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PRESS RELEASE ISSUED ON MONDAY 2ND MAY 2005

NEWAYS POLAR TEAM SQUEEZE HOME TO WIN WEDGWOOD BLUE ICE TROPHY

Despite a spirited effort by Gentlemen Adventurers in the dying hours of the final leg, the UK/Italian team of Justin Packshaw and Christina Franco deservedly won the Wedgwood Blue Ice trophy as overall winners of the second Polar Race.

There was a great deal of tactics and some good natured gamesmanship involved on the last leg. Neways Polar Team knew that they just had to stay in contact with the Adventurers to win and were therefore going to track their every move. The Gentlemen Adventurers being aware of this steered a course over the steepest and hardest part of the Noice Peninsula in the hope that, as the better skiers, they could build up enough of a cushion to bring back the deficit.

Neways Polar Team were not to be denied their win however, and stuck to the Adventurers trail like limpets. Despite losing the last leg by 8 hours they retained the overall lead by 5 and a half hours at the finish and have been declared the provisional winners of the Polar Race, probably the toughest race in the world.

Third behind Gentlemen Adventurers was the Cable and Wireless Polar team (Elmont and Wright) from the two small Channel Islands of Sark and Alderney, fourth the Northern Stars (Aston, Newington-Bridges and Williams), fifth Pole Position (Dixon, Lee, Keatinge, Winnick), and the Ikey Icemen (Adam, Berning, Macdonald) on course to finish tomorrow.

Although being at the back of the race, the South African Ikey Icemen, competing in distinctly different weather to what they are used to, are now within a day of making history by becoming the first South Africans to the pole.

Current positions in the 4th leg of Polar Race 2005, as at 22:00 on 2nd May, are as follows.

1st Gentlemen Adventurers (UK)
Laban/Morton
Arrived at Finish Line at 11:53 on 1st May

2nd Neways Polar Team (Italy/UK)
Franco/Packshaw
Arrived at Finish Line at 19:56 on 1st May

3rd Northern Stars (UK)
Aston/Newington-Bridges/Williams
Arrived at Finish Line at 22:59 on 1st May

4th Cable & Wireless Polar Team (Channel Islands)
Elmont/Wright
Arrived at Finish Line at 00:08 on 2nd May

5th Pole Position (UK)
Dixon/Keatinge/Lee/Winnick
Arrived at Finish Line at 21:51 on 2nd May

6th Ikey Icemen (South Africa)
Adam/Berning/Macdonald
21 miles to Finish Line


OVERALL POSITIONS IN POLAR RACE 2005 (provisional results).

1st Neways Polar Team (Italy/UK)
Franco/Packshaw
Completed the race in 13 days, 17 hours, 2 minutes

2nd Gentlemen Adventurers (UK)
Laban/Morton
Completed the race in 13 days, 22 hours, 38 minutes
5 hours, 36 minutes behind leader

3rd Cable & Wireless Polar Team (Channel Islands)
Elmont/Wright
Completed the race in 14 days, 22 hours, 7 minutes
1 day, 5 hours, 5 minutes behind leader

4th Northern Stars (UK)
Aston/Newington-Bridges/Williams
Completed the race in 15 days, 14 hours, 49 minutes
1 day, 21 hours, 48 minutes behind leader

5th Pole Position (UK)
Dixon/Keatinge/Lee/Winnick
Completed the race in 17 days, 9 hours, 5 minutes
3 days, 16 hours, 3 minutes behind leader

6th Ikey Icemen (South Africa)
Adam/Berning/Macdonald
Still to finish.
21 miles to Finish Line

For further information on Polar Race 2005 see the website, www.polarrace.com

ENDS

You may use any pictures on our website for your coverage. Suggested pictures for this article are as follows.
For further information please contact:

Jock Wishart, Polar Adventures Ltd, 18 Neville Road, Kingston, Surrey.
Phone +44 (0)20 8549 1457, email [email protected], or see the web site www.polarrace.com