Power splashes to a super start in championship

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Mid Wales racing driver Ben Power overcame the wet weather to make a superb start to the season by finishing fifth overall at Brands Hatch.

The 22-year-old from Guilsfield, near Welshpool, scored a string of high-place finishes in the opening rounds of the UK Legends Car Championship at the famous Kent circuit.

On the Saturday, he finished seventh and fifth in the heats, and fourth in the final – though he missed out on a podium place by crossing the line just 0.054 seconds behind last year’s rookie of the year, James Holman.

On the Sunday, he was 12th and seventh in the heats, and then took third in a very wet final race.

“Overall, it was a good weekend,” he said. “Especially as we had a gearbox problem which had the car jumping out of fourth gear!

“I finished sixth in the championship last season, and I’m now fifth overall, so we are already improving, and there is definitely better to come.”

The series, which takes in tracks in England, Wales and Scotland, features top drivers from around the UK and the continent. The next rounds are at Silverstone on May 5 and 6.

Legends racing 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 1937 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. Motors TV broadcasts most rounds of the series.

Guttercrest Racing is backed by the family-owned aluminium guttering company Guttercrest, based in Oswestry. The team has further support from Cardiff-based PR consultancy Weltch Media, as well as Ripla Designs.

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CAPTION:  Ben Power’s Legends Car in action during a spell of dry weather at Brands Hatch – photo by : Rodney Tietjen  www.motorsportaction.co.uk