Families have fun bonding at town’s first derby

Dampier families were only too keen to get off and racing at the inaugural Dampier Billy Cart Derby last Saturday.

here was hardly a dull moment as more than 50 racers took to the hill from the Shell servo to the palms.

The event was billed as a chance for families to bond, and parents worked with sons and daughters in the pit lane to ensure their speed machines were up for the challenge.

Plenty of parents got a work-out too, taking up the job of dragging carts and children up the hill for the next race

Carter Armstrong won in the intermediate (10-15-year-olds) category, collecting his second Pilbara billy cart title this year after also winning the 2016 Marble Bar Grand Prix.

Dusty Fowler was the fastest junior (six to nine-year-olds) and Jen McKenzie won the competitive seniors (over-16s) division.

Dampier police were on hand with a hand-held speed camera at the ready and with speeds pushing towards the 40km/h mark for some carts, it was a surprise they didn’t have to get out the speeding ticket book.