School bus demolition derby star Michael Rommeney loved by kids

Michael Rommeney always loved to eat cheese as a kid, so when he started competing in school bus demolition derbies -- referred to by many as "cheese buses" because of the yellow color -- he thought of the nickname, "Cheesebox."

It turned out to be a hit because nearly a dozen years after he came up with the moniker, kids at Riverhead Raceway continue to chant his name. The 35-year-old from Maspeth, Queens, has competed in demolition derbies at Riverhead for 18 years.

"I love it, I think it's great that the kids eat it up," said Rommeney, who will be competing in the school bus demolition derby today. "In the last demolition derby we ran, all the kids were screaming my name and I just think it's really cool."

Of course, winning has helped increase his popularity. Most recently, a week after winning a demolition derby at the upstate Orange County Fair in Middletown, kids flocked toward the pit area for his autograph after he won the school bus demolition derby at Riverhead last month.

"The kids were screaming and going crazy," Rommeney said. "It's nice after the race is over when the kids come to the pits and they want your autograph."

One of the reasons why Rommeney has been successful has been his ability to limit the damage his own vehicle accrues while ramming it into another.

"I'm looking to make the best shot I can make to take the other bus out," Rommeney said. "But I don't want to make too hard of a shot because then I would hurt my own bus. So I'll try to hit someone more on an angle or on the side of the bus."

It's not always so easy, though, as the veteran has to account for other participants looking for a head-on collision.

"If you get hit straight on in the nose of the vehicle by another school bus, you're done because it basically breaks the motor and transmission," Rommeney said. "It's basically over after that."

Rommeney, who builds his own car for regular demolition derbies, said he has slowed down the past few years because it has become harder to find good prices on scrap. But he still plans to compete for years to come, despite the long drive from his home to the track.

"It's 70 miles, so I'm basically going from one end of the LIE to the other," Rommeney said. "I enjoy the ride because it relaxes. On the way back, I enjoy it because I get to relax after getting my frustrations out during the demo derby."