Report: Mark Paulsom

Team Extreme lifted its second Unlimited Icebreaker title in dominant fashion at King’s Lynn on 27 January, while Team Sowter/Filmer edged the day’s entertainers’ league as the drivers put on a terrific show in difficult conditions.

Postponed six days after the previous weekend’s dire weather, the Icebreaker didn’t find favour with the weather gods second time around either as rain fell on an already wet track for much of the meeting. It left conditions difficult for racing, mechanicking and spectating but, to their credit, the drivers all got stuck in and produced a hard-hitting affair that will go down as one of the best editions of the Unlimited Icebreaker in recent years.

Despite the date-change and poor weather, 87 drivers were in action, split across 26 teams. Among them, three-time winners the Steam Team returned to action, with 439 Danny Sutton (Mk2) and 537 Martin Brunson (Mk5) both in Granada limos. There was little else noteworthy among the fresh machinery, mainly being Scorpios, Mercedes and Volvos, with the odd Omega, Supra, Lexus and Toyota Prius in action.

The cars were split in half for two pairs of heats, the first round fielding over 40 cars in each, making for a busy track and high levels of action. Sowter/Filmer duo 884 Tom Filmer and 201 Phil Milner both turned around to dish out hits, with Filmer’s crunching head-on with the Bears’ 43 Luke Maynard particularly heavy. Their actions earned the pair race entertainer awards to give the team a healthy advantage in the standings, while 583 Dan Weeks (Term Bert ‘B’) used his classic Jag to good effect by getting stuck into the action on bend two, scooping a race entertainer award in the process.

Out front, 757 Callum Gill (Team Extreme ‘A’) took his Scorpio estate to victory from the Dover Boys’ 898 Andy Battle and VS Massive’s 328 Daniel Lathan. With Gill’s team-mates 627 Terry Coke and 362 Jonny James, and Battle’s team-mate 673 Darren Fendley also in the points, those two teams led the early standings.

The Predators got stuck into James Ellis’s squad in heat two, with 178 Kieran Bowman earning himself a race entertainer award. Team-mate 519 Lee Middleton also dished out a head-on to 273 Kevin McClagish’s Rolls Royce before incurring the officials’ wrath by exiting his car. 633 Leeroy Haywood (Wild Boyz ‘A’) joined in the assault of McClagish’s roller, claiming a race entertainer award, while 176 Ralph Emerson (Team Extreme ‘B’) was another recipient for his part in a bend two pile-up. That led to a track blockage which eventually left only two cars running. Both 341 Andy Jones (Term Bert ‘B’) and 382 Jack Foster Jr (Mad Hatters) were limping around as they indulged in a private DD, Jones eventually shaking off Foster’s attacks to take the win.

Scores after first round of heats: 1 Team Extreme ‘A’ 21; 2 Dover Boys 16; 3 Team Bert ‘B’ 12; 4 Mad Hatters 9; 5 VS Massive 8; 6 Team Bonos ‘B’ 6.

Entertainers’ League: 1 Team Sowter/Filmer 35; 2= Predators, Team Bert ‘B’, Team Extreme ‘B’, Wild Boyz ‘A’ 15.

Understandably, the numbers were much reduced in the second round of heats, fielding 25 and 18 cars respectively. Heat three was mostly fairly quiet until a crunching head-on between Filmer and 100 Callum White (Allsorts), with 205 Reece Moran (Demons) also joining in. All three earned race entertainer awards for their troubles. Team Extreme ‘A’ strengthened their points advantage with 622 Garry Webb winning, backed up by Gill second, Coke third and James sixth. The Dover Boys could only manage fourth for Fendley, putting them a massive 32 points behind in the standings.

Heat four was another that pretty much turned into a DD between a clutch of crippled cars. 211 Dennis Vorkink (Bonos ‘A’) survived to win from 321 Kieran Fry (Bears ‘A’). The main race entertainer awards went to Middleton, Bowman and 266 Callum Hall (Bears ‘A’), who gave a head-on to 399 Jonny Atkin (Mad Hatters).

Scores after second round of heats: 1 Team Extreme ‘A’ 55; 2 Dover Boys 23; 3 VS Massive 14; 4=Team Bert ‘B’, Team Bonos ‘A’ 12; 6= Bears ‘A’, Mad Hatters 9.

