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Anyone who’s walked away from a car accident can attest that it’s an experience they’d likely wish to forget.

Destruction derby drivers are different. Not only do they put themselves in harm’s way, but they seek the most direct path to it.

Patterson native Kyle Guido is no exception.

Guido fired up his 1983 Lincoln Town Car on Saturday, competing in the Los Banos May Day Demolition Derby.

Guido —after months of eager preparations — nearly missed his opportunity to compete Saturday.
The young driver and his pit crew noticed and then repaired a last-minute problem with his vehicle just minutes before the derby’s start.

“We had a slight electrical problem,” Guido said. “We had to rewire the starter solenoid to the coil. We freaked out, realizing that we had only two options — we could either get the problem fixed or we could go directly into the consolation round. Thankfully, we got it taken care of right as we were getting ready to go in.”

Guido’s crew — Chris Tennis, Jeremy Jackson, Rick Edwards, Jake Smith, Jake Martinez and Keith Roper — are lifelong supporters of the Patterson High School graduate.

“I can’t ask for much more than my team,” Guido said. “There is never any ‘I’ involved. It’s always a team effort in every aspect.”

The first heat of the competition took an early toll on Guido’s ride.

The Town Car, emblazoned with the number 69, came away minus a bumper and plus a busted radiator. A giant plume of smoke rose from the front end of Guido’s auto, signifying the damage that was to come.

“The welds on my bumper didn’t hold,” Guido said. “One driver’s hit completely knocked my radiator out. After that, it was all bad news.”

Guido — driving in his third destruction derby — faced several seasoned veterans during Saturday’s competition. Renowned derbyists like the Holt brothers — four siblings who constitute a dynasty in the Central Valley — all took aim at the 19-year-old at the drop of the flag.

“Competing against established drivers just motivated me to step up my game,” Guido said. “I learned how to adapt myself to different scenarios on hand. I need to be able to think on my feet against the more experienced competitors.”

Guido acknowledged that each driver has his or her own secrets and strategies that. Still, he said that there is a strong sense of camaraderie between the various teams.

Entering the consolation round with a beaten-up automobile presented several obvious challenges.
Team Guido completely cut the car’s right-front quarter panel off, further exposing the vehicle. The car’s frame had also suffered trauma, eliminating the possibility of making a right turn.

With only 30 minutes between races, the crew once again did its best to prepare the ride for one final date with destruction.

Guido’s car chug-a-lugged its way to certain danger almost immediately.

“I couldn’t turn my car off, because I knew that it wouldn’t start again,” Guido said. “My teammates began setting wagers as to how long the car would last.”

Seven blows to the car’s body later, the vehicle caught on fire.

The race was temporarily red-flagged in an attempt to put out the flames.

Unable to see out of the front windshield — his hood had buckled from a hit and obstructed his view — Guido pressed forward.

He never saw what was coming.

“A driver came all the way across the arena and just hit me head-on,” Guido said. “We were both going right at each other and he hit me square. I never saw him coming. My chin hit the steering wheel.
“I’ve seen pictures of me taking my helmet off. I don’t really remember doing it.”

The collision earned Guido a trip to the emergency room.

“The nurse recommended that I see a doctor,” Guido said. “I didn’t want to wait two hours to see a doctor, so I told her that I would go home and return if I needed to.”

Following the derby, Guido’s car is about three or four feet shorter, a far cry from the sleek auto he first set his eyes upon just a season ago.

Still, he realizes that the damage to his Lincoln is repairable — a collision of greater magnitude could’ve caused injuries that the young athlete may not have been able to walk away from.

“I’m just glad that I’m alive,” he said. “If I wouldn’t have had my chin strap on, I probably would have broken my jaw.”

Guido next straps in at the Stanislaus County Fair in July and shows no signs of slowing down from there. He admits that he’s chosen a dangerous pastime, but it’s one that he remains passionate about.

“This is an adrenaline rush,” Guido said. “If I didn’t have this much adrenaline in me, than I probably wouldn’t do this. I am constantly thinking about what I want to do and what I want to accomplish. I’m thinking about who I want to hit and where I want to hit them. I’m out there having fun, doing something that I like to do.”

To reach Marc Aceves at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at marc@
pattersonirrigator.com