Brad Mouland had little time to get his ride ready so having fun was all he had on his mind when he showed up for the Smash-Up for MS demolition derby in Gillams on Saturday.
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The 33-year-old welder from Musgrave Harbour had no visions of being the guy celebrating on the top of his car because he had never won a thing in his first 24 derby appearances.
That changed Saturday as he claimed top honours in the big car division in the third annual demolition derby held on the west coast of the province.
It was the first time participating in the west coast event. In the inaugural derby in 2016 he didn’t drive because he was a member of the pit crew for 2016 compact car winner Cody Abbott.
Preparation for derby time usually means a lot of work with changing motors and rear ends, but this time around Mouland never had a lot of time to get ready so he just did enough work to ensure he was going to be safe in the pit and didn’t care about winning or losing.
“I just put it on the floor and had all kinds of fun I didn’t care,” Mouland said Monday from Musgrave Harbour.
Warm temperatures and a bright sky welcomed both drivers and fans to the derby venue and Mouland believed it was a great time for everybody with a lot of crashing and banging.
Driving a 2007 Crown Victoria police interceptor, Mouland welcomed the change made in the big car division that saw less cars in the pit at one time because organizers felt it would provide more room to drive and add to the carnage with the increased potential for a lot of heavy hits.
“It was one of the hardest running derbies I ever competed in smack wise. It was a lot of real hard smacks,” he said.
Codey Kean of Gander, driving a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GT, picked up his 10th derby win since 2014 with a fine performance in the small car final.
It was an amazing experience. There’s a lot of adrenaline going through your body when you’re driving in the pit,” Kean said Monday from Gander.
Despite being on the receiving end of some big knocks, Kean’s car stood the test and that actually surprised him.
“The front frame is straight as a whip. It’s the first small car I’ve ever brought home and I’ve been driving derby since 2006,” he said with a hearty chuckle.