BLACK ICE
The twentieth edition of banger racing’s biggest team event, the Unlimited Icebreaker, was staged at King’s Lynn on Sunday 20th December. A day filled with action saw crack squad Team Black claim the title for the second time but the first since the event moved to the Saddlebow Shaleway back in 2002. Their ‘A’ team of 67 Rickie Beasley, 382 Jack Foster Jr, 450 Glyn Platts and 920 James Medley produced the goods on a cold but otherwise fine day on a characteristically superb racing surface.
After the seemingly jinxed Icebreaker XIX which had to be twice rescheduled, and with this year’s event also being postponed from its original staging date, the entry was a little down on previous years. It still featured over 80 cars spread across 24 teams though, and was packed with quality. Amongst the big names was a surprise appearance by Spedeworth Unlimited World Champion, 331 Jason Jackson, guesting for Norfolk n Good. On the car front, there was a whole host of smartly turned out motors and impressive machinery. Topping the bill was 851 Adam Storr (Black Rats ‘B’) in a Mercedes Limousine. Meanwhile, Wild Boyz pairing 48 Mark Cassidy (all the way from Ireland) and 149 Wayne Bailey turned out unusual Mazda hearse and Volvo 740 limousine respectively. Mention must also go to material specialists Bad News, whose Bad News Classics outfit fielded a pair of Rover P5s, a P4 and a Jaguar XJ.
The field was split into three for the first round of heats, before a two-way split for another pair of outings and then an all-in final. Storr’s Mercedes wouldn’t last long as he rolled in heat one, although there was some consolation in claiming the entertainers award. 119 Davey Cox spun 38 Tom Chilton (Pedators ‘A’) from the lead as reigning champions Team 22, fresh from another success in the 1500 Icebreaker (in Crunchers guise), got their defence off to the best possible start. As Cox took the honours team captain 22 Dave Vincent completed a 1-2 for the boys in red and blue. Fourth and sixth placings for father-and-son duo of 372 Martin and 572 Paul Scully would mean the team opened an early lead in the points.
The second race saw saloon stock car regular 18 Jamie Clayton (Predators ‘B’) in the thick of the action, earning him the entertainers award. Having dished out a very hefty follow in to 2-litre world champion 399 Jonny Atkin (Mad Hatters Young Guns), he then got involved in a superb wrecking train on bend two. 127 Phil Markham, 779 Luke Allen, 27 Jake Fowler and Clayton piled in alternately for the Wild Boyz ‘B’ team and Predators ‘B’ before 601 Chris Medler (Team 22 ‘B’) finished the job in his massive used Yank limo. Jason Jackson showed his class by easing to victory with team-mate and former fellow Midnight Runner 730 Deane Mayes third, 81 Ashley Bell (Candyfloss) the meat in the sandwich.
The third heat saw little in the way of wrecking, save for a turn-two pile-up which claimed 86 Alec Savage (Damage Inc). It turned out to be a supremely fast race though as 247 Lee Clarke (Damage Inc) fought off Platts’ challenge, both in low-slung Japs, while Beasley showed Volvos can be pacey, bringing his estate home third. Foster claimed the entertainers award.
The second stanza of heats began with 266 Callum Hall (Wild Boyz ‘A’) hammering 925 Aaron Preece (Black Rats ‘B’). 117 Terry Bradley and 467 Mark Studd (both Gravediggers) also got involved, with the latter rolling to bring out the red flags. As Jackson took the chequered flag for his second win, this time with Mayes right behind, 312 Tom Reynolds (Team 22 ‘B’) thundered in 800 Tom Hannah (Grease). The latter then took a massive shot from 43 Nicky Bishop (Wild Boyz ‘A’), 79 Ricky Twell (Predators ‘B’), completing the train. Having already got well stuck-in, it was enough to claim the lively Reynolds the entertainers award.
Heat five was notable for a big pile-up on bend four involving most of the Mr Men, Shunters and Wild Boyz squads, as Clarke and Savage scored a Damage Inc 1-2. That lifted the orange men to third spot, a point ahead of Norfolk n Good ‘A’ and just a few behind the leading pair, Team Black ‘A’ and Team 22 ‘A’.
