The races draw characters of all types, from heavily tattooed men with bulldogs to families that had been racing together for decades. He saw mechanics using sledgehammers and electrical hacksaws to make 'repairs' and jury-rig broken parts. Faingnaert roamed the grounds with a Canon 5d Mark II, keeping tabs on the races while taking in the rumpus beyond the track. The winner usually takes home a cheap trophy and maybe a few bucks, but only some really care about the prizes. Each gets a paint job for flair, though nothing too precious because the cars don't survive more than a day or two. Drivers and their mechanic buddies strip them of extraneous parts like, say, windows, before installing braces and a roll cage so they might enjoy a modicum of protection. ' a spontaneous reaction to what I saw, documenting not only the motorsport, but also the drivers, their families and friends,' he says.ĭrivers compete in the rattiest heaps you can imagine, often Fords (Granadas and Mondeos are popular), Volvos and Jaguars. It's all in fun, of course, and Faingnaert's wonderful photos capture insane action on the track, and the intense camaraderie off of it. Crashes are not only common, but encouraged. How they get there, and in what shape, is something else entirely. Though the events ranged in size, each featured as many as 50 junkers careering around the track with the putative goal of crossing the finish line first. It's since moved to Ipswitch and remains one of the biggest events in banger racing, though drivers also trade paint at the European Championship in Warneton, Belgium, and the Blue Oyster Trophy Unlimited Bangers in Emmen Netherland.įaingnaert attended those races, and four others, for his amazing series Banger Days. It quickly gained popularity in England, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, and saw the first the Unlimited Banger World Final held in London in 1974. The sport, if you could call it that, is said to have started in the 1960s. 'I sometimes had the feeling the racers were just kids playing with adult bumper cars,' says Belgian photographer Kevin Faingnaert. Most of the cars are junkers, which is good, because they take heaps of abuse. Banger racing is not like most forms of auto racing, where the key to success is crashing- hard.īanger racing is a distinctly European mashup of Nascar, back when Nascar drivers were drivers, not brands, and demolition derby. They are to be avoided at all costs, and drivers who have too many of them don't last very long. In most forms of auto racing, crashes are bad.

Crash And Smash Cars instal