After seven months of the very best in bumper-to-bumper and wheel-to-wheel action, the 2018 Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres title battle will reach its conclusion at Brands Hatch in Kent this weekend, 3rd/4th November, with the final six races of a quite legendary season.

Leading the way at the top of the driver standings is reigning champion John Mickel (Horsham) who will arrive at his ‘home’ track with a healthy advantage of 670 points over his sole rival for the coveted Legends Cars crown, Steve Whitelegg (Bury).

Mickel is looking to again write his name into the record books with an unprecedented fourth consecutive title, which would actually be five championship wins in total, while rapid Whitelegg is aiming to do the unthinkable and overturn the substantial deficit to claim his first crown. Going into the finale, the two title protagonists have 13 wins and nine wins respectively.

As always, the action around the 1.2-mile Indy Circuit will be fast, furious and massively entertaining and with a total of 1,200 points up for grabs across the six races – three on Saturday, three more on Sunday – there is certainly opportunity for there to be a late shake-up in the standings.

Notably too, a bumper grid of more than 30 cars is expected for the championship finale and the first of Sunday’s three encounters – the fourth race of the weekend – will also be the landmark 250th Legends Cars race to have taken place at Brands Hatch. It’s worth remembering too, the 2018 season is the one with the most first-time winners, five in total thus far.

More fantastic news just a few days away from the last event of the 2018 season is the confirmation newly crowned World Champion Jordan O’Brien, who sealed the coveted title just over a week ago in Las Vegas, will be on the grid. O’Brien absolutely starred on his UK debut at Anglesey back in May as a stand-in for Finland’s Miikka Riihimaa, and he will be looking to make an impact once again.

Massive grid set for thrills and spills at Brands Hatch 
Last time out at Pembrey in South Wales, an event notably impacted by ‘Storm Callum’, top Rookie class racer Sy Harraway (Weston-super-Mare) made an outstanding breakthrough with his maiden outright victory in the rain-hit first Heat of the weekend. He then went on to double-up with another win in Heat One on the second day to really solidify his status as a true emerging star of Legends.

Harraway, who is a shoe-in to be crowned 2018 Rookie Champion, goes into the weekend an impressive 10th in the overall standings and is well within touching distance of Brands Hatch local Nathan Anthony (Horley), who is ninth and not too far behind eighth placed Marcus Pett (Boston).

Anthony, who achieved a popular first ever Legends Cars podium during the corresponding race meeting this time last year at the wheel of his trusty Se-Van, returned to the podium at Pembrey a fortnight ago so don’t bet against more silverware to round-off a strong end to the year.

Pett, too, is a driver who is only getting quicker and more competitive and the youngster from Lincolnshire made headlines himself a couple of months ago with a sensational maiden race win at Snetterton 300 Circuit. Again, expect some big performances to conclude the 2018 campaign.

Immediately behind the Mickel and Whitelegg championship battle, the fight for third position in the standings is as close as could be with Sean Smith (High Wycombe) leading Miles Rudman (Sutton Coldfield) by just 125 points after a consistent weekend for the former at Pembrey. Jack Parker (Wolverhampton), meanwhile, is only 70 points behind Rudman so everything is very finely poised.

Sixth placed Paul Simmons (Lingfield) and seventh placed Will Gibson (Camberley), both of whom can count Brands Hatch as their home venue, also have a mathematical chance of ending the season in the championship top three.

In addition to the championship itself, of course, competitors are also battling it out in a standalone points table to earn a coveted prize test at the wheel of DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing’s glorious Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the car piloted by Rob Austin in the British Touring Car Championship.

“It really has been a classic season of Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres action, and we can’t wait to see what Brands Hatch has in store”, said series owner Phil Cooper, “It has all come down to a two-way fight for the title between John Mickel and Steve Whitelegg, but there are so many more battles up and down the points table – and the small matter of the prize BTCC test!

“We’re delighted to have another huge grid for the finale to cap what has been a truly outstanding year and absolutely elated to be able to confirm Jordan O’Brien, the new World Champion, will be back with us. It’s also going to be wonderful to celebrate the 250th Legends Cars race to have been contested at Brands Hatch…the circuit is, after all, where it all began for us almost 25 years ago.”

Digitex Television will once again be filming the weekend’s action for broadcast via Amazon Prime later in the month. If the finale can’t come soon enough, though, why not catch up on the rest of this season’s action on Prime Video now – just search for either ‘Motorsport HD’ or ‘Legends Cars’ – and you can also access the 2018 championship footage online at BARC TV www.barctv.net

Qualifying for day one at Brands Hatch is at 09.25 on Saturday, 3rd November, with Heat One set for 11.45, Heat Two following at 13.20 and then the Final will start at 15.25. On Sunday, 4th November, qualifying will commence at 10.00, Heat One will start at 12.05, Heat Two begins at 13.30 and the Final is scheduled for 15.35 ahead of the special fireworks display which concludes the weekend.

Live timing will be available throughout the event at www.tsl-timing.com