Desire for Destruction: All-Women Demolition Derby shines at Irvingdale Circuit | KPBS Public Media

2021-11-22 15:40:45 By : Ms. Kitty Ke

The plane crashed and shattered their movement. Demolition Derby reached its heyday in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. But today, Derby appears at county fairs and special events on the Irwindale Speedway, about 30 minutes east of Los Angeles. Tonight, the circuit hosted 13 women and their cars for the Derby reporters. Peter Gill took us to the pit to meet them.

The grand stand of Irwindale Speedway was crowded with thousands of people desperate for destruction. After a whole night of standard races, this means that the car makes a full circle at a very fast speed and the place is full of energy. It feels like Saturday night at the county fair. The air smells like a mixture of marshmallows, electronic cigarettes, smoke oil and real marshmallows. But in the pit at the back of the track, the Derby singers were standing around their car under the lights, bored and nervous. Their friends and family members adjusted the aging rides, Nissan and Honda, Ford and Buick at the last minute. Make sure they can run for the last time. They need to survive 20 minutes of pure driving. hell

The name is Cheryl Haile from Hawthorne, California. Uh, this, they all have checks. The engine lights are still on him because they do come from the junkyard

Except, uh, you know, you also have huge eyelashes on the front

Eye. As you can see, I have. That is my signature.

Each car is equipped with a driver, with a personalized style. They look like a small discount parade

My name is Becca Doyle. I am from Ventura, only a few hours away from the coast. We can draw them as we wish. All the time, my favorite part is decorating them. I like to put a little spark on my car, and then we go to destroy them.

There is a Buick Century painted as a police car. The party patrol is written on it, there is a big red beer ping pong next to it, and there are single glasses on the roof. There is also a car with a furry life-size unicorn head mounted on the roof. You will want to remember this for later use. All this looks like part of the show, art park, funeral.

I always think that someone went to the parking lot to buy this brand new car is really interesting and really excited. They got a brand new car, but they didn't know it. This is the farewell it will get, it will be shattered, and people will watch it. They may have left fond memories in this car. So it will get a farewell from hell.

My name is Nicole Emma and I am from Burbank, California. I was born and raised. And here I am. My second derby, try to win this game

time. What made you want to start doing this?

I have no other crazy things to do. I am not married and have never had children. You just want to hit people on the highway. You can do it here. So released a lot of aggressiveness

In 2019. I was on the 101 highway. I died and stopped the car. A car never stopped and never saw traffic. He hit the back end of my car at a speed of 50 miles per hour. This made me seriously injured, but it also made me suffer a very serious post-traumatic stress disorder in the car.

Doyle tried talk therapy. She tried anti-anxiety drugs. So she had a breakthrough idea to tear down Derby.

I just want to try it. I just want to see if this helps. If I show myself that I might encounter all these additional car accidents and stay away from it and be fine, maybe this will change everything for me. For me, this means the whole world because, as I said, there are very few women in this sport and motorsport. Therefore, it is very powerful to get together with women who have similar interests as you. It is difficult to find such a person. You know, I think if I walk up to a woman at random and say, do you want to drive with me to the demolition Derby? They would think I left out all the nuts and bolts there.

People who play with me, they treat me like everyone else. I didn't have any backlash. As for women in the racing industry, they are voluntary.

You will definitely get some double promotion. It's like, oh yes, there is a woman outside. It seems that it is different. Just like you are different. I welcome it because when I was a little girl, no woman could make me cheer. So it helps me want to drive better. Knowing that I am that person, the little girls in the stands are looking forward to that day.

No, women come out to like, you go to that girl. You can do the same. Anyone can do this

Because people want to see destruction. So give them destruction.

Let me ask you something. Cheryl, what do you think as a woman can give you an advantage over men in a demolition derby?

do you know? I think we are more aggressive. I will tell you the truth. You will see it tonight. I have been to a mixed derby and I have met him. They kind of chased each other. I don't know what it is. hormone. I have no idea. We only have that. Is there anything to prove. We have a lot of suppressed anger. I don't know, but we let it go as soon as we got there.

It's time to let go. The driver put on his helmet and climbed into their car. It is no exaggeration to say that the windows have been removed and the doors closed by welding. Except for the driver's seat, everything in the car was deprived. This includes instrument panels and stereo speakers, which can quickly become flying projectiles. But this means that there is no personal soundtrack to destroy. If you could play something in the car, what would you choose?

