From Legends Cars UK Press Office –
What a year 2024 has been for the Legends Cars Championship and Legends Cars Elite Cup, an outstanding celebration of the very best on-track competition, fast-paced action and the ultimate in motorsport entertainment – the perfect way to salute 30 years of Legends Cars racing in the UK.
From the start of the very first race of the season at Donington Park back in April, through to the final chequered flag of the campaign at Oulton Park International Circuit less than two weeks ago, the Legends Cars wowed the crowds and, more than ever, punched well above their weight.
Suitably too for the 30th Anniversary season, both of the main title battles went to the wire and provided nail-biting action with every lap – Jack Parker (Wolverhampton) winning the Elite Cup crown by a mere five points during its finale at Knockhill in August, with Will Gibson (Camberley) retaining his overall Legends Cars title last month by just 20 points in the final race of the year.
Featuring packed grids of hugely quick and capable drivers, with their 5/8 scale pocket rockets serving up a kaleidoscope of colour, as well as unmistakable sound from the 1250cc Yamaha motorcycle engines, 2024 also marked a great start to the new partnership with MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR).
As the second year for the Legends Cars Elite Cup, expectation was high after a truly outstanding inaugural campaign with three events – six races – once again running on the British Touring Car Championship support package.
As well as exposing Legends Cars to the huge trackside crowds of tens of thousands of race goers, which are guaranteed at BTCC meetings, the Elite Cup was also broadcast live on ITV4 and ITVX to bring the racing to even more race fans. In a change from season one of the Elite Cup, though, the points scored also counted towards the overall Championship, meaning heightened importance.
Legends Cars thrill as ever in breath-taking landmark season
The season curtain-raiser, in fact the first two events of the Legends Cars Championship, also formed part of the Elite Cup and after Donington’s five races – continual rain on day two in Leicestershire leading to major timetable congestion and a loss of the round two Final – Andy Bird (Calne) topped the points table.
Winning the first race of the year, Bird chalked-up consistent points all weekend as Parker and Gibson also opened their victory accounts with a brace of wins each. Tyler Read (Weedon), the Rookie Champion in both championships in 2023, didn’t hesitate to stamp his mark by ending the event third overall in the points, from the No.44 Team Car piloted by Irish star Jamie Moylan (Naas).
Brands Hatch Indy Circuit was next in May, again with the BTCC tour, and two more wins for Parker helped elevate him to the top of the championship. Gibson matched him with a double victory and climbed to second in the points, while Oli Schlup (Cuckfield) took a popular and deserved first ever win in Legends Cars. Also joining the victor’s list for 2024 was Robert Barrable (Dublin).
One month later the Legends Cars were back at the Indy Circuit, this time in their usual slot on the bill of the huge annual American Speedfest. Read became the next Legends Cars racer to claim his first outright win, continuing his superb sophomore year apace, while Parker again took two wins to retain his place at the top of the Championship.
Gibson claimed a victory too, and did close the gap to Parker to just 75 points, with Bird bagging a very nice haul of scores to return to the championship top three. Schlup made it two wins in as many events with another great victory, as did the always rapid Barrable.
Next came a trip back to Donington which produced a new leader, Gibson eking out a slim advantage of 25 points. He and Parker both took a win apiece, with inaugural Elite Cup Champion Connor Mills (Upminster) also taking a welcome victory. The headlines were grabbed by POB Racing, though, with Moylan claiming a brilliant first win and team-mate Barrable taking his third of 2024 – as during the first event of the season, only five races were contested as a result of timetable delays.
Following a summer break, Knockhill in Scotland provided the venue for the ninth and 10th rounds of the Championship and the dramatic last two rounds of the Elite Cup. Rejoining the BTCC package, the Legends Cars put on an incredible spectacle with the last race of the weekend in Fife absolutely mesmerising – Parker winning the Elite Cup crown by a tiny five points.
Separate incidents for Parker and Gibson in the final race meant race victory for Read looked to have won him the title, a sensational performance from the back of the grid. But 17th position for Parker was just enough for him to take the coveted crown by a miniscule margin. Parker starred with three wins at Knockhill, Schlup added to his season’s tally with another and Gibson also took a victory.
Snetterton in Norfolk hosted the penultimate event of the Championship season in early September and while the battle for the outright title obviously took the lion’s share of attention, the spotlight was taken by Chris Needham (Altrincham) who spectacularly won all three races on day one.
He also looked to have won race one on the second day, until an unfortunate penalty undid those hopes and Barrable took that victory. Mirroring Needham’s day one performance, Barrable went on to win the remaining two races on the second day to also seal a terrific hat-trick.
Gibson’s lead at the top of the table was reduced to only 60 points heading in to the single round Oulton Park season finale three weeks later, having stood at 165 points ahead of Snetterton, and the action was set to be duly dramatic.
Rain had a part to play and Parker showed his renowned skills in the wet in the first Heat, victory – his 11th of the year – with Gibson sixth meant they were tied at the top of the standings going in to Heat Two. The red flagged and re-started second race was won by Read with Gibson sixth and Parker seventh, and so a grandstand Final was all-set with the 2023 Legends Cars Champion carrying a slim lead of 10 points.
Gibson lined-up 18th and Parker 22nd, Final grids each weekend always determined by the highest scoring drivers to that point on the day in question starting at the back, and as both worked their way through the order, they were each thankfully able to avoid a series of dramas.
Barrable dominated the race to win by a country mile, while fourth place for Gibson and fifth for Parker meant the reigning Champion retained his Legends Cars Championship crown and became only the seventh driver in the series’ history to successfully defend the title.
In the 2024 class battles, Peter Barrable (Dublin) won the Masters crown in the Elite Cup while in the Championship, Nick Bridgeman (Baldock) became Masters Champion after a top season. Eric Boulton (Grantham) was the Rookie title winner in the Elite Cup, with Harri Musselle taking the Rookie crown in the overall Championship. Team Car glory, meanwhile, went to POB Racing’s No.44 machine.
2024 Champions
Will Gibson – Legends Cars Champion
Jack Parker – Legends Cars Elite Cup Champion
Nick Bridgeman – Legends Cars Masters Champion
Peter Barrable – Legends Cars Elite Cup Masters Champion
Harri Musselle – Legends Cars Rookie Champion
Eric Boulton – Legends Cars Elite Cup Rookie Champion
Car No.44 – Legends Cars Team Car Champions
Photo credit: George McNeill