The teams scheduled to be in heat six struggled to get their cars repaired in time, leading to a fairly quiet race and another dominant 1-2 from Jackson and Mayes. 525 Wes Starmer (Team Black ‘B’) came home third and picked up the entertainers award in the process. The final heat would be much more lively. 516 Cark Gould (Damage Inc) t-boned Atkin, damaging his own steering – and his team’s points hopes – in the process. Then Chilton dished out a hefty hit to the Shunters’ 111 Geoff Street. Cox, sensing Team 22’s title hopes were waning, showed he can wreck with the best by blitzing the former before Shunters revenge came via 514 Charlie Taylor. Foster took the win from team-mate Medley, which meant Team Black ‘A’ had a four point advantage over Norfolk n Good ‘A’ going into the final. Damage Inc and Team 22 ‘A’ were also just about still in it, a further nine points adrift.
38 cars packed the raceway for the all-in final. 925 Preece rolled after a run-in with 160 Shayn Winsor (Norfolk n Good ‘B’), while turn two resembled a badly organised car park as car after car piled in. The track was blocked on more than one occasion, but each time some of the drivers managed to punch their way through – classic banger racing at its best. Through it all came Jackson once again, completing a superb return of four wins from four races. Potentially crucially, Mayes managed to extricate himself from the mess, delayed by several laps but still running and therefore in a points-scoring position. His eventual sixth place was to prove not quite enough though as third and fourth spots for Foster and Medley secured Team Black the title, to go with their third placing in the 1500 Icebreaker weeks earlier. Clarke, 439 Danny Sutton and Savage also made it to the flag, which was enough to secure Damage Inc a second consecutive third place in the Unlimited Icebreaker.
The traditional destruction derby rounded off proceedings, with 125 Roy Preece declared the winner due to a lack of action from those left running after his car had expired.
Supporting the big unlimiteds was a healthy field of micro bangers. Over 40 cars were in action, although a number of latecomers missed the first race or two. A white-top whirlwind kicked things off with a red flag brought about by a roll for 713 Ashley Ward after dishing out a big hit on 908 Lewis Judd (Fiat Cinquecento). 11 Ryan Leeks spun 377 Zac Street out of the lead to the win in the re-started race.
The first heat proper was packed full of non-stop action, far too much to do justice with words. Through it all came 294 Jordan Fairweather to take the win in his maiden national banger outing. And, as buses come in twos, so do wins for the Norwich man who took heat two as well. The late-arriving Common Crushers team were particularly lively in that one, with the entertainers award going to one of their number, 840 Dan Waddingham.
The final saw a couple of rollers including Judd. The reds came out for 895 Wilson Hall’s roll but he wasn’t fazed, driving off almost before his wheels had hit the ground, once righted by the marshalls. The impressive 313 Scott Elden was forced to retire from the lead of the restarted race with mechanical issues, allowing 830 Lee White to claim the win from 338 Terry Garrod. The DD then rounded off proceedings nicely on what had been a great day’s racing.
Heat 1 |
119 |
22 |
525 |
372 |
1 |
572 |
252 |
nof |
|
|
Heat 2 |
331 |
81 |
730 |
273 |
nof |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 3 |
247 |
450 |
67 |
920 |
382 |
439 |
160 |
125 |
272 |
116 |
Heat 4 |
331 |
730 |
1 |
113 |
525 |
79 |
nof |
|
|
|
Heat 5 |
247 |
86 |
22 |
382 |
67 |
372 |
516 |
920 |
450 |
174 |
Heat 6 |
331 |
730 |
525 |
22 |
1 |
328 |
81 |
325 |
nof |
|
Heat 7 |
382 |
920 |
22 |
439 |
247 |
116 |
372 |
86 |
67 |
791 |
Final |
331 |
247 |
382 |
920 |
439 |
730 |
86 |
525 |
nof |
|
Destruction Derby |
925 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Material Team |
Bad News Classics |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Race Entertainers |
851 |
18 |
382 |
312 |
920 |
525 |
119 |
1 |
|
|
White Top Whirlwind |
11 |
122 |
377 |
428 |
691 |
231 |
571 |
320 |
nof |
|
Heat 1 |
294 |
313 |
351 |
271 |
nof |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 2 |
294 |
66 |
551 |
557 |
nof |
|
|
|
|
|
Final |
830 |
338 |
271 |
377 |
551 |
nof |
|
|
|
|
Destruction Derby |
483 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Race Entertainers |
713 |
571 |
840 |
895 |
|
|
|
|
|
|