Entertainers’ League: 1= Team Sowter/Filmer, Predators 50; 3 Bears ‘A’ 30; 4 Wild Boyz ‘A’ 20; 5= Allsorts, Demons, Team Bert ‘B’, Team Extreme ‘B’, Team Bonos ‘B’  15.

To sneak the title, the Dover Boys needed to fill the places in the final and hope for a no-score from Team Extreme ‘A’.  They gave it a good go but ultimately fell just short, with their cause not helped when Fendley was immediately taken out by the on-opposite 227 Chris Horton (Predators), whose team were looking to clinch the entertainers’ league.

James led the way, even surviving a hit with Sutton, but the surviving cars were having to run a gauntlet through a bend-two blockage every lap. Eventually, James’s damage told and broken steering meant he couldn’t recover from a spin. 326 Shane Lynn (VS Massive) took up the running but didn’t last long, and eventually only three cars were left, crawling around the track. 388 Stevo McGrath (Dover Boys) crabbed across the line to take the win, and with the recovered Fendley second, it gave the Dover Boys a chance to snatch the crown. But they needed a third car home, and with Team Extreme’s Webb the only car left, it clinched the title for the latter’s team, repeating their 2010 success.

Hall, 188 John Reeves (Dover Boys) and 625 Josh Gooch (Team Extreme ‘B’) took the race entertainer awards, with Hall’s Bears team claiming third overall as a result. But in the battle between the Predators and Team Sowter/Filmer for the overall title, a crucial five-point contender’s award clinched it for the southern team over the locals.

Final standings: 1 Team Extreme ‘A’ 65; 2 Dover Boys 51; 3 VS Massive 14; 4=Team Bert ‘B’, Team Bonos ‘A’ 12; 6= Bears ‘A’, Mad Hatters 9.

Entertainers’ League: 1 Team Sowter/Filmer 55; 2 Predators 50; 3 Bears ‘A’ 45; 4 Team Extreme ‘B’ 5= Dover Boys, Wild Boyz ‘A’ 20.

The final went straight into a destruction derby in which a couple of cars managed to rejoin. A duel between McGrath and James was settled in the Irishman’s favour.

 

Junior Bangers

Providing support was a field of 31 Junior Bangers in an off-season meeting. Among them was one of the cars of the day, 854 Aiden Storr’s fantastic Austin A30.

After 622 Harvey Webb took the white-top whirlwind, national points runner-up 328 Ben Nichols raced to a heat and final double, winning the main race from 450 Blake Platts and 77 Lewis Ivatt. English champion 90 Joey Holmes Jr took the other heat, just heading Nichols, after on-the-road victor 33 Jake Sampson was docked two places for starting in the wrong grade.

 

Icebreaker Final Standings

Team Extreme A - 65

Dover Boys - 51

VS Massive - 14

Team Bert A - 12

Team Bonos A - 12

Bears A - 9

Mad Hatters - 9

Team Bonos B - 6

Team Sowter / Filmer - 4

Steam Team - 3

 

 

Icebreaker Entertainer Points

Team Sowter / Filmer - 55

Predators - 50

Bears A - 45

Allsorts - 15

Demons - 15

Dover Boys - 20

Wild Boyz A - 20

Team Bert B - 15

Team Bonos B - 15

Team Extreme B - 5

Mad Hatters - 10

Team Bert A - 10

Team Extreme A - 10

TPR - 5

Team Bonos A - 5

James Ellis - 5

VS Massive - 5

 

 

Unlimited Bangers	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Heat 1	757	898	328	673	222	627	362	nof
Heat 2	341	382	nof
Heat 3	622	757	627	673	326	362	388 (TS)	433	nof
Heat 4	211	321 (KF)	nof
Final	388 (SM)	673	622	nof
Destruction Derby	388 (SM))
Best Presented	Team Bonos B

Junior Bangers	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
White Top Race	622	340	349	591	121	833	nof
Heat 1	328	114	90	33	229	188	715	340	349	77
Heat 2	90	328	33	229	608	715	101	117	340	591
Final	328	450	77	114	117	715	13	340	101	833