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Smokin’ the Competition

  • Press photo by John Burbridge Owen Chatfield, 6, of Waterloo tries to pop what seems to be an unbreakable balloon attached to the back of Charles City 4-year-old Hunter Apel’s vehicle during the Power Wheels Division at Saturday’s Floyd County Fair Demolition Derby. Eventually, Chatfield was able to get the balloon to burst to win the competition. Apel was runner-up.

  • Charles Knecht of Charles City may want to check his antifreeze as his car spews out smoke late into the Compacts Division feature.

  • Press photos by John Burbridge Charles City’s Nate Knecht, driver of car on left, goes head-on with Harry Wallem of Brownsdale, Minn. during the Compacts Division. Wallem would end up taking first with Knecht placing second in the division.

  • This is how the Trucks Division competition ended for Dustan Knecht, left, and Nate Knecht, both of Charles City as their smoke-spewing vehicles got embedded in the mud wall that enclosed the eastern boundary of the pit. Nate and Dustan finished third and fourth, respectively, in the division.

Cars prove to be as resilient as drivers at FC Fair demolition derby

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — The last six remaining drivers in the Chain Division that served as the finale for the Floyd County Fair’s annual demolition derby on Saturday really wanted to make the Top 5 cash prize cut.

Their cars apparently wanted it even more.

In a testament to the resiliency of older model vehicles — you kind of wonder how the computer-chip-centric cars of today will fare in the derbies of tomorrow — the final six banged on each other for more than 10 minutes until there were finally five: Tyler Evans and Steve Anhorn of Osage; Minnesotans Nick Steuer and Chance Langford; and Josh Chatfield of Stacyville, Iowa.

And they went at for another 10 minutes until there were four … then three … then …

The wheels were still spinning on Steuer’s and Chatfield’s cars, but they were both in a bad position entangled together and mired in mud while Evans was sizing them up.

That’s when a ceasefire was called, awarding Evans the top prize, followed by Steuer (2nd), Chatfield (3rd), Landford (4th) and Anhorn (5th).

In the Truck Division, Tony Carlson of Rochester, Minn. repeated as champion in his division with Tyler Carlson of Grand Meadow, Minn. placing second.

Nate Knecht and Dustan Knecht — part of a family of derby drivers who have competed at the FC Fair event since its inception in 1981— placed third and fourth, respectively after they immobilized and eliminated each other along the pit’s mud-wall eastern boundary.

In the previous Compact Division, Nate Knecht of Charles City found himself in a head-to-head — or rather “head-on to head-on” — battle with Harry Wallem of Brownsdale, Minn. for the final two spots.

Wallem prevailed. Other money placers included Frank Knecht of Tripoli, Iowa, who placed third; and Eric Staudt of Osage who was fourth.

The Power Wheels Division, which opened the derby and featured drivers ages 3 to 6, proved to be entertaining if not amusing — especially at the end.

Owen Chatfield, 6, of Waterloo, and Hunter Apel, 4, of Charles City were the final two competitors both with their rear-attached balloon yet to be popped. The two drivers engaged in a cat-and-mouse circling chase while trying to position themselves behind one another. This was one motorized competition where you didn’t want to be in front.

With the drivers using the entire pit to give chase and to be chased, it seemed as if it would come down to whose power source would get spent first.

Eventually, Chatfield was able to burst what seemed to be Apel’s unburstable balloon to take home the first-place trophy.

Like last year’s derby, the pit was muddied by recent heavy rains which washed out Friday’s grandstand event: Figure 8 races.

The Figure 8 races have been rescheduled for 7 p.m. July 28 at the fairgrounds.

Floyd County Fair

Demolition Derby

Top Division Placers

POWER WHEELS — 1. Owen Chatfield, Waterloo; 2. Hunter Apel, Charles City.

COMPACTS — 1. Harry Wallem, Brownsdale, Minn.; 2. Nate Knecht, Charles City; 3. Frank Knecht, Tripoli; 4. Eric Staudt, Osage.

TRUCKS — 1. Tony Carlson, Rochester, Minn.; 2. Tyler Carlson, Grand Meadow, Minn.; 3. Nate Knecht, Charles City; 4. Dustan Knecht, Charles City.

CHAIN — 1. Tyler Evans, Osage; 2. Nick Steuer, East Chain, Minn.; 3. Josh Chatfield, Stacyville; 4. Chance Langford, Blue Earth, Minn.; 5. Steve Anhorn, Osage.

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