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| Destruction derby a mixed bag for local competitors |
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| Written by John Saiz | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Friday, 01 August 2008 | |
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Keith Yamamoto stood on top of his 1965 Chysler, arms raised triumphantly after the consolation heat of Monday’s destruction derby. Metal wreckage lie on the ground, as the violent scream of engines tore through the arena’s smoky air.  Photos by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Yamamoto’s car was one of the few to drive away under its own power following the mayhem at one of the Stanislaus County Fair’s most popular events. He pumped his fist from the driver’s seat as he exited. The pit crew quickly began repairs to the vehicle, certain he would move on to the final heat. But not long after Yamamoto’s confident exit, team members would be crying foul to the scorekeeper and Yamamoto would be angrily removing his coveralls. He had fallen short of the fifth-place finish he needed to advance for a shot at a $1,000 first-place purse. He was the West Side’s last and best chance to get a driver into the final heat in a year that saw more locals in the derby then ever before. Yamamoto never even bothered to find out which place the judges awarded him. “One through five is all that matters,” he said.  Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator The derby is one of the fair’s largest attractions. Hundreds packed into Food Maxx Arena to witness the four qualifying heats and finale. Motor oil lubricated the cars. The crowd was lubricated with nacho cheese, chili and Bud Light. For those uninitiated to destruction derbies, the experience is akin to carnival bumper cars, only with American muscle cars. After several minutes of cars crashing into one another in a barricaded arena, the round ends and judges select the winners based on the damage they caused. Competitors can spend months and thousands of dollars turning junkers into durable beasts. Then they take the results of those countless hours and crash them over and over again. Monday night, several cars burst into flames and a few others ended up on their sides. The bigger the flames grew, the louder the crowd cheered. Eight locals joined this year’s competition, according to the derby’s program. Their success varied. One entered the arena, only to have the car give out before the opening horn sounded. Announcers played “Another One Bites the Dust” as Jake Smith in car 139 from Patterson tried in vain to get going. Others were right in the thick of it. Patterson’s Nick Gustafson and his 1973 Pontiac delivered and received heavy damage during heat two of Monday’s event. Soon after the start of the round, Gustafson’s rear end had been smashed almost into the back seat. But even with limited mobility, Gustafson continued to hound the competition, laying several good hits.  Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator But it wasn’t enough for the judges to send him to the final round, which left his pit crew scrambling to repair the car and get it ready for the consolation heat. Most of the West Side drivers had similar results to Gustafson’s — good effort, but not one a top finisher. The mayhem in the arena could only be matched by the mayhem in the pit. Flaming welding torches, shrieking air guns and sparking metal cutters were in constant use as the derby progressed. The entire scene was chaotic and aggressive, just like the competition. “I didn’t see nothing (while driving),” Yamamoto said. “I was just trying to hit something. Anything moving.” To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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