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The Wildcats take on the Legends
www.legendsracinguk.com For the 2007 season Team Wildcat have made a move from the Darlington & District Motor Club to compete in the UK Nation Legends championship.The Legend car is
a 5/8-scale space framed replica, visually based on the American Nascar hot rods of the 1930's and 40's. Apart from several period body style options all the cars are the same, running a 1200cc Yamaha motorcycle
engine and gearbox driving a unique locked rear axle. The championship uses a set control tyre and runs to a stringent rulebook. www.legendsracinguk.com
The National Legends chanpionship is run over 14 rounds, visiting most of the UK's top circuits, including
Donnington Park, Silverstone and Brands Hatch. With a double round at Irelands Modello Park circuit near Dublin.
The race day format is borrowed from the Legends roots in American oval racing, giving the Legends three
mini-races in a day, featuring two heats and a grand final. Points accrued throughout the day are totalled to produce an overall winner.
The unique handling characterisitics, closely policed regulations and reversed starting grid format makes for close
and exciting racing; with one mistake resulting in being shuffled back several places before momentum is regained. In a short six lap sprint race, a very costly error.
As a newcomer to the Legend cars championship I qualified for the 2007 Rookie Class. This puts all the new
drivers for the 2007 season at the back of the starting grid, for safety reasons, until a novice driver gets used to
the special demands of Legend racing, and feels confident enough to take their place in the main pack.
Mallory Park. First Heat, first race. My very first race in a Legends car. The ballot draw for grid positions placed me at the very back of the Rookies,
with seven fellow new drivers in front of me. I made a terrible mess of the new style rolling lap start by being caught out and left behind at race green light.
After the first corner there was a huge gap between me and the rest of the field. I settled to a rhythm and
assisted by a little first race of the season mayhem got back on terms with the field working my way to behind the leader of the rookies and making an out-braking move on him on the last lap. Second race.
With a slightly better start I settled quickly near the front of the rookie group where an epic battle took place
between myself and rookie car 51, with places changing every lap; every corner on occasions. The battle for
second place only fully resolved when car 51 spun out at the hairpin. Unfortunately the rookie leader in car number 29 had checked out long ago leaving me to come second in the rookie race. Grand Final. With a first and second place I entered the final as rookie points leader and became a victim of the reverse grid
by being placed at the back. A result of my success in the early heats. From the rolling start I battled hard to
clear the traffic, but getting wrong footed on several occasions I ended the race in third place, finishing the day
with 3 starts and 3 safe finishes, resulting in a close second in the the overall points haul on my Legends debut in the Rookie championship.
Donnington Park. Second Heat, first race.
After getting the first round out of the way and feeling a lot more comfortable with the Legend championship
format, rolling starts and the individual quirks in the world of Legends. It was time to get to grips with with the
bahaviour of the car and try to develop myself to get the best from the car. I made a good start again pushing
through from the back row of the rookies, clearing several cars at the first corner sequence and hooking up with
the rear of the main pack – but the pace was hot. Finding myself unable to penetrate the bunch of experienced drivers and in only a six lap race I had to settle with second place in the rookies race.
Second Race. After a first corner melee involving me with the regular drivers it took me most of the first lap to find and dispose
of the slower rookies. As I approached the end of the lap an over zealous move to overhaul the final two rookies
resulted in a spin on cold tyres causing a fall back almost to last place. I rejoined the race fighting my way back to third place in the rookie placings by the sixth and final lap. Grand final. Heavily baulked making my way through early traffic having to avoid a volley of incidents in the main pack ahead
I was caught following a recovering car loosing engine oil. As I closed in and overtook through the oil haze I lost
all grip, plus visibility, for the remainder of the race, settling for another second place in the rookies. Giving me six consistant finishes and keeping me second overall in the rookie title race. Croft Circuit.
Day 1, race 1. With a mid pack grid position the start went well with no incidents. Steady consistent lap times gave me a second place in the rookie race. Race 2.
After a good start from the second row on the grid I got swamped by the pack after a small mistake getting me
out of line and hung out to dry, shuffling me down the order. But I still managed to salvage a first place in rookies. Race 3.
