Banger racing

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Banger racing or enduro racing is a tarmac or dirt track racing type of motorsport event popularised in Europe and especially Great Britain, but also on short tracks of the United States, in which drivers of old vehicles race against one another around a race track and the race is won in terms of the first car to the chequered flag, all the while (in Europe primarily) attempting to deliberately wreck the opposing vehicles. The race tracks are usually oval but on occasion are constructed in a figure eight design.

Banger racing vehicles are normally scrap automobiles, but they can be conducted with almost any powered wheeled vehicle with bizarre versions of the sport using automobiles towing caravans or trailers happens as a special event at many tracks. "Siamese" banger racing where two cars are chained together for the race but each car independently driven is also practiced. There are different events for different vehicles, often with prizes for the best presented / rarest vehicle.

There are further dimensions to this sport apart from the actual racing - one is the quest for interesting vehicles to wreck and race. In addition to this there is a recent trend for high quality professional car preparation both in terms of performance and physical appearance. These developments move the sport away from the "scrap-car", cheap motorsport area and provide a higher profile entertainment spectacle. This aspect of the sport is explored on the website http://www.atozofbangerracing.co.uk , although most of the cars used are still rustbuckets bought for £50 on ebay.

Banger racing is distinct from demolition derby as the objective of that motorsport is not to turn laps, but to simply smash and destroy and ultimately immobilise the opposition, until only one vehicle is left, which is deemed the winner. On many occasions though the last event of the day at a banger racing event may be a demolition derby, and unlike the American version the cars are well used before being smashed to death.

In banger racing, or enduros, the format is slightly different from a NASCAR (US) or an SCSA (UK) race (although many NASCAR-sanctioned tracks offer enduros). The cars (sometimes over 50) are gridded across the track in a rolling start for the race, which is usually set timed or a finite number of laps (usually 200-300 laps or 2-3 hours, or often less laps in the UK). There is little use of the yellow flag during the race (some tracks will use one for Enduros instead of a red flag for moderate safety hazards), and cars which stall are kept as obstacles on the course unless deemed necessary to move them out (such as a precarious position, entrance/exit to pit road, et al), in which either a specially assigned vehicle, or in the case of more dangerous situations (including fire), a red flag to stop the race, while the race's time clock continues to run.

Most Enduro races in the United States will permit pit stops for tires, fuel, and safety purposes, as those races are longer (150 miles / 240 kilometers) and fuel cell size is extremely small because of car building rules; most Banger races in Europe will not because of their shorter length.

Traditional "Banger" racing has also become a favourite of Lowe's Motor Speedway under the name CRASHcars, which follows the British format, and not the "Enduro" format popular in the United States.

Some vehicle enthusiasts object to banger racing though on the grounds that it is responsible for the destruction of countless classic cars, and the reason why many models, such as the Ford Cortina are a very rare sight on the roads these days, mostly because they rust so easily, and are bought by banger racers because they are unwanted by classic car enthusiasts.

There are a few cars that tend to dominate the banger scene in the UK. These used to be Jaguar Jaguar XJS, XJ6, XJ40, many other models Volvo 240, Volvo 740 (normally estate models) the main one being the Ford Granada Mk1 and Mk2. The Granada Mk3 wasn't such a success as they do not seem as strong, a trait that the Mk3 shares with the Sierra. For the smaller meetings, often referred to as "unders" meetings, the Ford Cortina and Capri were the usual weapon of choice. Unlimited meeting tend to be dominated by big American cars, known as "Yanks." However, these days, with the older vehicles diminishing from British roads, newer vehicles have been pressed into banger racing service. The Vauxhall Cavalier and the Nissan Bluebird have developed a following and are used almost everywhere, the Bluebird being more dominant as some will say that they are a stronger car. The fact that they are front wheel drive also gives a substantial advantage to the older rear wheel drive vehicles which are becoming increasingly rare on UK raceways.

A high turnover rate in the sport leads to a short lifespan for the automobiles involved, but new cars such as the Ford Mondeo have provided a ready supply of vehicles to competitors.