This weekend’s 2020 season finale of the Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres, scheduled to take place at Brands Hatch, will no longer go ahead following intervention by Kent County Council which has ruled the event cannot be held.
Having only been given the green light a few days ago as part of the BTRA British Truck Racing Championship race meeting, the decisive seventh and eighth rounds of the Legends Cars campaign – and the race meeting as a whole – have now been cancelled.
While the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Motorsport UK had designated the event as an ‘Elite’ fixture, and thus able to be staged under the latest COVID-19 national lockdown measures, following subsequent discussions with Kent County Council this week the tough decision to cancel has been taken by the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) and MotorSport Vision (MSV).
One of the closest championship battles in Legends Cars history will now, very unfortunately, not be able to reach its natural conclusion. As a result, Daniel Clark (Darras Hall) has been declared the brand new champion thanks to the tight 20 point advantage he was taking into the weekend.
Clark deservingly wins his maiden Legends Cars title, in only his first full season back in the category since 2006, after a highly competitive campaign in which he has performed incredibly consistently at the wheel of his Clark Motorsport entered car.
Taking the coveted crown by just 20 points from five-time former champion John Mickel (Horsham), in third place in the championship is Jack Parker (Wolverhampton) while last year’s champion Miles Rudman (Sutton Coldfield) has to settle for fourth – just 65 points adrift of Clark. Had the final two rounds, six races, gone ahead there would have been 1,200 points up for grabs across the weekend.
“We are extremely disappointed for all involved the weekend’s racing can no longer take place, but we do fully accept the very difficult decision which has had to be taken by the BARC and MSV after ongoing dialogue with the circuit’s local authority”, said Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres owner Phil Cooper.
“The final two rounds were set to be absolutely spectacular, with nothing in it at the top of the championship, so it’s devastating they have had to be cancelled. We do, though, have an extremely deserving new champion in Daniel Clark. He has had a superb season, his first in Legends for many years, and has been quick and consistent throughout. Many congratulations Daniel!”
Cooper added: “Now we look ahead to a much more straightforward 2021. If the early signs are anything to go by, with huge interest from current drivers, former racers and Legends newcomers, we are set for a capacity grid season-long.”
Provisional Final 2020 Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres Standings:
1st Daniel Clark, 2770pts; 2nd John Mickel, 2750pts; 3rd Jack Parker, 2720pts;
4th Miles Rudman, 2705pts; 5th Will Gibson, 2510pts; 6th Connor Mills, 2490pts