Startin's Bass Ackwards takes Lind Combine Derby title

City Slicker was hurting, smoke pouring off of it and gears slipping as Tyler Startin of Dusty backed up his machine for a full-speed run.

Startin slid his combine, named Bass Ackwards after modifications moved the rear end to the front, into fourth gear and pushed to almost eight miles an hour before delivering the blow that finally took the Seattle-based City Slicker machine out of commission.

Startin backed up again to make a final celebratory run at the urban monster and was then crowned champion of the 25th annual Combine Demolition Derby held last Saturday at Lind.

It was the 23-year-old’s fourth derby with Bass Ackwards, a black-painted 1988 John Deere 6022 with hot pink flames that he loves destroying as an International man. The green paint earned in Saturday’s collisions will soon be covered.

“We don’t want any green showing on it,” he said.

His paint job also earned the derby’s looks contest, too.

All the combines sported silver headers in honor of the giant gathering’s silver anniversary.

Startin, who has been driving combine on Palouse hills since he was 12 years old, escaped his qualifying heat without taking any big hits, but almost didn’t make it that far after his combine burst its hydraulic system during the pre-derby parade.

“We had to scramble awful hard to get it ready and then we just squeezed into the third heet,” said Startin.

His win earned him a cash prize, though that will come later. It also earned him big crowds around town after the race.

“Everybody just kind of mobbed around us,” he said.

Startin’s run was aided by his pit crew of Keith, Chris and Phillip Luft, Darren Pfaff, Garrett Link, Evan Startin and Justin Geier.