Belgian photographer Kevin Faingnaert’s series Banger Days offers a peek into the wild, dirt-covered world of banger racing. Never heard of it? We hadn’t either, but Faingnaert’s photos of the faces and cars of the banger racing scene got us interested. We asked him to explain this brutal and muddy scrap car sport to us:
“Banger Days is a series on a merciless full contact formula where drivers use scrap cars to race, crash, and destroy. Banger racing is a distinctly European mashup of Nascar and demolition derby. The sport is said to have started in the 1960s. It quickly gained popularity in England, Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The series was shot on various racetracks in Belgium and the Netherlands.
“Though the events varies in size, each features around 50 junkers careering around the track with the putative goal of crossing the finish line first. How they get there, and in what shape, is something else entirely. Crashes are not only common, but encouraged.”
Take a look at Banger Days below, and find more of Kevin Faingnaert’s work at his portfolio.
