Instead of merely destroying a beater on Sunday, Hope Motorsports Group decided to host another way to beat up vehicles by adding a Jump Your Junk component to the first day of Brigade Days.
The event challenges people to take junk vehicles and try to keep them in the air for as long as possible after speeding down a short straightaway and launching off a ramp made by a concrete post tilted on its side.
It required the driver to know how to get as much speed as possible in the few seconds from the start line to the ramp. Winning didn’t fully come down to speed, though — the more front-heavy a vehicle was, the quicker it would nose dive and make contact with the ground.
Once a vehicle hit the earth, the next challenge was to try to manoeuvre the vehicle so that it did not hit the concrete post that formed the boundaries. Competitors did so by applying the brakes, as well as powersliding towards the exit.
Skill, luck and vehicle choice led Collin Dekerf to win the Jump Your Junk, where his early-’90s Dodge Dakota flew 35 feet and seven inches. A record he set on the first jump, early in the competition.
“And then nobody beat him,” said Motorsports Group spokesperson Scott Medlock.
Six other people tried to jump their junk to no success, with Sean Orogman and Jason May taking second and third place respectively.
Medlock said this is the first time they have hosted this, after seeking inspiration from other events and wanted to try it on Brigade Days. Medlock explained that they were conservative in their construction of the jump, using a 20-inch tall concrete post as a ramp because they considered that the steeper the departure angle of a vehicle, the steeper the nose dive would be.
Medlock said he would not change anything for the next event.
“I think now that people have seen it, we’re going to have even more participants. People know what to expect so I think we’ll have a longer line-up next year,” said Medlock.
This year’s motorsport events also saw the biggest number of competitor with 49 vehicles participating, especially in the demolition derby, which Medlock attributes to the increase in prize money. They gave a total of $8,000 on the weekend.
Asked whether it was worth increasing the prize money, Medlock said it was because it attracted more participants and made for a better show for spectators.
“I think it’s been six or seven years since we saw that many cars,” he said.
Saturday’s rain made the mud softer and that made it easier for vehicles to get stuck. Some derby racers lost because they were stuck and could not hit someone for two minutes, disqualifying them.
The derby’s crowd pleaser went to Scott Meloshinsky. According to Medlock, he participated in all three categories of the derby — minivan, truck and car. Meloshinsky came in second and third for the car and truck derby respectively.
“He was making some good hits and he took a lot of big hits from the winner, which was Ray Knoller,” said Medlock. “And even after he timed out, he was egging them on, ‘Keep hitting ‘em!’ ”