A passion for demolition derby and maintaining our roads

 By: Elizabeth Mount

At first glance, demolition derby and highway maintenance work don’t have anything in common. But for Monty Lagerwey, demo derby taught him invaluable skills for his career in road maintenance.

Our maintenance workers are embedded in our communities and Monty is an example of learning from his passion and putting it back into our community with road maintenance work.

Demo derby is where modified vehicles purposefully crash into each other until only one is left that can move.

Monty has been a highway maintenance tech in Bellingham for six years. He says he never knows what his days will look like; some days he will repair guardrail or pavement or even plow the roads. But one thing he is sure of: his experience in demo derby taught him how to keep a watchful eye and ear out for oncoming vehicles.

Monty Lagerwey stands in the Bellingham maintenance yard wearing his demo derby shirt.

“When I am driving out on the derby, I have to know where everything is coming from,” he said. “It’s the same when we’re driving equipment down the road. It’s all about paying attention to your surroundings.”

Monty’s little brother was first in the family to get involved in Whatcom County’s demo derby scene. For Monty’s 30th birthday, his brother built him his own derby car – and now, Monty has been derby-ing for 21 years. And it’s a family affair, with three of Monty’s brothers all competing.

Monty and his brother after taking first and second at the demo derby.

This summer, Monty participated in the Northwest Washington Fair demo derby in two categories, or heats, winning the “chain and go” competition.

Chain and go is a category where the vehicles used in the competition have been stripped down, and a variety of chains, wires and welding are used to rebuild it for demo derby. Monty also likes to compete in the big truck competition.

Monty will use a Lincoln Town Car from 1993-97 for the chain and go competition and usually a Suburban for the big truck competition (this year he tried a Ford F350 and thinks he’s convinced to switch over). Every year he learns something new about how his builds hold up in the derby and what to change for the next year.

Monty and his family stand in front of his demo derby car after he won a trophy.

Monty says the mechanical work he learned doing demo derby has also helped with his work at WSDOT.

“Building demo derby cars, I learned how to fabricate things,” he said. “I have been able to transfer that knowledge to WSDOT in regard to figuring out how to bolt and weld.”

In chain and go, the battery and fuel tank are moved inside the vehicle. They are welded or chained in place. Monty also will punch out the windows, build a roll cage, modify where the engine is and create specific creases in his cars where he wants it to bend if it’s hit.

He says whether you’re working with one other person or a team, demo derby taught him how to work with other people. Monty works alongside his teammates to get better after each heat. He compares it to working alongside his maintenance crew.

Monty says it took him 18 years before he won a competition. He would get second or third place often, but he kept at it and has won a handful of derbies now.

At the end of the day, Monty loves to put on a good show for anyone who takes the time and money to go to a derby.