Minnesota demolition derby breaks record for number of cars in a single heat

Frank Gonzales likens the chaos of bouncing up and down through a bumpy dirt track, crashing into dozens of cars, to a game of bumper cars at an amusement park.

“You realize after the first hit it don’t hurt,” he said. “You don’t have time to be scared.”

On Saturday, Gonzales was one of 161 people at the “Minnesota Throwdown” demolition derby who broke a record for the number of cars in a single heat. The previous record, set in Canada, was 125.

“I’m just emotional... because [demolition derby] is something that’s been in my life for over 30 years,” organizer Mike Tix said of the event at the Dakota County Fairgrounds. “To see so many people together with a passion for this sport, I’m at a loss for words.”

Last year, the group was two cars short of the record, Tix said.

It was the largest demolition derby fight, filled with cars crashing into one another, and it ended when only one car was left moving.

The prize for winning a single heat? Bragging rights and $1,500 per win. The winner of the world record heat received $500. This year, there were 225 drivers, and the event drew about 1,000 people, most of whom are friends or family of the drivers, Tix said.

Though the sport consists of only driving, there’s a physical component to it. Drivers swing around with their cars, most get their “bells rung” at least once during a competition, and sometimes they break bones, Tix said.

In July, a 28-year-old man died in a dirt track race at the Isanti County Fair grandstand.

While drivers in that competition were prohibited from intentionally hitting other vehicles, that’s all that happens at the derby in Dakota County, Tix said, adding that their competition happens at a lower speed than the one in Isanti County. Each vehicle entered into the competition was checked to make sure windows and other loose materials were removed, Tix said. For spectator safety, there’s concrete and a fence between the stands and the pit, where the action takes place.

“We’ve got guys crawling around the ground, going underneath and all over making sure that everything is proper,” Tix said. “We look at the entire thing and make sure that it is OK all the way around.”

The event attracts people from around the world, from Mexico and Canada to England, all craving the pure chaos that is a demolition derby.