Masters ace Paul Simmons returns for another Legends season
Fellow race winner James Hall-Morton confirmed for new campaign
Very healthy entry stands at 24 drivers with a month until first round
Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres race winners Marcus Pett (Boston), Connor Mills (Upminster), Paul Simmons (Lingfield) and James Hall-Morton (Cleckheaton) head the latest raft of confirmed drivers for 2020, with the entry list now standing at a very healthy 24 competitors.
Added to the 16 racers already announced in February, eight newly confirmed drivers – including the quartet of aforementioned front-runners – means the UK’s best big grid racing is in rude health once again into its 26th year with a month still to go until the season curtain-raiser at Brands Hatch.
Pett has developed very impressively in the ranks of Legends Cars over the past couple of years and during the championship’s Silver Anniversary season in 2019 he was an excellent sixth in the overall standings, with no fewer than four race victories.
Multiple ‘Masters Cup’ winner Simmons, a three time back-to-back champion in the class from 2016 to 2018, is back for another shot at the crown as well as overall success. Last season he was seventh in the standings and took two outright wins.
Mills, meanwhile, is one of the most potent forces in Legends Cars and even with a part-campaign last year he was still 10th in the championship with four wins to his credit. Mills, who formerly raced single-seaters, has been a popular front-running challenger in Legends ever since he won in the category during a one-off outing in 2017.
Hall-Morton brings huge pedigree to Legends, as the son of former champion Peter Morton, and last year the youngster really came of age with his maiden race victory at Brands Hatch on the opening weekend of the season. He went on to conclude the campaign, only his second in Legends, just outside the top 10 in the standings in 11th place.
Championship regular Bill Read (Oldham), who first debuted in Legends in 2016 and embarked on his first full season the following year, makes a very welcome return as does Rickie Leggatt (Worthing) who made his debut in Legends in 2013.
Another returnee is Neil Shenton (Middlewich) who originally dabbled in Legends all the way back in 2002, before moving full-time into the championship in 2014 after a very successful tenure in Brisca Formula One Stockcars.
Also on the confirmed entry list for the eagerly awaited new season is Mark Beaty (Gosforth), a driver who has made several appearances in the series at the category’s spiritual home, Brands Hatch, and also north of the border in the Scottish Legends Cars.
Commenting on the latest eight drivers to sign-up for the 2020 season, Legends Cars National Championship owner Phil Cooper said: “It’s wonderful news to have Marcus Pett, Connor Mills, Paul Simmons and James Hall-Morton back this year, they’re all proven race winners and bring a lot of excitement to the championship. They all have the ability to challenge for the title.
“We’re just as delighted to see Bill Read, Rickie Leggatt, Neil Shenton and Mark Beaty all signing up for the new season. Bill, Rickie and Neil have been strong supporters of Legends for a long time and their involvement is key to the health of the big grids we’ve long enjoyed. With 24 drivers confirmed and one month still to go until we’re at Brands Hatch, the championship looks very strong indeed.”
Rounds one and two of the 2020 season, the opening six races of the new campaign, will be contested at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent over the weekend 4th/5th April.
2020 Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres Calendar
4th/5th April – Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, Kent *
9th/10th May – Anglesey Circuit, North Wales
6th/7th June – Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, Kent **
11th/12th July – Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire
22nd/23rd August – Donington Park National Circuit, Leicestershire *
19th/20th September – Snetterton 300 Circuit, Norfolk *
3rd/4th October – Pembrey Circuit, South Wales *
7th/8th November – Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, Kent *
*Supporting the British Truck Racing Association
**Part of American Speedfest 8
