Donald Teuma-Castelletti
SHAWVILLE Sept. 4, 2017
While hangovers were surely aplenty Monday morning, there existed one crowd anxiously awaiting a different kind of pain – whiplash.
But what can you expect from the bunch of daredevils climbing into dressed up beaters during the Shawville Fair Demolition Derby? They came out to put on a show, have some fun and try their skills for a bit of prize money, and they didn’t disappoint.

Separated by class sizes, six rounds took place over the three-hour show, from regular-sized cars to minivans tearing up the outdoor ring.
As soon as the cars lined up, the crowd counted backwards from five, and the drivers were given the green flag, the bangs, smoke and mud started flying. With the first good crack puncturing the afternoon’s engine roars, the crowd were hooked.
“It’s an adrenaline rush for sure. It’s nervous but once you have that first hit in and after that it’s game on,” said Justin O’Neil.
Though his car stalled out and wouldn’t move from the start point in the initial round, O’Neil made a triumphant return in the final smash, placing third overall in the mini category.
Those that may have been new to the motorsport were given an excellent breakdown by the day’s commentator, explaining tactics to the crowd as he went along such as when drivers would focus on ramming others with their rear bumper instead of the front. Prizes were also awarded to the focused crowd members who could accurately answer the questions posed to them.
Run this year by the Ontario Demolition Derby crew, a more organized setting couldn’t have prepared for this fair’s derby. Constant rain kept the wheels – those that were still attached, that is – spinning through the mud, kicking it all about and covering both the officials and the audience. This extra addition to the show only helped to keep the people cheering.
“It was muddy as hell,” said Marcel Dubois, a racer from Quyon who placed second in the vans category. “Kind of hard to get traction but fun. I’ve done it a couple times in the mud, but this was lots more.”
Dubois continues to compete because of the pure nature of the sport, loving the fact that the whole purpose is to hit whoever you can the hardest. A feature, it turns out, that helped attract his wife Sylvie Lacroix into competing in the derbies. Well that, and she can continue to help pave the way to get more female drivers in with the boys.
“The best part is getting the girls in with the boys. When I’m in, I don’t even need a trophy,” said Lacroix, who placed second in the mid-sized category. “We were going to hang our tires, but they’re no more now!”