One of the most memorable seasons in the 30-year history of the Legends Cars Championship is all set to go down to the wire next weekend at Oulton Park International Circuit, with five drivers still in with a chance of claiming the coveted 2024 crown.
Round 13, the final three races of the campaign, will take place just over a week from now on Saturday, 28th September, at the spectacular and picturesque Cheshire venue, where a fantastic conclusion is expected to the already mouthwatering title battle. Double points were originally planned to be awarded for the final round, although this won’t now take place.
It has been confirmed, though, Digitex Television will film and broadcast each of the three Oulton Park contests live online through the Legends Cars YouTube Channel and the category’s Facebook page – tremendous news for the many fans of the championship in the UK and overseas.
Going into the grand finale of the 30th Anniversary season, reigning Legends Cars Champion Will Gibson (Camberley) tops the standings, although after the previous event at Snetterton 300 Circuit a fortnight ago his advantage was cut to just 60 points. He has seven wins so far this season.
Jack Parker (Wolverhampton), this year’s Legends Cars Elite Cup Champion, is Gibson’s closest challenger and he is also the winningest driver in 2024 with 10 race victories in total across the main Championship and the Elite Cup.
Three victories at Snetterton last time out, a clean-sweep in round 12 which took his season tally to six, catapulted Robert Barrable (Dublin) into the championship top three. While he is 300 points shy of Gibson, with 1,200 points up for grabs at Oulton there is scope for some dramatic change.
Fourth in the standings is Tyler Read (Weedon), the double Rookie Champion from 2023, after a very impressive sophomore year where he has solidified his place as a genuine front-runner. Read is just 80 points behind Barrable and he is a two-time race winner this season.
The last of the drivers still mathematically capable of winning the overall title is fifth placed Andy Bird (Calne), a race winner and the early season points leader. Oli Schlup (Cuckfield) completes the current top six in the standings, he is a three-time race winner so far this year.
In the Masters Cup, where the Champion will be awarded the ‘Gerard McCosh Napoleon Award’, Nick Bridgeman (Baldock) carries fantastic confidence into the finale after an outstanding weekend at Snetterton, where he overtook chief rival Peter Barrable (Dublin) in the class battle and opened a significant 265 point cushion. Se-Van racer Nathan Anthony (Horley) is third in the Masters scrap.
The other title to be decided at Oulton Park is the Rookie Cup. Eric Boulton (Grantham) won the Rookie crown in the Elite Cup and he could make it two from two in his first season in Legends. His chief challenger is up-and-coming racer Harri Musselle (Buckingham) who enjoyed his best event of the season last time out.
In the Team Car standings, the No.44 car fettled and fielded by Irish squad POB Racing has an unassailable lead of 830 points over the No.94 entry run by Bridgeman Motorsport, with the No.62 car from Pooley Motorsport – as piloted by Eric Boulton for the bulk of the year – third in the points.
Of course, aside from the various championships there will be a whole range of drivers aiming to end the 2024 campaign on a high – not least Chris Needham (Altrincham) who utterly dominated day one at Snetterton earlier in the month with a stunning hat-trick of wins.
Luke Simmons (Lingfield), seventh in the championship, will be targeting a strong conclusion after a great weekend at Snetterton, while Nick Price (March) was highly impressive in Norfolk too, and will be seeking a strong finish to his sophomore season.
Phil Cooper – Legends Cars Championship Owner:
“It’s been an outstanding year of Legends Cars Championship racing, we’ve all been treated to some absolutely fantastic action, and now we’re looking forward to what promises to be an incredible final round at Oulton Park. So much is at stake, there is hardly anything in it between Will Gibson and Jack Parker in the overall title battle, and there are several others waiting in the wings too.
“We’re delighted Digitex TV will be filming and broadcasting all three Oulton Park races live online, the Legends Cars fans provide us with fantastic support and it’s only right they have the chance to watch all of the action unfold. We also hope to see plenty of fans trackside for our final round, what better way to spend a Saturday than a visit to Oulton Park? We can guarantee amazing racing!”
Qualifying practice next Saturday. 28th September, is scheduled to begin at 09.30 with Heat One of the day following at 12.00 and Heat Two starting at 14.30. The round 13 Final, the last race of the 2024 Legends Cars Championship, is timetabled to get underway at 17.00.
Provisional 2024 Legends Cars Championship Points (after Rd12)
1st Will Gibson, 4850pts; 2nd Jack Parker, 4790pts; 3rd Robert Barrable, 4550pts; 4th Tyler Read, 4470pts; 5th Andy Bird, 4335pts; 6th Oli Schlup, 3980pts