Mid Wales racing driver Ben Power overcame a series of setbacks in the latest round of the MRF National Legends Car Championship to take victory in the final race at Snetterton circuit in Norfolk.
Power, aged 27, from Guilsfield, near Welshpool, led the championship heading into the two-day meeting, but his car suffered a puncture, a misfire, and then an oil leak.
These setbacks enabled defending champion, John Mickel, to take advantage and regain the lead in the title race with three wins from the six races.
Power, meanwhile, bounced back to dominate the rain-hit final race, and secure his 13th race victory of the season.
“It was a very frustrating weekend,” said Power. “The win was exactly what we needed to bring morale back up after all the bad luck.
“We’ve chipped a bit back in the points with the win, but it’s still very close, and we can’t afford another weekend like that.”
Mickel, a former world champion, now leads the standings with two rounds left:
Provisional points standings: 1 – 04 John Mickel – 5860pts, 2 – 55 Ben Power – 5770pts, 3 – 66 Steve Whitelegg – 4900pts, 4 – 13 Jack Parker – 4790pts, 5 – 51 Paul Simmons – 4385pts.
Guttercrest, r 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.