Yes, which TNT does it apply to

They lined up with cannons, started their engines, and headed towards the battlefield. Then all cars are blocked in a small area in the middle of the track to achieve maximum contact. There is nowhere to hide, you can't just sit. You must keep going, otherwise you may be disqualified for reverse impact and violent impact. Lean on the bumper. The fender was torn off, the tire flew away, and the tire burst, and the driver continued to drive the rim alone. The wheel popped and rolled to the side, slowly shaking like a cartoon wreck,

Axle, brake, rotor wear, radiator, overheating, water spray, smoke, water and gearbox. Oh my goodness. Injured teleportation. They persisted, tempered and screamed, working hard to prepare their gear and fight for survival. This is car massacre after carcass. With the thick red curtain of sparks spraying from the abdomen of the remaining rides, the cars gradually disappeared. When they make a sound. You've never heard of cars performing derby in real life, usually like a pistol duel or America's next top model. The last one is the winner, but this derby is overtime and judged based on hitting skills and demolition skills. Now, when the smoke of engine crashes drifts across the track with twisted car parts, it's like a crazy biggest battlefield. The winner is announced, but when Maria or Nicole is the #93 car, it's not Baca or Cheryl. , Driven by the Derby diva, Jesse denied it, and then went through chaos. There is Nicole. How is it done, how is it done, how is it?

This is cruel. I mean, they like to tear you down. I like it. marvelous. beer.

I feel sorry for the car.

I do feel a little sorry for the unicorn. I saw a unicorn flying, and I thought, oh hi.

I drove that car very hard. I drove it hard and I lost the front tire. So I set off a storm, uh, a bit of a human spark, but doing a demo derby helped me close a deal and let me take the next step in my recovery process.

So this is a positive night oil and her post-traumatic stress disorder, and all those little girls in the stands who are full of demolition scenes. Someone cheered him for the California report. This is Peter Gilstrap from Irvine Day.

Located in the heart of the Los Angeles Basin, Irwindale Speedway is home to NASCAR, hot rod and Formula D racing-and every October, there is a unique event that is dizzying: "Derby Divas" all-female demolition Derby.

This is a crushing event promoted by women seeking a night of destructive chaos and high adrenaline, all of which are good for breast cancer research. Some drivers are novices, while others are derby veterans, and their loyalty to the track has become a way of life.

Then there was Bekkah Doyle, who experienced a wreck that had nothing to do with the demolition of the Derby.

"For me, it feels like I am a loser in every race because I am a PTSD demo derby driver [from] a car accident," Doyle said. "What a contradiction, it makes no sense. So I think every time I get in these cars, it's a kind of salvation for myself. It's almost like'F you' to the person who hit me."

If the cure for being hit is to fight back, Doyle will have ample treatment opportunities. This game is a full-scale battle for mechanical survival by 13 women in 13 cars.

It was a Thursday night. Thousands of people, including children, were packed in the stands of Irvingdale Raceway, united by their desire for destruction.

After a whole night of standard races-the car circulates very fast-this place is full of energy. The air smells like a mixture of electronic cigarettes, gasoline and marshmallows.

In the pit at the back of the track, the Derby goddesses surrounded their station under the lights, bored and nervous.

Their friends and family members made the final adjustments to the aging rides-Nissan and Honda, Ford and Buick-at the last minute to ensure they can run for the last time.

They need to survive 20 minutes of driving hell. "Um, this, their'check engine' lights are still on, because these lights do come from the junkyard," said Cheryl Hyland, also known as the Queen of Destruction. Her car has huge eyelashes. Cheryl too. "That's my signature!" she said.

In fact, every car is decorated with the driver’s personal style. They look like small discount parade floats.

"We can paint them as we like," Doyle said. "This has always been my favorite part of decorating them. I like to put a little flash on my car. Then we go out and destroy them."

There is a Buick Century painted like a police car. "Party Patrol" is written next to it, and a big red beer ping pong solo cup is posted on the roof. A human skeleton in work clothes and down jackets is trying to escape from the rear window. His eyes lit up and blinked.

Hyland has a huge inflatable pink flamingo crowned on her pink Accord, and Doyle has a black skeleton on the hood. There is also a car with a furry life-size unicorn head mounted on the roof.

