Ellis had a double cause for celebration, having agreed the sale of the Jackhammer Cuda he is due to resume driving duties of the Superbird he’d handed over to ICE Automotive’s Nick Davies (and crew chief Rob Loaring) to develop the turbocharged setup dropped between the framerails at the start of this season. Although Davies has been rattled around a fair bit this year the launch settings appear to be getting pretty close to hitting the sweet spot as a pre-event test scored a 6.29/239mph run (the fastest speed by a UK Pro Mod).

Veteran .90 racer Brian Pateman will adorn his Firebird with the number one plate in both Super Comp and Super Gas competition in 2012. The points deal in Super Comp being secured by a final round victory over Paul Brown and a semifinal finish in Super Gas did the job in the 9.90 class.