Thanks for alerting us to the death of Colin Macrae Hill3, it is a very sad tragedy. Another driver lost to aircraft crashes, at the peak of their life, and a brilliant star of racing, be it a different discipline than we partake in...

Wow.. I am in shock. You guys are absolutely crazy. We try to avoid those kinna accidents. Doesn't look to me like any of those cars even have brakes. And what is up with the boobies? I seen that video of crashing cars but they clipped in these topless pics. Is that what goes on at your tracks over there? I may consider the long commute to race there except for all that crashing stuff.

I still can't get the image of those guys jumping out of cars and hightailing their butts across the track with a dozen cars spinning and flying around them. They even have guys leaning over wall to give a block a yank up.

So it basically looks like a free-for-all. Are there actually any rules, as far as rough driving etc?

I'm also curious what kinds of power levels amd costs would be involved in this kind of racing. What I mean is...the racing in those videos...is that like the British version of Saturday night Late Model racing, or is that like a professional tour?

I've seen this stuff before and it fascinates me. I wonder if this form of racing would fly here.

The bangers are pretty much a free for all, cars cost about $400.CDN to build, depending on your luck, you may get one night, or half a season out of a car. usually at the end of the programme, there is a destruction derby, where the cars race around the track, and the last one moving wins. sometimes they open up the infield and run a figure of eight race.

The mini stocks are next, this class is a little more professional. These cars are usually old Austin Minis with huge steel bumpers welded front and back, and you are allowed front and rear contact only. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2WNtYEjQ4M

Then you have the "hot rods" more like our late models, no contact allowed (in theory anyway.) Take a look at the cars later on in this video and you will see what they look like after the race!! The ones featured here are the national hot rods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nDN4H7Odjw

The music featured on this video is some of the traditional stock car music. Each class has their own theme song which is played when they come on the track for their feature race. It sounds silly, but that really adds to the experience!

Then you have the Super Stox, and they are pretty much the same to look at as our modifieds.

;D Thats great. The theme music for the first part of the second vid was a blast from the past for sure. My grandmother used to play that record a lot when we were around. Probably been 30 years since the last time I heard that! (yeah I know...what's a record, eh?)

Actually the music is fun. I think in North America we sometimes take our stock-car culture a little too seriously. At Delaware they play the opening licks of "Welcome to the Jungle" when they're rolling ot the Super Stock (Thundercar) feature. I think it'd be priceless if they played the Benny Hill sax theme instead.

Anyway, great stuff, and an interesting thread.

So one more question then...over there, is banger racing pretty big, or is it more of a fringe thing?