Othello Rodeo holds annual Demo Derby
A Demo Derby driver speeds around the dirt track in a heat race at the Othello Demolition Derby. Several drivers from all over the Basin competed in this year's Demo Derby.
MIKE MAYNARD/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
A Demo Derby driver races around the corner of the dirt track during the timed trials at the Othello Demolition Derby.
A driver (316) in the Othello Demolition Derby drives into another car (119) during a heat race on Wednesday.
Jake Sligar (77) drives in reverse around the dirt track after being spun out in a heat race at the Othello Demolition Derby.
Chad Moore stands next to his Derby car ahead of the heat races at the Othello Demolition Derby. Moore said his brother lent him the car to ride for this year’s Derby competitions.
Jacob Olsen stands next to his Lightning McQueen-inspired Derby car at the Othello Demolition Derby. Olsen said his dad also drove a car with the same paint job when he was younger.
Jacob Olsen (95) drifts around a corner during the Othello Demolition Derby. Olsen said he took a break from the Derby in 2019 and recently began competing again.
Two Demo Derby drivers collided with each other during the Othello Demolition Derby on Wednesday.
OTHELLO — On Wednesday, loud motors, mud and collisions filled the Othello Rodeo arena for the annual Demolition Derby. Drivers from all over the Basin flocked to the Othello Fair to partake in chaotic competition.
“I like being able to let out the aggression it’s no holds barred. To be able to smash (into other cars) and get away with it,” Jake Sligar from Quincy said.
Sligar competed in one of the Heat Races. Like most cars in these races, he got turned around by another driver. However, instead of correcting himself he decided to put his car in reverse and keep going.
“I felt (the other car) turning me around, and I got a forward reverse on the slap shifter. So, I just instantly went to reverse and kept going, and then went around the corner and got hung up on that straw bale a little bit,” Sligar said.
Sligar navigated the circular dirt track with ease. He was pleased with his performance, he said.
Chad Moore came from Ephrata to compete in the Demo Derby. He also came to partake in the heat races and said he enjoys the more adult form of bumper cars.
“I just like to come out, have fun, let the fans watch,” Moore said. “I just like to have fun out here.”
Moore said the car he used came from his brother, who doesn’t compete in the derby anymore. He said the car does a good job of holding up throughout races, and repairing it in time for the next competition is usually pretty simple. One strategy they utilized was pulling out the quarter panels to straighten them, so they don't rub against each other.
Every derby car in attendance had their own unique look to them. Some matched the branding of their sponsors like Sligar's which had white and gold painted on it along with the logo for George Washington Realty. Some others took inspiration from movies like Cars.
Jacob Olsen from Pasco, recently returned to driving in the Demo Derby after stepping away for a while in 2019, he said. Back then his car just had a yellow 24 painted on it. This time the iconic red and yellow 95 and matching stickers of Lightning McQueen.
“My dad raced when I was a kid, and he had the original Lightning McQueen actually, so I got to the age I'm like, ‘I need to build it.’ I started last year and built it all through the winter,” Olsen said. “He raced it when the movie first came out and so I was like, ‘Well, as a little kid, I always wanted to race Lightning McQueen,’ so I built it.”
Olsen said children always love to see the car.
Below are the winners of the Othello Demolition Derby, announced by the Othello Rodeo Association.
Micheal Koon - 1st Place
Mike Bise - 2nd Place
Brian Kisler - 3rd Place
Austin Weber - Mad Dog
Anthony Hanrahan - Tough Luck Award
A Demo Derby driver races around the corner of the dirt track during the timed trials at the Othello Demolition Derby.
A driver (316) in the Othello Demolition Derby drives into another car (119) during a heat race Wednesday.
Jake Sligar (77) drives in reverse around the dirt track after being spun out in a heat race at the Othello Demolition Derby.
Chad Moore stands next to his Derby car ahead of the heat races at the Othello Demolition Derby. Moore said his brother lent him the car to ride for this year’s Derby competitions.
Jacob Olsen stands next to his Lightning McQueen-inspired Derby car at the Othello Demolition Derby. Olsen said his dad also drove a car with the same paint job when he was younger.
Jacob Olsen (95) drifts around a corner during the Othello Demolition Derby. Olsen said he took a break from the Derby in 2019 and recently began competing again.
Two Demo Derby drivers collided with each other during the Othello Demolition Derby on Wednesday.