I got collected in the first corner melee (A well known hazard of the Croft circuit) and pushed into the gravel along
with seven other cars. Buried in the gravel and surrounded by other cars also entrapped, meant no finish for this race.
 Day 2, race 1. Day two started early morning the same way day 1
ended, with repairing the extensive damage to the transmission on the Legend from yesterdays' incident. We were still working flat out at race start time, so the first race was missed. Race 2.
With repairs made, but the car not handling as well as it should, I struggled to maintain speed, just managing to hold on to first place in class with some wild sideways action.
Croft Circuit. Day 2, race 3.
The car was further tweeked for the last race, but still not in A1 condition. I battled for places; at times
manhandling the car round the bends and ending up losing a place overall due to a late spin but still finishing with a class win. Mondello Park
Due to the damage which subsequently emerged on the car resulting from the impact at Croft, and only one week
between meetings, an under performing car was packed up for Mondello Park in Ireland, with the hope of the opportunity to tweek the suspension on arrival.
Unfortunately a combination of a brand new circuit to learn, which was tight and narrow with any mistakes ending
in a trip to the gravel trap, and an obvious serious imbalance in the car which couldn't be found without major investigations, I had a very tough time.
Finghting with set-up all weekend I settled into a defensive driving style hoping the grid selection and first lap antics would present me with a favourable position to hold on to for the remainder of the races.
With most of my results coming from other drivers' misfortunes and some gritty apex hugging I salvaged three second places, one third place and a welcome class win.
Rockingham.
During the first two races of the day I made steady progress on a track I had never driven before. My lap times
were falling with every pass of the stripe, with me just managing to hang on to the main pack and holding second place in rookie class.
In the third race of Saturday my new confidence with the circuit was shattered with the arrival of heavy rainfall. I
struggled madly to keep control of a car with dry weather set-up and the wrong tyre choice, resulting in several
spins and trips across the grass, and, adding to my frustration being lapped by the leading bunch. The resulting finish of second in rookies was well received after a torrid time. On Sunday with the car set for a damp track, I made very good headway feeling happy with the car. Again the
lap times fell, managing to hang on to the pack once more, even closing in for a move on the more experienced
racers, but a mistake at the hairpin lost me some time and I slipped back to second in class, but being within sight of the pack for most of the race the result was well received.
My progress and constant improvement had not been unnoticed by the organisers and I was awarded the trophy for driver of the day.
Silverstone. Day one.
The weekend began badley with changeable weather and a poor grid slot for the first race. It was going to be a
tough day on the fast corners of Silverstone to gain advantage enough on the other rookies and gain many
places. Then in the melee of the first lap bunch-up I made contact with another car breaking the front suspension
mount on my car and spinning me out. I rejoined, but with suspension and steering compromised a finish was all I could hope for.
Race two was missed due to repairs on the car over-running the short time between races. So, on to race three.
With the car repaired and full wet settings I had a much better race, holding second place in the rookie class until
a sideways movement on a wet curb lost me a place. With two laps to go I cought up, but there was no time pass again so a third was the result. Day two, race one.
The sun appeared for the second day and a better grid draw meant a chance of good points. With the car re-set
for a dry track and confidence high, race one began well. No problems today. The car felt great I made it to third
in class with ease. Second place would have been difficult to achieve. With yellow flags waving at all my fastest
corners I was only able to close up but not pass. Then the yellow flag at the end of the Club Straight was
withdrawn so I drafted the car in front and pulled out to make the pass holding on through Luffield 1 and 2, which resulted in getting second place at the chequered flag. Race two. Another good grid place helped me once again to get a clean getaway, and drive straight in the groove, the car
feeling very stable in the fast open corners of Silverstone. Running very strongly with two laps to go I ran wide
due to touching an oil patch at Luffield. This compromised my exit on to the start/finish straight allowing the car
behind me to pull up to the rear of my car, plus slipstream down the straight, ducking out and passing me into
Copse Corner. With only one lap remaining there was not enough time to retake the place, meaning I had to settle for a frustrating second in class. Race three.
