Survival Car Battles in Belarus. Battle of the Cars 4: Son versus Father and a Women’s Showdown. The Losers Were Carried Away on Forks.

In September 2017, the Stalin Line Historical and Cultural Complex The Stalin Line hosted survival car battles for the fourth time Battle of the Cars 4, bringing the Arena Derby season in Belarus to a close. The aim of the competition is to immobilise an opponent’s car by inflicting as much damage on it as possible

while keeping your own car running. Ramming and collisions are permitted. The winner is the last car in the heat still able to move under its own power.

These competitions originated in the United States in the middle of the last century, where they were known as demolition derbies. It seems that this was how Americans attempted to solve the problem of disposing of old cars. The competitions became popular and are now held regularly. In the birthplace of demolition derby, the events feature not only cars but also buses, lorries and combine harvesters. So the organisers of our survival car battles still have plenty of scope for development.

Survival car battles featuring full-contact elements were first held in Belarus in 2009. Until 2014, battles were held across the country as part of various events and festivals, with different rules and conditions. The rules were standardised in 2014 at the ‘Retro Minsk 2014’ festival at the Stalin Line. Since then, there have been clear technical requirements for each vehicle class and a formal set of rules. The most important are: do not hit the driver’s door, stop at the marshal’s signal and do not leave the arena. Everything else is permitted. Any car that cannot leave the arena under its own power is carried away on forks.

Anyone can take part. All you need to do is contact the competition organisers, and they will explain everything and help you prepare.

Three classes of vehicle take part in the Belarusian competitions:

Base— standard cars with no reinforcement to the body or engine. External components may be moved into the passenger compartment.

As a rule, this is the most spectacular class. The cars crumple like tin cans, and the contests are fast-paced and exciting. These cars are not usually repaired afterwards, so, much to the spectators’ delight, the competitors battle to the bitter end.

Sometimes, the collisions transform these cars into exhibits of contemporary art.

Base Pro— cars reinforced with an internal frame and additional protective elements, all of which must be concealed beneath the bodywork. From the outside, the car must look no different from a standard vehicle. A more powerful engine may be fitted. These cars can often withstand several competitions. They are more resistant to damage and can deliver more powerful rams.

Unlim— almost anything goes. A more powerful engine, a reinforced body and, most importantly, a protective frame around the bodywork are all permitted. These monsters look intimidating and are highly resistant to damage. When these ‘mutants’ collide, spectators can feel the stands vibrate.

‘Three, two, one — go!’

Cars from the Base and Base Pro classes took part in Battle of the Cars 4. Tough competitors battled ‘to the bitter end’, sparing neither themselves nor their cars.

Between heats, they even managed to repair their battered ‘iron steeds’. Watching them at work, you realise these men are tough as nails and seem to have been born with angle grinders in their hands.

The marshals sometimes allowed minor repairs to be carried out in the arena itself.

One interesting twist came in the Base-class final, when father and son Dominik and Dmitry Ryabov faced each other. Youth prevailed.

Dominik and Dmitry Ryabov

Women’s heats were held as part of the survival car battles for the first time. I do not know what the organisers promised these seemingly delicate young women, but they did manage to persuade them to get behind the wheel of some decidedly unfeminine racing machines. Unlike the men, the women found time to visit the hairdresser before the battles and did not forget to have their nails done.

They all looked wonderful.

Olga Krasnyakova, Belarus

Olga Pelevina, Russia

Anna Novikova, Ukraine

It should be noted that the ‘battle’ cars are quite difficult to handle: there is no power steering, the clutch is heavy and the gears are stiff. The women rose to the challenge. At first, of course, they even tried to obey the rules of the road and used their brakes before a collision — for the first time in the entire history of the car battles!

There were a few minor breakdowns too. A marshal gallantly used his flag to shield Olga Krasnyakova from coolant spraying out of a ruptured expansion tank.

As the contest progressed, the women got into the spirit of it and, in their own particularly careful, feminine way, still managed to thoroughly batter their rivals’ cars.

Considering that this was their first-ever car battle, they deserve a resounding bravo!

Alexander Serikov, co-host of the competition

Results of Battle of the Cars 4:

International women’s category:
1st place — Olga Krasnyakova (Belarus), GAZ 3110
2nd place — Olga Pelevina (Russia), GAZ 3102
3rd place — Anna Novikova (Ukraine), GAZ 3110

‘Base’ class:
1st place — Dominik Ryabov (Minsk), GAZ-24
2nd place — Dmitry Ryabov (Minsk), GAZ-31029
3rd place — Valery Shaitanov (Pinsk), GAZ-24

‘Base Pro’ class:
1st place — Vyacheslav Kaminsky (Baranovichi), GAZ 31029
2nd place — Konstantin Kuderko (Grodno), GAZ-24
3rd place — Nikolai Zhurovich (Grodno), Renault 25

Vyacheslav Kaminsky (centre) with the competition organisers Alexander Metla (Memory of Afghanistan Foundation, right) and Ignat Shilov (Arena Derby, left)

During the demolition derby, the ‘security forces’ and ‘looters’ added to the spectators’ adrenaline rush. They too ‘fought to the bitter end’, sparing no ammunition.

To round off the event, the organisers had prepared a pleasant surprise for participants and spectators: a fire show at dusk following the awards ceremony.

Competition organisers: “Memory of Afghanistan” Charitable Foundation for Assistance to Internationalist Veterans (Stalin Line Historical and Cultural Complex) and theThe Stalin Lineteam arenaderby.by.

See you again at Battle of the Cars 5 in 2018!