August 11, 2021 |
The Demolition Derby at the Carbon County Fair….
The only thing louder than the roar of the engines is the roar of the crowd. It’s true of every derby at the fair in Rawlins. This year was no different. An elbow-to-elbow crowd cheered on the slamming action Saturday, staged by Lonnie Pacheco. This was Pacheco’s first year as the promoter of the event, billed as the Rawtown Riot. He told Bigfoot 99 that the 33 drivers who signed up to put on a show for the crowd.
The action was hard hitting. One driver, Matt Mitchell, was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries and then released early Sunday morning.
Pacheco said he’s been around demolition derby in Rawlins for around 30 years, a driver for most of that time. He knows what it’s like to hit another driver and to take a hit. During his first year as promoter, Pacheco stressed safety as the top priority in what has become the largest spectator event in the county.
Mitchell is the Assistant Chief of the Carbon County Fire Department – Rawlins. He knew the firefighters who cut him out of his disabled vehicle. In a post on his social media page, an admittedly beat up and sore Mitchell wrote, “that was not how I wanted my last derby to go. I am done. I will look forward to helping the younger kids coming up in the sport.”
Derby is a hard sport to give up apparently. Many are lifers. Jack Burgess has been involved for 30 years. Like many, Burgess began helping teams get their car ready. After serving as the promoter for four years, this was his first year behind the wheel of his own car. Burgess described the experience this way.
Derby puts cars and drivers to the ultimate acid test. It’s as much mental as crunching metal. Skill and strategy are required to stay on the field. The action is happening all around you. The crowd is roaring. Your heart is beating. Behind the wheel, you are the hunter and the hunted. Distractions abound. Small things, a broken shifter or a damaged wheel can put your car out of commission. Between the hits, the toll they take and the roar of the crowd, a driver must stay focused if he’s going to be last man standing.
Burgess drove in a special derby car this year — one memorializing the late Carbon County Coroner Paul Zamora. Burgess said like many of the lifelong participants in the Demolition Derby, Zamora was dedicated fan and supporter of the annual event.
A capacity crowd, over 1,500 hundred fans filled the grandstand last Saturday. Tickets cost $20, $12 for kids. The fair’s administrative assistant, Julie Webb Webb, said a new electronic ticket portal worked smoothly.
Over $10,000 in cash prizes were handed out to drivers, some for coming in first, best in class or just being the most aggressive. Being a promoter of the Demolition Derby is, in some ways, not much different than being a driver. You’re busy all the time, and you’re going get hit with a lot of stuff. You have to stay focused. Burgess, who passed the baton to Pachecho this year, described the job this way.
Burgess gave Pachecho credit for putting on a good show in his first year. Pachecho admitted there more downtimes than he would have liked. He said he could have used a few more volunteers to help keep events and drivers organized and ready to go on time.
Pacheco said he’s excited to come back as promoter next year and already has new ideas for the Rawtown Riot.
This year’s winners: A woman from Cheyenne, Autumn, won the “Bone Stock” class. Dave Wolfe, won the Limited Weld class.
Pictured above: Carbon County Firefighters extricate Matt Mitchell from his derby car. Mitchell was released from the hospital the following morning, and reports that he is recovering well. Photo courtesy Hugh Swanke.
Related: Demolition Derby promises to be extra action-packed
