Crash, bang, wallop

Crash, bang, wallop

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Destruction was the name of the game at the Nation-Wide Demolition Derby that took place at a state fair in New Jersey, with rounds of competitors ramming beaten-up cars into one another until there was just one left moving.

After starting out in the 1950's in the United States, this rough-and-tumble motor sport is now popular at state and county fairs throughout the country, and has also spread to other regions around the world.

. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

The model of a skull hangs on a car taking part in the demolition derby at the New Jersey State Fair, Sussex County Farm and Horse Show.

The two-day event featured more than 100 cars and drivers from New Jersey and surrounding northeastern states.

. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Jessica Riddle from Vernon, New Jersey, poses for a portrait as her car "Irma" is inspected before competing in the event.

Older, large, American-made vehicles are the most traditional rides for a demolition derby, but as their availability dwindles, smaller full-sized vehicles from the 1980s and 1990s are more frequently used today.

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Slideshow

Cody Tosco and Katlyn Chadwick from Washington, New Jersey, kiss as they stand by Tosco's car before he competes in the demolition derby.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Cody Tosco and Katlyn Chadwick from Washington, New Jersey, kiss as they stand by Tosco's car before he competes in the demolition derby.

A message is written out on the rusted interior of a car taking part.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A message is written out on the rusted interior of a car taking part.

A competitor uses a sledge hammer to shape the metal on his car, a 1968 Cadillac, before day two of the Nation-Wide Demolition Derby.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A competitor uses a sledge hammer to shape the metal on his car, a 1968 Cadillac, before day two of the Nation-Wide Demolition Derby.

A team makes repairs to their car in the pit area.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A team makes repairs to their car in the pit area.

A man carries a tire from the track.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A man carries a tire from the track.

A driver waits for her heat at the competition.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A driver waits for her heat at the competition.

The dented rear end of a battered car is seen in the pit area of the demolition derby.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

The dented rear end of a battered car is seen in the pit area of the demolition derby.

Two girls in checked shirts stand next to demolition cars.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Two girls in checked shirts stand next to demolition cars.

Mechanics stand by before the start of a heat.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Mechanics stand by before the start of a heat.

Wilbur Babcock from Vernon, New Jersey, has a beer and a smoke in the pit area after competing.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Wilbur Babcock from Vernon, New Jersey, has a beer and a smoke in the pit area after competing.

Sam Pratt of Burlington, New Jersey, climbs out of his car.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Sam Pratt of Burlington, New Jersey, climbs out of his car.

An official waves cars to the track.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

An official waves cars to the track.

Wilbur Babcock drives his car after competing.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Wilbur Babcock drives his car after competing.

Cars plough into one another during the competition.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Cars plough into one another during the competition.

Spectators cheer as they watch a heat of the derby.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Spectators cheer as they watch a heat of the derby.

Drivers take part in their dented vehicles.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Drivers take part in their dented vehicles.

Competitors line up for their heat.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Competitors line up for their heat.

Cars are left battered and smoking during a round of the derby.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Cars are left battered and smoking during a round of the derby.

A driver rams past another car.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

A driver rams past another car.

Spectators sit on tractors as they watch a heat of the competition.
. AUGUSTA, United States. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Spectators sit on tractors as they watch a heat of the competition.

"The air is filled with smoke, the smell of leaking radiators and the sounds of crushing metal."
Mike Segar, Reuters Photographer

When I was growing up, I remember looking forward each summer to visiting the Barnstable County fair in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where my family spent the season. A tradition from coast to coast, the summer county fair is a purely American event and my family never missed it.

What I also remember fondly from the fair, after the cotton candy, rides and games, was going to see the evening demolition derby races and watching as groups of salvaged and homemade cars called “beaters” or “wrecks” slammed into each other over and over on a dirt track, until the last car still moving was declared the winner. It was always a fun event with lots of laughs.

As a Reuters staff photographer based in New York, I am always looking out for quirky, uniquely American stories and the demolition derby is certainly one of these. So when I found out that the Nation-Wide Demolition-Derby company was holding a two-day competition, one of the largest on the east coast, I knew I wanted to shoot it.

Despite being just 70 miles from New York City, the largest metropolitan centre in the United States, Sussex County, New Jersey, is farm country – rural and open. The New Jersey State Fair Sussex County Farm and Horse show reflects that culture, and is typical of summer fairs held around the country.

But as the sun begins to go down and the stands around the track begin to fill with spectators, competitors in the derby take centre stage. Auto mechanics, body shop owners, welders, tire guys, metal fabricators, junk yard owners and auto dealers are all there. Men and women, young and old, come to have some fun, see their friends, get some food at the fair and crash their cars. If they’re lucky maybe they'll win a trophy and a bit of cash. Most have built their own cars from junk with parts salvaged and scraped together, which they hope can outlast the competition in a few minutes of punishing crashes.

The cars are unique and hand-built, stripped down to their bare frames with welded-in reinforcements, and most sporting a mishmash of parts. No-frills vehicles lacking anything except a strong motor, gears, brakes, a few hand-painted decorations, and lots of rust, compete in heats divided by car type. The largest full-size sedans, some dating back to the 1960’s, are the most traditional and deliver the hardest crashes. But the compact cars are fast and exciting to watch as they tend to fall apart more quickly as they ram into each other.

I spent the early part of the two evenings there when the light was best, wandering and photographing around the pit area. It was just an open field next to the dirt track, where competitors worked on their cars, revved their engines, hammered out dented and partially wrecked parts and offered to help each other prepare for battle. Many knew each other and it was a fun atmosphere with plenty of joking and good-natured, back-and-forth ribbing going on.

The images I wanted to concentrate on were mostly of the people attending the demolition derby – competitors and spectators. As much as they want to win, the event is also a gathering of friends and family, who are drawn together by a common passion: cars.

But when the cars get onto the track and the flag drops, it’s all business and no mercy. Cheers go up and the heats begin. As many as 20 cars on a small dirt track plough into each other with reckless abandon in each heat. Hitting another car in reverse is the preferred method of attack, but pretty much anything goes until there is only one car still moving. The air is filled with smoke, the smell of leaking radiators and the sounds of crushing metal. It takes only a few minutes and it’s all over but the damage is done. It’s pure automotive carnage and the crowd loves it.

Afterwards, the crushed “victims” limp off the small dirt track, most dragged off by a team of farm tractors at the end of each heat. The pit crews of friends and family then get to work with sledge hammers, wrenches, chains, pry bars and spare parts, trying to see if they can get the car ready for another run.

“Gentlemen start your engines… If you still can!”