Disappointing Derby

Derby 2007 was a new experience. We came from a well-run, well-attended derby in the heartland up to this one where we currently live. This county was ranked in the top ten richest counties in the United States within the last 5-10 years. So their county fair's derby turned out to be disappointing. For numerous reasons.

Let's get a good look at them:

1. The inspection was a joke, which is fine for our guys who only ever have one or two things that could be questionable on their cars. Pushing the limits, as it were. Never have they been blatant cheaters.
2. There were only 18 cars. That's near pathetic. When you break down the winners from each heat (3 heats with 3 winners each) and the 2 winners of the consolation heat, 11 of 18 drivers were in the finale.
3. We were told to go really early because the derby sells out and it's so popular and we needed good seats, blah blah blah. There was still adequate seating an hour and a half after we got there and the derby started.
4. It seemed like the driver's safety was compromised two-fold: the crappy inspections coupled with a concrete barrier "berm." Seriously. I am not comfortable with any driver hitting a concrete wall at 20-30mph. Or getting sandwiched against the same wall when a driver hits him at 30mph. Does that seem safe?
5. C won "Prettiest Car" along with some other guy. Good god - it's a derby. And his trophy has "Heat Four Winner" engraved on it. Because there weren't enough cars for a fourth heat.
6. Oh yeah, there were blatant cheaters. Two. And another seven or eight regular cheaters. Cheater being defined as a driver that breaks the clearly outlined rules that prohibit modifications that make his car invincible. Violations that should have be caught by the inspectors that were obviously dumber than shit and don't care to run a fair derby. We won't be back.

So what happened to make me angry? Well, with the presence of cheating, my boys never stood a chance. Bossman J was up first in the second heat and he did great for a rookie. He drove well and strong, but got his front end damaged. It was also rather obvious that he was ganged up on. So be it. C was in heat three. He lasted a little over a minute due to racing diagonal across the arena and smashing into a car lined up hood first (typical stance: hood to the berm/wall, use the back end to crash and protect the engine/radiator). When he came back, this car hit his back end so hard that it broke the frame. And C was done. That guy's hood/front end NEVER crumpled and he used it for all of his hits. He won the derby with minimal damage and usually that just doesn't happen. Can you guess? He had, the boys guess, about 20 hours of welding under the hood to reinforce the front end with steel, sheet metal, and the like. We should have known something was fishy when the announcer said "Whether they're right or they're wrong, judging stands."

For comparison sake, the derby we left revels in turning cars away because they don't meet inspection standards. Doesn't matter if you're the inspector's brother - if you're car doesn't comply, you aren't driving it in the derby. Inspections take more than ten minutes. The derby officials actually do something about driver's door hits. You can't leave this derby and go drive in another one because this one will destroy your car. Drivers shake hands after heats and help one another out in the pits when needed. If someone is cheating, everyone knows who it is and stays away. Even the good 'ol boys who've known one another for forty years don't team drive. But they will rail on big talkers.

It was just disappointing. More so, when we realized neither C, nor bossman J were going to make it into the consolation round. But, we had fun in the stands before we were informed of the cheating and such. The compact cars were a lot of fun to watch slam into each other. Big E and K came and had fun I think. AM's brothers seemed to really enjoy it and both my parents and C's parents made it and had some fun. The video is really short.

Otherwise, back to whistling the same old tune - I do not feel well. I have some new pains that started at the derby and they've been coming and going ever since. I'm exhausted and the weight of my body is heavy, as are my eyelids. Raise your hand if you think I should go to the doctor. Yeah, me too. The thought of another doctor makes me want to puke though. Or that could be nausea - I can't tell.