The demolition derbies are one of the Chelsea Fair’s big draws because everybody loves an evening of controlled vehicular violence. Tuesday’s derby was canceled due to heavy storms, but Wednesday’s weather was considerably more cooperative, so the figure 8 derby was good to go.

Before we begin, let’s go over the difference between a regular derby and a figure 8 derby:

• In the regular derby, the goal is to use your car to batter all the other cars until they can no longer move. In other words, the goal is to be like a typical Michigan road.

• In the figure 8 derby, the goal is to be the first to complete twelve laps. If in the process of completing twelve laps you have the opportunity to push other cars out of the way and/or into the wall, you can go right ahead and do it. In other words, the goal is to be like a typical east coast driver.

Okay, on to the action.