Mid Wales racing driver Ben Power scored another race victory in the MRF National Legends Car Championship at the Rockingham circuit in Northamptonshire, to set up a final-round decider at Brands Hatch.
Power, aged 27, from Guilsfield, near Welshpool, further boosted his points tally with several high-place finishes in other races. The race win was his 14th of the season.
He also overcame some setbacks – he avoided an accident in race one and had to fight back from last to 11th, while a bad tyre choice in Sunday’s second race saw him finish 9th.
“It was a very mixed weekend,” said Power. “The main thing is the title race is still wide open and it will be decided at Brands Hatch – a great venue for the grand finale.”
The final round takes place on November 4th and 5th at Brands Hatch.
Provisional points standings: 1, 04 John Mickel – 6915pts; 2, 55 Ben Power – 6705pts; 3, 66 Steve Whitelegg – 5855; 4, 13 Jack Parker – 5585pts; 5, 51 Paul Simmons – 5055pts.
**Power made his debut in the Legends Car series in 2009 – finishing 8th overall and 2nd in the rookie table, having switched to the circuits after winning the Junior Rallycross crown in 2006 and Supermodifed Rallycross titles in 2007 and 2008.
His progress in Legends racing has seen him climb from a 10th place finish in the 2010 championship to 6th in 2011, 4th in 2012, 3rd in 2013, 2nd in 2014, and 3rd in 2015. Last year he only raced in one round, as he focused on his off-track career commitments.
The formula originated on the US oval tracks, and the cars have an American look, being 5/8-scale replicas of classic US models. Guttercrest Racing runs a Ford Coupe 1934 replica, with a 1250cc Yamaha motorcycle engine.
With identical cars and the fastest drivers having to start at the back of the grid, there is said to be more overtaking in a single Legends race than in a whole season of Formula 1.
Guttercrest Racing is backed by the family-owned aluminium guttering company Guttercrest, based in Oswestry. The team has further support from award-winning Cardiff-based PR and communications consultancy Weltch Media.