Report: Mark Paulson

Pictures: Matt Howes

Points: Steve Lovick

 

The Valley Services Massive team, based largely in the Norwich and Diss areas of Norfolk, overcame a valiant effort from defending champions Team Bash to lift the prestigious Unlimited Bangers ‘Icebreaker’ British Team Championship title at the Adrian Flux Arena, King’s Lynn, on Sunday afternoon (24 January). The squad, comprising 160 Shayn Winsor, his son 960 Ross Winsor, 328 Daniel Lathan and Middlesbrough-based 318 Tony Citro, avoided the worst of the carnage on an action-packed afternoon of big crashes.

The 25 teams, comprising nearly 80 cars, was not the largest Icebreaker entry, but they served up one of the most spectacular editions for several years, and also featured a number of impressive motors. Topping the bill was 439 Danny Sutton’s (Damage Inc) Oldsmobile but the full list of Merit Award winners is shown below.

85	James Ellis	Gypsy Crew ‘A’	Rover P5
87	Justin Kappert	Gypsy Crew ‘B’	Mercedes W210 limo
282	Bobby Daniels	Mr Men	Ford Granada Mk2 limo
303	Wayne Linsdale	Team Mates	Lincoln Town Car limo
439	Danny Sutton	Damage Inc	Oldsmobile Cutlass Coupe (1968)
768	Calvyn Girling	Damage Inc	Mercedes

Smart paint jobs for Ellis and his Gypsy Crew ‘A’ team-mates (273 Kevin McClagish, 372 Barry Overland and 777 Airan Vorkink) earned them the best presented team award, while two fresh Cadillacs for 513 Sean Harvey (Seville) and 514 Charlie Taylor (Fleetwood limo) combined with a pair of used Yanks from 32 Alan Wombwell and 132 Robert James earned the Shunters ‘A’ the award for the team with the best material. 

The teams were split three ways for the opening round of heats. There were 30 cars in the first where the Shunters immediately got stuck in on a track that was quite heavy from the overnight rain. 433 Ben Smith (Mk Granada limo, Damage Inc) put in Linsdale for some limo-on-limo action but the main feature of the race was the battle between Gypsy Crew and Predators ‘B’ teams. That turned a little ugly with some inside-out shots that earned the blue and yellow squad two load-ups and 40 point deductions, but luckily from then on all the big shots were legal and taken in good spirit. Girling won the main entertainers award for an all-action display. Out front, Shayn Winsor won from 321 Andy Newton’s (Bad News) used Rover P5 and 161 Billy Smith (Loveable Rogues) in an ex-Winsor Mk2 Granada. With Citro and Ross Winsor also in the top six, it gave the VS Massive team a lead they would not relinquish.

Heat two, with 23 cars, was a relatively quiet affair livened up by a big hit from 388 Taylor Sowter (Team Sowter) on 560 Steve Barker (Wild Boyz ‘A’) which earned him the main entertainers award. 791 Nicky Young (Shunters ‘B’) won the race but with Mad Hatters ‘A’ runners placed second, fourth, fifth and sixth, they levelled the scores at the top of the table.

Heat three tracked just 21 cars but featured some massive hits, mainly from the Predators and Gypsy Crew ‘A’ teams. After Vorkink spun 479 Joel Allen (Preds), McClagish gave the latter a head on, with Allen then receiving further punishment from Overland. That set up the latter’s Mercedes estate for two massive shots from Predators duo 602 Sean Cooper and 209 Tom Waller, after which the race was stopped. Overland had already done enough to earn himself the main race entertainers award though. On the restart, 22 Dave Vincent (Team 22) took the lead from 188 John Reeves (Team Bash) to win from 781 Scott Sparrow (The Firm) and 898 Andy Battle (Team Bash). Three more points finishes for the Team Bash squad gave them a good haul of points, placing them third overall after the first round of heats.

The next round of heats were split two ways, with the 35 cars of heat four supplying absolute carnage on the raceway. A series of big hits on the road bend eventually led to a wrecking train and then a full-on track blockage with cars continuing to plough in, full-bore. Bobby Daniels was left with a big wreck after some limo-on-limo action from Ben Smith. Eventually, the race boiled down to the crippled machines of Young, 90 Adrian Harboard (Mr Men), 266 Callum Hall (Bears) and Newton but they all piled in too, leading to a red flag with one lap to go. Hall was declared the winner, and also scooped the main entertainers award, with Young and Newton the only other recorded finishers.

