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