Power returns with double victory

Guilsfield racing driver Ben Power made a successful return to the UK National Legends Car Championship with MRF Tyres, scoring two race wins in latest rounds at Donington Park in Derbyshire.

Power, 28, had not raced since April, due to work commitments and getting married.

But he was immediately on the pace, taking third place in the first race of the weekend and winning the second in dominant style.

Saturday evening’s final produced more sensational racing, especially after an oil spillage when Belgian racer Jean-Michel Poncelet’s engine let-go!

Power had his own problems, and his race was ended with a broken axle.

Sunday’s races opened with Power moving into the lead on lap two of the first heat, and he held on until lap seven when Masters Cup champion Paul Simmons got past.

Legends racing is famously close, and no fewer than eight drivers were in contention for the lead until Power managed to get back in front on lap eight.

He had a scare at the chicane when his car locked-up under braking, and went straight-on across the gravel, but he held on to take his second victory of the weekend.

“The weekend was mixed for me,” he said. “On Saturday we had two great races but then the axle snapped in the final unfortunately. Sunday started well with a great scrap for the win with Steve [Whitelegg] and Paul [Simmons] and the second race went pretty well despite some brake issues.”

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 Supermodified 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. In 2016, he only raced in one round, as he focused on his off-track career commitments, but last year he returned and finished second again, narrowly missing out on the championship title.

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.