Exciting conclusion to Legends season in store at Brands Hatch Indy
hree-way fight for supremacy between Rudman, Gibson and Mickel
Rookie battle between Higgins, Schlup, Simmons set to go to final race
James Newbery fundraising at 2022 finale for Motor Neurone Disease
Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, the traditional home of the Legends Cars Championship with MRF Tyres finale, will host the 2022 title decider next weekend, 5th/6th November, where the overall, Masters and Rookie class champions will all be determined.
With six sensational races in store across rounds 14 and 15, the battle for the outright Legends Cars crown has come down to a three-way battle at the annual ‘Fireworks Finale’ between points leader Miles Rudman (Sutton Coldfield), Will Gibson (Camberley) and John Mickel (Horsham)
Rudman, the reigning and two-time Legends Cars Champion, will arrive at the Kent venue with a lead of 380 points over ‘local’ racer Gibson who is currently the winningest driver this season with 14 race victories to Rudman’s 13 wins.
Five-time former champion Mickel is 125 points adrift of Gibson, the latter having leapfrogged the category’s most experienced competitor during the previous event at Norfolk’s Snetterton 300 Circuit back in September.
With a total of 1,200 points up for grabs across next weekend’s six races, the destiny of the 2022 crown is far from decided and an absolutely barnstorming season finale is in prospect around the 1.2-mile Indy Circuit.
Fourth in the championship is race winner Marcus Pett (Boston), who moved ahead of Masters class contender Steve Whitelegg (Bury) last time out, and the former will be determined to sign-off the campaign with his highest ever placing in the overall standings.
Whitelegg is well on course to wrap-up the Masters title, now known of course as the ‘Gerard McCosh Napoleon Award’, and he will be another looking to claim outright wins to add to his current 2022 tally of three.
Rounding out the top six is Jack Parker (Wolverhampton), surprisingly yet to claim a race victory in the current campaign, and he has a significant points cushion over pursuers Charlie Budd (Henley-on-Thames), multiple Masters winner Paul Simmons (Lingfield) and Nick Bridgeman (Baldock).
Mark Beaty (Gosforth), who along with brother Kieran Beaty (Hexham) sponsors the Legends Cars television coverage through their Parc Lane Cars business, is just outside the top 10 in the overall championship in a very closely matched pack of drivers featuring Rookie class leader Ben Higgins (Powys), Oli Schlup (Cuckfield) and Luke Simmons (Lingfield).
While the various title battles will garner much of the attention in Legends Cars next weekend, something else to keep a very close eye on is the unique fundraising effort of James Newbery (Burgess Hill) on behalf of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Over the course of the six races, Newbery’s eye-catching #2Mater car – so named after the ‘Mater’ character from the Disney Pixar film franchise ‘Cars’ – will transform its appearance as he seeks to raise £2,500, a minimum of £1 per every mile raced across the 2022 season.
As always, spectators are invited to visit the Legends Cars drivers and teams in the main paddock throughout the weekend with the opportunity to grab some autographs, check-out the cars up close and chat to the competitors.
If you haven’t watched Legends Cars racing before, grid order for Heat One each day is determined by ballot and the order then flipped for Heat Two. Each day’s Final, meanwhile, features the lowest scoring drivers from the Heats at the front and the higher scorers at the back – guaranteeing the ultimate in overtaking and fast-paced race action.
“What a fantastic season it’s been...and we’re not quite done yet”, said Phil Cooper, Legends Cars Championship owner, “There are so many stories to play out at Brands next weekend, we could have a three-time champion in Miles Rudman, a first time title winner in Will Gibson or even a six-time champion in John Mickel. One thing we can say for sure, it’s going to be a spectacular weekend.
“Obviously, we will also crown this year’s Rookie Champion and Gerard McCosh Napoleon Award Champion and there are plenty of drivers all looking to end the season with a win. Off-track we’re delighted to be supporting James Newbery’s fundraising drive for Motor Neurone Disease and we hope the fans will come along and support what he’s doing for this incredibly worthwhile cause.”
Qualifying on Saturday, 5th November, will begin the day’s track action at 09.00 with Heat One starting at 10.50, Heat Two at 13.25 and the round 14 Final following at 15.35. On Sunday, 6th November, qualifying begins the day at 10.00, with Heat One commencing at 12.00, Heat Two following at 13.35 and the round 15 Final at 15.00.
Provisional 2022 Legends Cars National Championship Points (after Rd13):
1st Miles Rudman, 6375pts; 2nd Will Gibson, 5995pts; 3rd John Mickel, 5870pts;
4th Marcus Pett, 4855pts; 5th Steve Whitelegg, 4815pts; 6th Jack Parker, 3775pts
