WARKWORTH -- The familiar noise you nor-

mally hear at the Warkworth Fair Demoliton

Derby -- engines revving, metal being crunched
and fans enthusiastcally cheering from the
bleachers -- has been silenced.
For the frst tme in 14 years, the Demoliton
Derby pit will be empty of cars and trucks.
Instead, what fans will see this year is a make-
shif stage for a Batle of the Bands night,
which will feature several local music perform-
ers competng for a number of prizes.
Percy Agricultural Society (PAS) President and
Chief Administratve Ofcer Gregory Torrance
told the Warkworth Journal in
a recent interview that the
decision to cancel the Demoli-
ton Derby wasnt an easy one,
but the board really didnt
have much of a choice.
Weve stll been getng
great crowds for the Derby --
thanks mainly to the beer tent
-- but the (entry) numbers
have been declining for a
while now, Mr. Torrance said.
Last year, it was kind of embarrassing for us.
We only had fve cars and one truck enter. The
whole thing wouldve been over in about 20
minutes if we didnt have to stop things at one
point to check on a driver who appeared hurt.
Mr. Torrance said the driver got a litle
shook up afer receiving a hard hit from one of
his compettors. Afer making sure he wasnt
injured, organizers told the local fre brigade
volunteers who were atending to the driver to
drag things out so they could sell more beer.
The issue of dwindling entries isnt just re-
stricted to Warkworth, says Mr. Torrance.
Campbellford has also experienced a decline.
Its a far cry from the heady days of the late
1980s and early 90s when the sport had be-
come something of a craze thanks to the excite-
ment created by local drivers such as Mark
Hudson, Tim Brummell and, the most successful
of the bunch, Troy Kelly.
For a fve-year stretch, Mr. Kelly dominated
the local Demoliton Derby circuit to such an
extent that he was given the nickname the
Gretzky of Derby drivers by the local media.
Mr. Kellys dominance in the sport earned
him inducton into the Warkworth Sports Hall of
Fame in 2007.
Its sad to hear there wont be a Derby this
year because of a lack of drivers, Mr. Kelly told
The Journal. Its hard to believe, really. That
sure the heck wasnt the case back when I was
racing.
I guess kids arent taking up the sport these
days. Theyre all too busy playing friggin video
games. Its a damn shame.
Warkworth Demolition Derby scrapped
Lack of entries force Fair Board
popular event
The Demoliton Derby pit at the local Fairgrounds (above) wont feature cars or trucks smashing into one anoth-
er this year. Due to dwindling entries, the Percy Agricultural Society has cancelled the event and replaced it
with a Batle of the Bands night. (Photo courtesy of Warkworth Journal staf)
Warkworth Journal
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TORRANCE
During the late 1980s and early 90s,
the local Demoliton Derby circuit
fourished thanks to the extraordinary
talents of drivers such as Troy Kelly
(right). Mr. Kelly, with drink in hand,
is shown being inducted into the
Warkworth Sports Hall of Fame in
2007 by former Journal sports writer
Terry English. Mr. English says cover-
ing Troys dominance at the Derby
track remains the highlight of his
journalism career.
(Photo by Christna Lockhart-Kelly)