A savage battle to the death

In the post below, I promised a demolition derby at seven . . . and here it is. Two posts in one day!


As the Derby opens, the cars are reasonably intact.



But it doesn't last. We'll follow the triumph and tragedy of Car 25 . . .


He's ready to rock 'n roll with a machine gun and a death bird on the roof, and flames adorning the sides. As he circles the tract, 17 and 151 take a hard hit into the grandstand barrier.


The cars begin coming apart under the pounding:


He we see the victor and vanquished . . . At some tracks, they run the drivers down when they try and crawl from the wreckage but these drivers are merciful.



He guns his engine and moves in for the kill, again:


But his victory is short lived. 25 comes to an end moments later in a cloud of smoke:



The crowd began roaring, the mood turned angry, and I slipped away while I still could. Things can turn ugly in an instant out there, when crazed fairgoers pour out of the grandstands and over the barriers, to pull the drivers from the cars and tear them limb from limb.

In downtown Northampton, there's a rumor that a certain Mexican resturant is spicing its meals with Aztec hallucinogens in hopes of provoking just such a orgy of violence and destruction. And this afternoon, a mad dog in a warrior mask worked the crowd, spraying a foul-smelling powder that stang and burned. I was lucky to see him coming and duck behind a food cart. I stink of old sausage but at least it's not poisionous.

Even up here, some of the people worship the old gods. And they demand blood. As the race ends, the helments come off, and cars lay in pools of their own gore. But will it be enough?



Comments

Nope. said…
Holy Toledo! Nazi car!

Nothing like a demolition derby. Only thing close is pig races.

Go to Bueno y Sano in Amherst. Best. Mexican. Ever.
John Robison said…
I like the pig races too but the blood lust really comes out at the derby.

And I think Bueno y Sano is safe.
This comment has been removed by the author.
machines destroying machines! is this all part of the plan? In the personalization of these beasts, you seem comfortable with the whole orgy of destruction. Loved the lively description, not to mention the pictures. Sounds like you had a great time.
Oh, man! My son would LOVE to see that. :-)
v-ness said…
so......when are we going to see you captain a Land Rover in the derby, eh???
Polly Kahl said…
Reminds me of the monster truck rallies we took the boys to when they were smaller. I never would've thought I'd enjoy doing something like that, but seeing their excitement always got me going, and then lo and behold, I was actually enjoying it myself. What fun!
I was just thinking about a place in N. Attlebor Mass called Jack Witchsi's - they had a HUGE sign advertising "Midget Wrestling." Killer Kowalski, who just died in Everett Mass, wrestled there, along with many other favs from the old days. Demo derby, roller derby, old time wrestling - blasts from the past. That said, the Nazi-mobile really should have been a Volkswagon, don't you think? What's up with that symbol on the car? A bit jarring, eh?
Anonymous said…
Thanks for commenting on my blog. I do think transcranial magnetic stimulation is certainly a powerful tool and people will have to be careful about using it. Though, I think that many people in sports are willing to push boundaries and might be willing to give it a try if they though it was actually worthwhile.

I had a quick question about your experience with TMS. What part of the brain did they target when you underwent TMS?
John Robison said…
Mike, the study I'm involved in has had several target areas, all of which are in the front of the brain. They are working on journal papers that will describe the targets exactly. I'll post that information as soon as they have it.

Take a look at the images from April 30 and you'll get a general idea.
Nope. said…
Haha, a Volkswagon.

I don't know about you, but I'd like to see a Pinto take the show. Talk about blood-lust! And riots.
There's this pushy-witchy lady who picks her kids up at my kid's school. I call her "The Parking Lot Nazi".

Oh, if I had the chance to crush her...
Ok, and maybe my husband. But only on game day.
That is freaking awesome

Popular Posts