This is the saga of Brian Merchant, the creator of the Bruise Brothers Demo Derby Team, and begins way back in the day. In his teenage years he liked riding dirt bikes and assembled a few basket-case bikes from pieces. These creations once led to an old homemade go-cart frame which he mounted a Yamaha 250 twin engine on. There were various custom made components, most of which, I've forgotten. However, the weedwhip handle for a shifter and the bicycle brake handle clutch I remember. My Dad and I thought it was a joke and would never work, until we heard it fire up. My Dad demanded that he test it first. After dumping the clutch and throwing a roost of stone thirty feet in the air, he left the drive like he was shot from a cannon. He immediately shut it off and lined up on a huge white oak to get it stopped. He then chained and padlocked it to that tree and insisted it never be rode again. Brian then picked the lock, while he was at work, and ran it up and down the road in front of our house. Fortunately we lived in the Boonies, However the wildlife and neighbors were never the same.
Then came the streetbikes, cars, and trucks. All of which were operated in a manner that I'm sure the maufacturer didn't intend. It was not unusual to see him flying down the highway while standing on the seat of his streetbike or to get a phone call in the middle of the night, asking for help to get a truck out of the middle of the woods or help to roll back over a vehicle that slid down a gravel road on it's top.
Then came the 66 Pontiac circle track car that he had a brief run with at a local dirt track and it was not unusual to see it, on any county road on any given day, being tested. He had a license plate and registration which he made the BMV lady list all 8 colors, including lettering. The county deputy wasn't impressed and so ended the "Dukes of Hazard" period. CLICK HERE FOR PICTURE OF STOCK CAR!
I being the older brother of five years, have no idea where he developed this behavior and certainly would encourage young people of today to obstain from such dangerous behavior. *LOL*
Brian was a serious competitor and in high school won many awards for wrestling and football. He was undefeated in conference wrestling and a relentless defensive tackle. I truly believe that he was good enough at football to win a college scholarship and was highlighted in the local paper weekly. Unfortunately, during his senior season, a serious knee injury ended that chance. Sadly, the rival coach told us that they had double and triple teamed him in an attempt to injure him. He told his players, that was the only way they were going to stop him. I can't print here what i think about that and keep it a family site.
We were big fans of demolition derby as kids and we always attended the local county fair derby. Our cousin's husband had been competing for a few years and gave Brian some tips on how to build a car. So in the summer of 1986 it begins with a purchase of a 1971 Dodge Coronet. He mounted a big fake key on the roof and made it turn with a wiper motor, so it would look like a toy car. Considered stupid now ,because it can make you a target anywhere on the track along with the added drain on the battery. The kids absolutely loved it. Many came to him later in the evening to say it was their favorite car. He did well on his first try, making it to the feature and beginning one of the longest running rivalries with another derby family that continues today. But it was the kids that he got the biggest enjoyment from and what kept him in it. This began a hobby that has now lasted 20+ years. It was a sport that required multiple mechanical adaptations and creative thinking. It supplied that adrenaline rush and was highly competitive. It was a sport were you never quit learning and had to develop some skill. He had a knack for it from the start. He was good at building cars and a better driver. He built cars like he was killing snakes and was calm and collected when driving. He beat a lot of drivers by simply out driving them.
He got me involved after his first derby and I drove for the first time that fall. We were both hooked!
Brian was the one that started this team and built most of the cars back then. He built them for me, his wife, and many friends in the beginning. He often gave us the better cars back then and ended up finishing better with the worst car. Little did he know that family and friends would get involved and we all became closer over the years because of it. His two sons,Tony and Adam, are successful car builders and drivers now. They grew up around it and helped build when they were very young and started driving when they were thirteen.
Brian helped several first time drivers over the years build their first car.
Brian was famous among our team for surviving weekly accidents while working on cars, that would kill most humans. Cars falling on him, wrestling matches with power tools, explosions, white hot metal sticking to his skin somewhere, etc. He's been hit in the head with everything and only knocked out on a couple occasions for just a few seconds. Head injuries requiring stitches were wrapped with a greasy shop rag and it was off to the derby. He once busted his helmet on a raised rear bumper that came through his window during a derby. He drove to the other end and was black flagged because his driver door was tore off. He was knocked silly enough to roll out on the hood and laid his arm against a red hot header and didn't notice his arm was smoking until he was halfway to the pits. These things, along with the fact that he could pick up an unusual amount of weight and kick a hole through most things...earned him the nickname "MONGO"! If there wasn't 4 or 5 guys around to help you lift something you just yelled for "Mongo". If you didn't have access to a torch or sledgehammer...you just yelled for "Mongo". If it looked too dangerous......"Hey Mongo !"
Brian has won more heat,consi, and feature finish trophies than anyone else on the team. Most of the building techniques and driving tactics used by our team can be credited to him. Unfortunately,so can some of the attitude and antics. One tactic was to heckle,insult, or argue with officials in the pits while sitting on my car. This got his point across and caused them to chase me, from one end of the arena to the other, looking for a reason to black flag me. Mongo not stupid ! In fact, Mongo is a pretty smart cookie. You can beat him in the arena by team driving or welding up an illegal car. But if his car is healthy, you're not going to out drive him or out smart him. Unfortunately, most of our rivals choose the team-tank concept because of this.
His past role as an official gained him more enemies then even driving. He's real good at catching the cheats and knows what to look for. I have known Brian his entire life and he has always been HONEST in his beliefs and actions. Like all of us, that doesn't mean he is always right, However, He always believes he is, when he says it. If you want an honest answer or opinion...that's just what you'll get. His approach to this sport is with the same honesty. Anything he has won or done concerning it, has been done with the same honestly. That my friends, cannot be said for a large number of drivers. That would be my greatest compliment of him and is indisputable. Anyone that would accuse him otherwise....Would simply be a liar along with all that encompasses.
There are many humorous stories about Brian that I will link here at a future date and hope you will enjoy the photo gallery on this page and the stories to follow.
In conclusion, I would just like to say THANKS Brian for introducing me and many others into this sport and the twenty years of fun.
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