Legends Cars Elite Cup with JLM champ to be crowned this Sunday
Knockhill ready to welcome contenders for six-race Elite Cup finale
New points leader Connor Mills takes slim lead into Rds5&6
Action set to be screened live on ITV4 for 30-plus Legends Cars entry
Only a week since the Legends Cars Elite Cup with JLM thrilled racegoers during an action-packed second event of the season at North Yorkshire’s Croft Circuit, the decisive and hotly anticipated final two rounds of the campaign are now just days away – at the home of Scottish motorsport, Knockhill.
Forming part of the British Touring Car Championship package’s annual trip north of the border this coming weekend, 12th/13th August, the magnificent 30-plus entry for the Elite Cup decider is ready to deliver fantastic racing of the kind only Legends can, at one of the UK’s most spectacular tracks.
Connor Mills (Upminster) tops the driver standings ahead of Knockhill and carries a slim advantage of 30 points into the last of the three Elite Cup race weekends, having overhauled erstwhile category leader Jack Parker (Wolverhampton) last time out at Croft. Achieving his first Elite Cup race victory in the process, Mills’ speed and consistency are paying dividends.
Second in the standings is Ireland’s Robert Barrable (Dublin), another with great consistency and pace, and he was similarly impressive at Croft – chalking up a second win of the Elite Cup season and bagging a strong haul of points.
Parker, who led the way after the opening weekend at Brands Hatch in May, has three victories to his credit in the Elite Cup but slipped to third in the points battle due to some major misfortune last time out.
So too Will Gibson (Camberley) who, like Parker, was a race winner at Croft – his second of the Elite Cup – and also another title contender who experienced a heavy dose of bad luck. On the receiving end of incidents triggered by others, Gibson has dropped to fourth in the points, 180 shy of Mills.
Completing the top six in the standings are last year’s Legends Cars Rookie Champion Ben Higgins (Abermule), certainly one of the hottest young prospects in the category, and the ever-rapid Marcus Pett (Boston) who is an Elite Cup race winner. Just 40 points currently separate Gibson, Higgins and Pett and, with 200 points available for a victory, it’s clear to see just how tight the points battle is.
The top 10 in the title race also features Andy Bird (Calne), Chris Needham (Altrincham), Oli Schlup (Cuckfield) and Nathan Anthony (Horley), the latter racing the only ‘van’ in the Elite Cup. In the very entertaining battle of the Rookies, Tyler Read (Weedon) heads Andrew Rogerson (Maidenhead) by only 30 points.
From a local perspective, three Scottish drivers will be joining the Elite Cup fun at their home track with Ryan McLeish, Ben McNeice and Brent Bowie ready to try and utilise their knowledge of the twists, turns and undulations of Knockhill to their best advantage.
With thousands of spectators expected trackside, and hundreds of thousands more set to watch day two of the action unfold live on ITV4, the fight to enter the history books as the first ever Legends Cars Elite Cup with JLM Champion will almost certainly go down to the wire.
As always, the grid for the opening Heat in each round will be drawn by ballot rather than being based on qualifying times, with the grid for the second Heat reversed. For each day’s Final, starting order is determined by the points accrued over the course of the Heats – but with the highest scorers lining-up at the back. Action is absolutely guaranteed, on every lap in every race.
Phil Cooper – Legends Cars Elite Cup with JLM Owner:
“What a weekend we’re in for at Knockhill. It’s a rare visit to Scotland for us, so we’re looking forward to being there and especially as part of the BTCC event. We’ve won a lot of new fans, and generated a lot of interest from new drivers as well, through the first two Legends Cars Elite Cup with JLM events. I’m sure this weekend’s action at Knockhill will prove no different!
“Obviously the title battle took a turn at Croft, with both Jack Parker and Will Gibson encountering some misfortune and Connor Mills and Robert Barrable in a position to take advantage. Plus, there are still 1,200 points to be won over the six Knockhill races so a lot can still change. It’s going to be fascinating to see what happens before we crown our first Elite Cup Champion on Sunday.”
Officially timed testing at Knockhill will take place on Friday, 11th August, with qualifying following at 09.10 on Saturday, 12th August, ahead of round five Heat One at 11.40, Heat Two at 14.15 and the Final at 16.50. On Sunday, 13th August, Heat One will start at 09.20, Heat Two at 12.25 and the round six Final at 16.40.
Legends Cars racing in the UK is supported by JLM Lubricants, allgrowth Ltd, Carless, Vital Equipment and MRF Tyres.
2023 Legends Cars Elite Cup with JLM Standings (after Rd4)
1st Connor Mills, 1340pts; 2nd Robert Barrable, 1310pts; 3rd Jack Parker, 1225pts;
4th Will Gibson, 1160pts; 5th Ben Higgins, 1150pts; 6th Marcus Pett, 1120pts
