Wild in Willow

July 10, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

WILLOW - Moments before participating in the first demolition derby of her life Sunday at Capitol Speedway in Willow, Talkeetna's Mandy Fischer said she only had one expectation.

&#8220I don't care about anything excepting smashing cars,” Fischer said.

Along with teammate Audrey Follett, Fischer was part of the &#8220AK Bombshells” team, one of 14 cars signed up for a series of crash-up events Sunday. Driving a hot-pink Hyundai sponsored by Jay Perry, the young women could hardly contain their eagerness to get to the starting line.

&#8220We're excited,” Fischer said.

Four demolition derby races were held as part of the speedway's regular slate of stock and sprint car action Sunday. The first three events - a reverse race, a tag team race and a scavenger hunt - were low-contact affairs geared more around wackiness than brute force. The day's final event, however, was all business, a winner-take-all demo in which the last car left moving would be declared the

winner.

While the demolition derbies were the main draw Sunday, they weren't the only thing going on at the dirt speedway. In fact, the racetrack hosted a full slate of close-quarters action that at times was just as fierce - and brutal - as the demolition events.

Pick-up truck racer Robby Arlt found that out during the first heat of the class. One of the top truck drivers at the track, Arlt hit a rough patch in the track and lost his steering. Moments later, a fellow driver plowed into the passenger side of his truck.

&#8220It was the hardest hit I've ever felt,” Arlt said.

The collision twisted the truck's frame, caved in part of the body and left the engine compartment looking like a jigsaw puzzle. It also put Arlt - who entered the day third in the season point standings - on the sidelines.

Arlt's primary sponsor, Mike Kriger, said dirt track racing is a constant battle to keep the cars and trucks up and running. Working in the pits on one of his team's 10 vehicles Sunday, Kriger said there's not much time for rest once the racing starts.

&#8220It's always something,” he said while changing a tire on his son, Michael's hobby stock car.

While dirt track racing can take up an entire weekend, Kriger said there's no place he'd rather be than covered in dirt and grease in the pits.

&#8220It keeps us going,” he said. &#8220It's fun.”

Most racers at the Willow track are Mat-Su Valley locals, many hailing from the rural areas surrounding the track. Driving cars and other motorized vehicles is a way of life, and the area's character is defined in part by the many back roads and mud-bogging trails that lace the sprawling, mostly-wilderness area.

Arlt said he grew up cruising around the back roads, which is where he learned the finer points of auto racing. The secret, he said, is getting plenty of practice.

&#8220Just drive, man,” he said. &#8220Be a Willowbilly.”

While Arlt was knocked out of the racing Sunday, he still participated in all four heats of the demolition derbies in another car. With his fiancee, Vanessa Pool, riding shotgun, he won the reverse race but had some car issues in the main event.

Pool said riding along with a demo driver isn't for the faint of heart.

&#8220It's like getting in a car accident out there,” Pool said. &#8220It's freaking scary.”

The Arlt-Pool team, however, managed to keep both wheels on the ground through all four demos. Two other teams weren't as lucky.

Ron Hunter and Jay Sills' ride went on its hood during the tag team race, while Nathan Beers' station wagon ended up on its side in the scavenger hunt.

Brittany Galloway was along for the ride with Beers, and said the incident wasn't as scary as it may have looked to spectators.

&#8220It was cool,” she said. &#8220I've never flipped over in a car before.”

The three preliminary demos were child's play compared to the main event. With the crowd already satisfied after seeing a full day's racing action, the 14 derby beaters - seven on each end - lined up on opposite sides of the home stretch facing away from one another. As the horn sounded, each car sped in reverse toward the back end of any competitor they could get in their sights.

Mayhem ensued.

Within seconds, steam began rising from the hood of one car, while another vehicle's tire was ripped to shreds. T-bone and rear-end collisions piled up faster than on the Glenn Highway in a snowstorm.

The carnage mounted as drivers did their best to dish out as much pain as possible.

The rules were simple - last car left moving wins. But with 14 cars in various states of demolition, it wasn't always easy to tell who was still in the race. Some cars would stall for a minute, then come lurching back to life, while others would conk out in a blaze of smoke and steam.

The AK Bombshells car (on whose rear bumper were fittingly painted the words &#8220Hit on Me”) ended up stuck between a fellow competitor and the wall, coming to rest for a couple minutes near the end of the race. But unwilling to give up, the pink demon eventually came back to life, challenging as many other cars as possible head-on before the final whistle.

&#8220We just kept going for fun,” Mandy Fischer said following the derby.

When the smoke cleared, Linden Fyfe was declared the winner after it was determined the Bombshells' earlier stoppage constituted an elimination. Kevin Erickson was the second-to-last eliminated, while Steve Brotzman wound up third.

Despite finishing out of the money, Fischer said she was hooked on the hard-core event.

&#8220It's so worth it,” she said. &#8220It's a blast.”

Winner Fyfe said he's participated in a number of previous derbies, but Sunday was the first time he'd ever won. Following the race, he said his strategy was pretty simple.

&#8220I just kept it moving,” he said.

As for Robby Arlt, he said the derby was a nice way to end the day after his truck racing came to an early end.

&#8220Man did we get a couple good ones in,” he said. &#8220I definitely took my aggression out today.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com