Medicine Hat came out in support of the 4th Annual Metal Mayhem Demotion Derby. Adrian St.Onge/CHAT News

By Adrian St.Onge

Medicine Hat drivers throw caution to the wind for the 4th Annual Metal Mayhem Demolition Derby

Jun 17, 2024 | 9:47 AM

With rain pouring, it looked like drivers were going to be forced to delay. But after a quick safety meeting, the rain stopped and drivers were given the green light to to whatever they could to secure their advancement in the 4th Annual Metal Mayhem Demolition Derby.

Driver Kelly Kultgen was of the drivers brave enough to brace themselves behind the wheel and said there’s a lot of skill and guts to get into the pit, but even more luck to advance.

“I’ve ran my car four or five times, 15 times before, too. It’s all on how you take the hits and what kind of dirt you’re in, right? I mean, sometimes it’s really hard and sometimes it’s just super easy,” Kultgen said.

“A lot of it’s mostly on your luck. You’re not going to win every single time, right? But then there’s times where you can do two or three shows in a row.”

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Walker Perry, a driver a bit newer to the scene, said that he learned from family and his peers how to drive and how to build a demo vehicles.

This early into his demolition career, it’s a rush to put on the helmet.

“It’s like a rollercoaster park. You’re out here to have fun. You’re out here to watch a show,” Perry said.

“You’re going to have a good time whether or not if people were sandbagging or people were just put to the floor all the time like Kultgen. There’s always something you just can’t miss.”

Some may be concerned about the safety of the drivers, specifically of aggressive drivers known as “mad dogs”, but Medicine Hat Speedway President Curtis Bigelow said there’s stringent criteria drivers and cars need to hit.

“You’re only allowed to reinforce so much on these cars,” Bigelow said.

“You can’t make it like a tank and then the most important part is safety for the drivers, safety for the guys in the cars and safety for the guys in their other cars. Make sure something isn’t going to fall off of their car and hurt somebody in another car.”

Club treasurer Corrina Kay said that regardless of is you’re racing against others or trying to put vehicles out of commission in a derby, the sport is one of the best things Medicine Hat can do to bring fans and friends together.

“I’m going to stress that a lot of it is family. This is where people come for reasonably priced entertainment,” Kay said.

“I’ve seen people. I’ve been involved in this for over five years. I see people coming out on a regular basis.There’s people maybe betting in the stands on who’s going to win. They’ve got their favourites, everything. It’s family. This is a big, huge family community.”

While there’s currently no other demolition derby’s scheduled in Medicine Hat this season, on June 22, junior racers will get to try out the racetrack as the comes to the city.