All this seems to be part performance art and part of the funeral of the Vikings.

Doyle said: "I always think that someone went to the parking lot and bought this brand new car. It was really interesting and really excited. They didn't know it would be a delivery car." "It will be crushed and people will watch it. With it. They may have good memories in this car."

Nicole Emma is standing next to her robotic Buick party patrol car. This is her second derby game, but what made her want to start doing it?

"I have nothing else crazy to do," she said. "I am not married and have no children. You always want to hit people on the highway? You can do it here. So, it releases a lot of aggression."

Maria Lynk is no stranger to all of this. "This is my first derby," she said. "When I was very young, my father used to take us to the track. From the beginning, I thought,'I want to do a demolition derby!' I told him,'Dad, this is more interesting than'Looney Tunes'!'"

For Bekkah Doyle, Derby is about healing like everything else. "In 2019, I was in a traffic jam on Highway 101. A car never stopped and never saw traffic. He hit the back end of my car at a speed of 50 miles per hour," she Say. "It hurt me badly, but it also caused me to suffer a very serious post-traumatic stress disorder in the car."

Doyle tried talk therapy. She tried anti-anxiety drugs. So she had a breakthrough idea: Demolition Derby.

"I just want to try it. I just want to see if this helps, if I prove to myself that I might have all these extra car accidents and stay away from it and be fine, maybe this will change things for me," she said.

"To me, it means the whole world," Doyle said. "Because there are too few women in this sport and motorsport. So it is very powerful to be with women who are similar to you and have similar interests. It is difficult to find such people. I think if I want to go and find A Target woman said,'Do you want to participate in the demolition of the Derby with me?' They will think I missed all the details there."

Tonight’s event is unique because most of the demo derby are men.

"You will definitely get some double eyes, like,'There is a woman out there.' It's like, that's different, you're different," Doyle said. "I welcome it because when I was a little girl, no woman could cheer for me. Therefore, knowing that I was the one the little girls in the stands looked up to that day helped me want to drive better."

"I think [women] are more aggressive," Cheryl Hyland said. "I have participated in a mixed derby and I have seen them. [men] kind of chasing each other. I don't know what it is-hormones? We just have something to prove, we have a lot of suppressed anger. I don't know, But we just need to go out and let it pass!"

It's time to let go.

The drivers put on their helmets and climbed into their cars—literally: the windows were removed and the doors closed by welding. Except for the driver's seat, everything in the car was taken away.

They lined up in a row, started their engines, and marched on the battlefield.

The car was blocked in a small area in the middle of the track for maximum contact. There is nowhere to hide. And you can't just sit. You must move on or you may be disqualified.

They hit each other in the opposite direction and hit each other head-on. The bumper was torn off, the fender flew up, the tire burst, and the driver continued to sit alone on the rim. The wheel suddenly popped and slowly rolled to the side, shaky like a cartoon wreck. Broken axles, worn rotors, overheated radiators, smoke and water.

And transmission-my goodness, wounded transmission-they persist, rub and scream, trying to get into the gear and fight for survival. This is completely a car slaughter. As the venue narrowed, cars disappeared one by one.

Now, the lower abdomen of the few remaining rides sprays thick red sparkling curtains, because they make a tragic sound, you have never heard the sound of a car in real life.

When the clock ticked, the crowd circled it like ancient Romans.

The ending of a derby is usually like a pistol duel or "America's next top model"-the last one standing is the winner. But this derby is timed. It is judged based on beating skills and demolition skills.

Moreover, as the smoke of engine crashes drifted across the track with twisted car parts scattered like crazy Max battlefields, the winner was announced: car #93, driven by Derby Diva Jessie de Nike.

When the crowd chanted "Jesse, Jesse, Jesse", fireworks exploded in the air and PA sounded "Alabama Sweet Home". Nicole Emma appeared in the chaos, grinning like a prize winner.

"It's cruel! They are like tearing you down," she said. "I like it! It's great."

Bekkah Doyle did not win, but she will not go home empty-handed. "I drove that car very hard," she said. "I lost my front tire, so I set off a storm. I became a bit of a human shining point, but the demonstration derby helped make a deal to take the next step in my recovery process."

So, for Bekkah and her PTSD, this is a good night-for those little girls in the stands, they have the demolition in their minds, and they can cheer for someone.

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