Scrapheap Challenge 4

The Rusties

Last night the world of scrap paid tribute to its brightest stars in an orgy of self-congratulation. The evening was hosted by the king and queen of the scrapheap: Mr Robert Llewellyn and Miss Cathy Rogers.

Thousands of celebrities flocked to the 'heap for the glitz-fest that is the Rusties.

Rusty Award for Hero of the Year

Nominees

Nigel from the Mulewrights
For attempting to build a monster-truck chassis from scratch, and for being enough of a realist to ditch that plan when it became apparent that they could not find enough lightweight chassis material.

Mikke from the Ellivators
For attempting to build a twin-ski arrangement for the front end of a snowmobile, with fully independent suspension.

Richard from Storm Force
For attempting to make 3,000 nails for sweeping mines.

Winner
Richard from Storm Force

Rusty Award for Scavenger of the Year

Nominees

Ron from the Chairmen
For being the most leisurely scavenger.

Fergie from the X-tinguishers
For cutting up the set to get the scrap he needed.

Arthur from the Top Guns
For collecting, after only 10 minutes on the heap, enough scrap to equip a squadron.

Winner
Ron from the Chairmen

Rusty Award for Best Technical Cock-up

Nominees

The Megalomaniacs (Car Jouster)
For building a car that developed a mind of its own.

The X-tinguishers (White Water Rider)
Because these firemen were better at starting fires than putting them out.

Scrapheap's special-effects team
For their hair-trigger paint-bomb mines.

Winner
The Megalomaniacs and their Car Jouster

Rusty Award for Best Race

Nominees

Street Cleaner
One machine sucked while the other one swept, but they seemed perfectly matched.

Car Jouster
An epic battle between two Scrapheap champions.

Mobile Crane
No mean feat to shift a ton of scrap from one end of the racecourse to the other.

Winner
Car Jouster

Rusty Award for the Best Use of a Household Object

Nominees

Megalomaniacs: wheelchair
Bodged into a remote-control steering device.

Top Guns: electrical flex
Bodged into a torpedo guidance system.

Ellivators: spin dryer
Bodged into the back wheel of a snowmobile.

Winner
Ellivators: spin dryer

Rusty Award for the Best-Looking Loser

Nominees

The Mulewrights' Hydrofoil
Despite fantastic craftsmanship and an extraordinary set of components, this machine was going nowhere.

The Dirty Dancer's Egg Thrower
This epic contraption projected an ostrich egg a mighty 1.5m on its final throw.

The Top Guns' Torpedo
It floated, it motored, it even hit the target - but it lost.

Winner
The Mulewrights' Hydrofoil

Rusty Award for Best Driving

Nominees

Matt from the McCarknow Clan
For executing a three-point turn on a severe gradient with a dead engine.

Rob from the Top Guns
For getting rather over-excited at the controls of his buggy.

The Mulewrights (entire team)
For numerous acts of motorised mayhem.

Winner
Matt from the Clan

Rusty Award for Machine of the Year

Nominees

The Mulewrights' Hill Climber
This monster had 224 hand-made flanges.

The Cat-alysts' Tunneller
The drill bit on this machine was a scaled-down version of the bit used to dig the Channel Tunnel.

The Extinguishers White Water Power Raft
An upturned horsebox with jet-ski propulsion.

Winner
The Cat-alysts' Tunneller

Other awards

Best burn: Alan from the Extinguishers

Bossiest boss: Garry from the Cat-alysts

Best slang: Andy from the Chaos Crew - 'The fuel tank's smashed to chuff. That's going to be fun if it means unbolting the chuffing thing.'

Judges' Special Award for Most Sensitive Use of a Pick-axe: Nosher from the Megalomaniacs

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