A racer trying to repair his car.
Julien: They are passionate about cars – actually, about destroying them more than anything. Most of them are mechanics, lorry drivers or scrap metal collectors.What happens during a race?
First, people get a hold of old, beat-up cars. They salvage them, repair them, repaint them and send them out onto the tracks. The goal is either to do as many laps as possible without the car breaking down, or to cause the biggest crashes by causing other cars to drive into the walls surrounding the tracks. All this happens at 80 to 110km per hour. You have multiple categories and awards – for the best-looking car, for the car that destroyed the best-looking car, for the fastest, for the most spectacular crash and much more.
A beaten-up car ready to race.
Mainly from ads that members of the community tag each other in. They spend huge amounts of time doing them up, only for them to be completely wrecked after the first 500 metres. I think it’s really interesting that they’re giving these cars destined for the scrapyard one final lap of glory.How long have these tracks at Warneton existed?
In Belgium, there used to be three of these tracks, all created in the 1970s, but the Speedway is the only one left.
A car being towed by a tractor.
They’re very concerned about safety, but everything – or almost everything – is allowed during the race. No one has ever died, but a lot of people end up with displaced vertebrae, collapsed lungs and broken limbs.
They’ll tell you it’s for the adrenaline, to feel alive. They’re fearless, but there’s still some apprehension before getting on the track. When they start driving they completely unplug their brains. If you think about it too much, you just won’t drive into someone at over 100km an hour. Then again, these people haven’t necessarily had easy lives. This region has a high rate of unemployment, with single-crop fields as far as the eye can see, and not a lot to do. It’s a way to release some of that anger. Nobody fights around the Speedway, everything gets settled on the tracks.Just to give you an example, one guy had his car stolen from his garage. He knew who did it, but didn’t confront them – they settled the score in the race. That’s how it goes. It’s a true passion, a way of life. It gives them the chance to be a part of something and to shine. People get a reputation for their spectacular crashes – there’s a crowd of 6,000 cheering you on. The rewards are mostly symbolic, though; all they actually win is a plastic trophy.
A racer before the competition.
Exactly. This is like their church. It’s where kids learn how to drive and learn about mechanics. It’s where all kinds of rites of passage take place – baptisms, weddings, and when someone is ill or dies, people go around collecting money for the family. I’ve rarely ever seen a community as united as these people are.
A bride does a lap around the race track.
Another crumpled competitor.
A racer surrounded by fans.
Teen fans hanging out at the races.
A car being removed from the tracks.
A young fan and his dog.
A racer walks away from his wrecked car.
A racer before the start.
Shirtless banger fans.
A car being removed from the tracks.
A car waiting to be removed from the tracks.
Car 188, ready to burn its tyres.
A former banger car ready for the scrapyard.
