By Chris Buerck, 5 Star Radio
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A few Clarksville residents have created an outlet for road rage.
The 2015 Clarksville Demolition Derby will be featured in the fair this summer, but registration is open now and teams have already started gutting sedans and retrofitting pickup trucks to prepare them for several rounds of running into other cars in the mud.
In a demolition derby, teams buy, gut, and rebuild cars to make them sturdy and safe. They don helmets and then crash into each other in an organized game of last man standing – or rather last car running.
It’s cage fighting for cars.
The Demolition Derby has been a part of the fair for a few years, but organizers were going to cancel it due to lack of interest. That’s when Tanner Gilbertson stepped in.
Gilbertson said he’d seen the low turnout and understood why they would consider replacing the event, but he wanted to see it continue. Ultimately, he said, because he wanted to drive in it.
“Really it’s more of an outlet on basic road rage,” he said. “How many times do you get cut off and you’re like I want to hit that person with my car.”
The 2015 Demolition Derby has three classes of cars: full size, compact and truck. Entry is only $40 and the deadline is April 1.
Photo courtesy of Whiskey Tango Demolition Derby Team
According to Gilbertson, finding a car is the hardest part. After that, it’s just a matter of stripping the car – gut the interior, removing all seats, trim and dashboard parts; take everything off the outside; take out all the glass.
“I basically take it down to an engine, transmission and gutted interior,” he said. “It is a process, but it’s all for fun.”
His team, Whiskey Tango Demolition Derby team, plans to have a vehicle in all three categories.
The rules for each class include a list of preparation notes to tell teams what to do and what not to do. Rules and entry forms can be found at the event website. The group’s Facebook page has tips and lists local cars for sale that would fit in each category.
Photo courtesy of Whiskey Tango Demolition Derby Team