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Demo derby begins at fairgrounds

By Ari Selvey 3 min read

NEW ULM -- The Brown County Fair hosted its annual Demolition Derby, with action starting on Thursday night.

Five classes of vehicles clashed on Thursday, starting with the Youth class, then moving on to the Vans, Midsize, 80s, and finishing the night with the LTD Weld Trucks.

Kelsey Ladd beat out a field of five other drivers to win the Youth class, with Zachary Janke being runner-up, before Kyle Bathke of Waseca won in his #7 van.

"Just driving backwards all the time," Bathke said. "Don't use the front end. Back up all day."

Bathke also won the event last year at the Brown County Fair and has had other demo derby success in his 14-year career.

"Tried to return, and I was able to defend it again," Bathke said. "That's pretty special. It's hard to win it again."

Bathke said he enjoys the tactical nature of a demo derby.

"Just the hitting and the competitiveness," he said. "It's kind of like a chess match. How to hit and where to hit and how to do everything. Try to keep clean, try not to get hit. Try to deliver the hits. It's all about strategy. I really enjoy the strategy of the game."

The night continued with Gavin Johnson winning the Midsize event, then Cody Gains won the 80s class, with Andy Shutrap being runner-up. Finally, Chase Kirkoff, driving a purple-lighted truck, won the LTD Weld Truck class.

"Watch out when you're driving out there, and make your hits smart," Kirkoff said. "That's about it."

A nine-year demo derby vet, the 25-year-old Kirkoff has seen plenty of other success in demo derbies, including a win earlier this year and a runner-up finish in the Midsize event earlier in the night.

"I run a lot," he said. "Last summer I ran 26 derbies. The truck heat was my 17th derby this summer … I won with this truck in Redwood Falls about a month ago."

Kirkoff said he started running derbies because his father did as well.

"I always wanted to run one, so when was 17, I built my first car and started running," he said. "Me and my buddy Colton, we started running all the time, and since then, I just kept running."

The Morgan native said he enjoys both the building of the vehicle and the crashing action of a derby.

"I like the building and just being able to hit anything in your way," Kirkoff said.

The fairgrounds continue demo derby action Saturday at 6 p.m.

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