The extra number of laps in the final race would be a welcome bonus as due to the success of the day the reverse
grid system operated in Legend racing put me to the rear of the pack. A calculating start placed me in close contention with the rookies, being able to pick them off one by one, knowing I had extra laps to use.
Soon I was up with the leaders and pushing very hard. The two leading drivers were holding themselves up
allowing me to get a run at them into Brooklands corner. As I tried to make the pass I compromised my exit
speed letting two cars past down the straight. Squeezing towards the grass I outbraked one of them back at Luffield, getting just ahead before the chequered flag, resulting in second in class once again.
Brands Hatch.
Saturday. With no chance of winning the Rookie Class Championship at this stage I decided to concentrate on securing
second place. The target for the weekend was to stay out of trouble, bag conistent championship points and stay
ahead of the other rookies; which in Legend cars is not as easy as it sounds. If you do not concentrate on moving
forward during each race it is possible to make mistakes or slip backwards into the clutches of the group of racers behind you risking overtaking manouvers on you as you defend your postiton.
Saturday began well with a two good starts and with me finding space and holding onto a reasonable pace around
the Indi circuit at Brands, keeping safe, if not sensational, fourth places in class; my main class points rival just one place in front of me.
The Saturday final was a different storey. Action amongst the leaders resulted in a couple of spinners during the
first lap and the frantic avoiding action within the rest of the following racers concluded in some contact on my
inside rear wheel inducing a spin of my own. I was lucky to sustain no damage which enabled me to rejoin the
race having lost many places and a chunk of time. Back on track and the bit between my teeth, I set about
catching the tail of the race reaching the back markers in two laps. The next lap included passing them, and
during the final laps I picked off as many rookies as possible until time ran out which left me gaining a fourth place in my class. Sunday. As a result of drawing a poor grid place on the outside of the pack a good result was always going to be difficult.
Due to the nature of the track, being on the outside at the top of Paddock Hill bend was a huge disadvantage.
Trying to stay away from trouble I got hung out to dry round the corner and was unable to battle to the inside for
fear of a collision. When I finally made it round I had lost several places and being unable to get clear track
before the next corner at Druids meant that I lost another couple of places, leaving me well down the order. With
only six laps in this heat the fight back up the order was a short one, but at the flag places had been gained and valuable points banked with a third in class.
Race two was a very short affair, and a disaster. A dust cloud kicked up by the race leaders resulted in me being
unsighted into the second corner (Druids), resulting in a missed braking point. Locking the weels on cold tyres I
helplessly plunged into the gravel trap. Buried deep, with no escape, I became a spectator for the rest of the race, watching valuable point slip away as I scored just five point for a 'DNF'.
With the gravel collection removed from the car, a few set-up tweeks were made to compensate for the extra
laps to be covered in the grand final. Due to my misdemeanor in race two I was presented with a great grid place
inside front. As the flag dropped the getaway was a good one. Holding the inside line through the early part of
the lap I held on to my poition, and finding myself in a comfort zone with space around me I pushed on hard with
good speed right to the end of the race. Despite receiving attention from a couple of mid-race bumper attacks
from behind I managed to hold on for second in class. Quite fitting, as with that result I secured second in the Rookie Championship for the 2007 season.
Season Summary.
A promising start to the season, with a sticky middle, finalised by a solid finish, would be an accurate description of the year.
The reality of eight track appearances over a weekend with the combination of two practice sessions plus six
races, makes for a busy, at times frantic, race weekend. The fight back in the pits between race heats when
damage has occurred, or set-up requires attention is a tough one; often leaving only minutes to spare to cut-off
time to make the grid formation lap. The flip side of the multi-race format is that it introduces a recovery
opportunity. If you have a bad race one day, there are chances to recover points in the other heats or final at that meeting.
Overall the year has been a good one. Slight problems did not have enough effect to spoil a very enjoyable year
in Legend cars. Racing as an independent amongst many team entries, I felt that the second place awarded in the newcomer rookie class was a satisfactory achievement for my first year as a Legend driver.
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