Heat five couldn’t live up to that but still provided some cracking action. Mad Hatters ‘B’ pairing 396 Karl Turner and 696 Tommy Taylor came off worst from their exchange with Robert James’s massive Yank hearse, while the latter’s team-mate Alan Wombwell livened things up when his limo was left broadside across the back straight, with a stoppage then called to assist 411 Daniel Pegg (Gypsy Crew ‘B’). Lathan led away the restart and went on to take a comfortable win from 673 Darren Fendley and Battle when the race was called slightly early to aid Vorkink. With both Winsors and Citro again scoring points, that left the VS Massive with a healthy 14 point lead over Team Bash going into the final, with the Mad Hatters ‘A’ team a further 13 points back. In the day’s entertainer’s league, the Gypsy Crew ‘A’ led by 15 points from the Shunters ‘A’ and Damage Inc.

Forty-nine cars filled the raceway for the final, leading to inevitable carnage. A wrecking train on bend two led to a track blockage on the back straight from which Vincent, Shayn Winsor, Lathan, Reeves and 921 Jack Aldridge (Loveable Rogues) eventually broke free. Lathan and Reeves proceeded to have their own private DD, and with Winsor still circulating, that pretty much settled the title in VS Massive’s favour. He went on take the flag when the race was called a lap early for a fire, clinching the title for his team – even at 50 years of age, the three-time of World of Shale champion definitely still has it. Aldridge was placed second, with Battle and Fendley third and fourth to secure the runners-up position overall. Vincent was fifth and final finisher, which meant the two man team of he and 322 Tom Fox secured third overall. Taylor Sowter’s entertainers award clinched third in the entertainers league for his team but they couldn’t overhaul the Gypsy Crew ‘A’ and Shunters ‘A’ for first and second.

 

Junior Bangers

In support of the main event was an excellent entry of nearly 30 Junior Bangers including a number of visitors and newcomers. Their proceedings opened with a race for white graders only, won by the most experienced driver in the field, 660 Daniel Lambe, who survived taking himself into the wall mid-race. Lambe lost a wheel in heat one proper which was a lively affair won from the back by 308 Adam Richardson from visiting youngster 90 Joey Holmes Jr. Heat two was blighted by a number of restarts but was eventually won by 364 Bradley Lee, celebrating his welcome return to the Trackstar ranks, with Richardson coming through for second. The final was claimed by 148 Jamie Blything from Lee and early leader 607 Dillon Ashman, who won a merit award for his smart car on debut. The race also featured an astoundingly hard flat-out hit from 99 Shadey Gough on 246 Jake Wilson, a shot which doesn’t belong in Junior Bangers, but somehow seemed fitting on a day of hard-hitting action.

 

Icebreaker Points

VS MASSIVE 70

TEAM BASH 58

TEAM 22 30

MAD HATTERS A 27

SHUNTERS B 21

BEARS 20

BAD NEWS 17

DAMAGE INC 12

MAD HATTERS B 10

FIRM 9

LOVEBALE ROGUES 8

MR MEN 4

TEAM SIMPLE 3

WILD BOYS A 2

TEAM SKINT 2

PREDATORS B 1

 

ENTERTAINERS POINTS

GYPSY CREW A 50

SHUNTERS A 45

TEAM SOWTER 40

DAMAGE INC 35

BEARS 30

PREDATORS A 25

MR MEN 20

PREDATORS B 15

WILD BOYS B 15

MAD HATTERS B 10

TEAM MATES 10

BAD NEWS 5

LOVEABLE ROGUES 5

MAD HATTERS A 5

SHUNTERS B 5

TEAM BASH 5

TEAM SIMPLE 5

WILD BOYS A 5

 

 

Unlimited Banger Icebreaker	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Heat 1	160	321	161	318	433	960	439	328	247	nof
Heat 2	791	601	266	399	390	392	90	141	43	nof
Heat 3	22	781	898	673	188	322	340	396	116	nof
Heat 4	266	791	321	nof
Heat 5	328	673	898	22	160	318	960	340	868	178
Final	160	921	898	673	22	nof
Material Team	Shunters A
Best Presented Team	Gypsy Crew A
Top Teams	VS Massvive	Team Bash	Team 22
Top Entertainers	Gypsy Crew A	Shunters A	Team Sowter
Destruction Derby	85
Car Awards	439	303	282	87	768	85
Race Entertainers	266	388	372	602	388	266

Junior Bangers	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Heat 1 (White Tops)	660	56	840	246	47	nof
Heat 2	308	90	61	16	14	99	13	56	840	364
Heat 3	364	308	608	90	840	16	246	13	56	nof
Final	148	364	607	10	340	487	56	608	840	90
Merit Awards	607	99	364	840