A sporting event unlike any other will soon see two local demolition derby champions head to the track and knock cars with some of the best drivers the United States has to offer.
From Oct. 3 to Oct. 6 Shane “The Beast” Ryan from Glen Innes and Matt “Critty” Crichlow from Inverell will be among over 500 drivers at the Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) in Tennessee competing at the Demolition Entertainment Motorsports Organisation’s (D.E.M.O) national championship.
As part of the Australian Demolition Derby Team for the 2024 American Tour, the New England pair will compete in the two-man team full-size elite lite division, bringing their unique styles along for the ride.
Ryan, known for his “stick and move” strategy honed over 15 years of experience behind the wheel, will focus on agility, while Crichlow plans on delivering powerful strikes.
“I don’t stay in one place for too long; I like to protect all of the parts of the car that make it run. I’m usually not too concerned with going that hard when I hit,” Ryan said.
“I’d say I’ll try and stay close to Critty for that. His job is to be the hammer; he hits very hard and will make sure everyone thinks twice about coming near us; as long as he’s still going, we’ll be right,” he added.
Chosen from a field of other derby drivers by the newly formed Australian Demolition Derby Association (ADDA) for their outstanding results in local events, Crichlow and Ryan will join one of eight heats in their division.
Five teams in each heat will battle it out to qualify for the final and a share in the prize pool, which exceeds $500,000 combined across all the divisions.
The overall goal is simple enough: to be the last car still functioning, while also ramming into opponents’ vehicles to knock them out of the game.
A loss in a heat won’t spell the end; consolation derbies will give ousted teams the chance to duke it out one last time for an opportunity to make the finals.
Steep learning curve for Aussie drivers
According to Ryan, the Aussie drivers could face a steep learning curve at the national championship because the “Americans do it very differently,” across several fronts.
The rules, how they build their cars, the sheer size of the crowd, which could exceed 180,000, and the length of the individual competitions, which can go for over an hour, compared to the roughly 15 minute average run time of the typical Australian derby.
“The biggest crowd we would have seen so was probably about 15,000 people at the Toowoomba Speedway for the State of Origin derby, so it’s a big jump up, it’s going to be a different animal,” Ryan said.
“The way they drive is very different as well because of the difference in how our cars are built. Aussie cars are built with a softer touch, requiring careful protection of the front end and radiator.”
“Whereas in the States, they actually have the radiator inside of the car. There is full steel around everything; the idea is to take out people’s wheels to get points; it’s a lot different to how we do it.”
Hard hitter from Inverell ready to put on a show
The second half of Team Australia is Matt “Critty” Crichlow, a demolition derby champion with 12 years of experience and a reputation for hitting his opponents very hard.
He even has the awards to prove it, often taking out the biggest hit trophy, which is known as the “Maddog” in the U.S. Whatever happens, Crichlow just hopes he can entertain the crowd and leave a lasting impression.
“I want to go over there and put on a good show; I’d rather do that than drive around like Miss Daisy, not really doing anything,” he said.
“I’ll aim to put on some big hits, but I’m mostly going over there for the experience, to put on a good show like I know I can, and hopefully come out the other side.
“If I could walk away with the Maddog award as well, getting on that would be great and very much my style. I will be happy with that.”
To help them get ready, Crichlow says the New England duo have been hard at work researching how their opponents drive in the States and even plan to have a test run before the big day in October.
“We’ve been checking out videos of their derbies over there to see how they drive,” he said.
“There is also a plan to go to a derby near Toowoomba together before we head over, just to see how we work together. Give us some insight into how we can work as a team.”
Shane “The Beast” Ryan and Matt “Critty” Crichlow will compete at the D.E.M.O national championship from Oct. 3 to Oct. 6.
To watch them live on PPV, go to DerbyNation.TV, or for more about the event, have a look at the D.E.M.O website.
Alternatively, for regular updates before the big day, or to help sponsor the local drivers, check out the Australian Demolition Derby Association (ADDA) Facebook page, and their GoFundMe page.
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