2014 will be Ohio Technical College’s third time entering a vehicle in the Cuyahoga County Fair in Berea, Ohio for the demolition derby.
This is the world’s largest demolition derby. OTC automotive instructor Carl Shuttenberg is heading up the student derby team this year, and will get his road rage on as the driver of the 2009 Crown Victoria – that drove it’s first 109,000 miles as a local police car.
“We had a generous donation from Motorcars Honda here in Cleveland that made our participation in the derby possible,” says Robert Vaughn, OTC’s Director of Automotive training. Students have already done the necessary glass removal, interior tear down, and welding. A few other safety issues need to be addressed.
“Our plan is to relocate the battery to the inside of the vehicle, as a lose battery cable is what derailed us last time from claiming the title,” says Shuttenberg. “Also, we will move the fuse panel and the cooling system out of major crash zones. We have learned from past experience what will get us knocked out of the competition.”
Custom paint program students will get to design the artwork for the outside of the vehicle to provide an award winning paint job. “We already have two trophies for best paint and we are going after number three,” says Don Wells, OTC custom paint instructor.
The demolition derby championship final will take place at the Berea Fairgrounds on Sunday, August 10th at 7pm. “I’m in this to win it,” says Shuttenberg.