The Kneebone Cadillac, a raucous play by Carl Grose about a banger racer and her family, has become a smash hit with the very community it depicts. Staged at United Downs Raceway in St Day, Cornwall, the production immerses audiences in the high-octane world of banger racing, where speed and collisions are part of the spectacle.
Racers embrace theatre for the first time
For 14-year-old racer Lexi Crosbie, who attended her first banger race at five days old, the play was her first theatre show. 'I really enjoyed it,' she said. 'My whole family did.' Director Kyla Goodey noted the bridging of worlds: 'It’s been a bridging of worlds. That’s exactly what we wanted.'
Banger racing: community and crashes
Banger racing involves gutted regular cars fitted with safety equipment for 'nudge and spin' races. Leeta Rawling-Aldridge, 27, a care-home worker and racer, said: 'The crowd are there for the crashes.' She has fractured her shoulder and sprained her ankle but remains focused on racing. The sport is male-dominated but changing; Crosbie noted: 'When I started, most of the girls were very doubted... But we’re all trying to prove them wrong.'
The play's journey from radio to racetrack
Originally a radio play in 2011, The Kneebone Cadillac was commissioned for Plymouth Theatre Royal in 2018. The story follows young racer Maddy Kneebone through her father’s death, inheritance of a Cadillac, and a secret gold stash. Co-promotor Crispen Rosevear cleared the track’s schedule in 2024 for Wildworks to stage it. 'I do it out of my love for the play,' he said.
Theatre-makers fall for racing
Goodey described the experience as mind-blowing: 'Everything’s a risk assessment in theatre, and here I watched a 10-car pile up, and a young woman walked right out of the middle of it.' Caitlin Emery, 19, a championship-winning racer, said: 'When you’re in the car, you forget about everything.'
Addictive nature and financial realities
Rosevear said: 'If banger racing grabs you, you’re hooked. It becomes a way of life.' Kerry Birch, a mother of four in her second year of racing, added: 'Once I’m on that track, I’m in my own little world.' Racing is expensive, with drivers spending more than they can win, but as Rosevear noted: 'It’s the rush. You can’t buy excitement like that.' The play’s tickets start at £1 to ensure accessibility.
