News archive 2003

8 November 2003 - Higgins is World Champion...

John Higgins has won the 2003 Legends Cars World Championship title at Infineon Raceway, Sears Point near San Francisco. The annual finals pitch up to 250 of the best drivers from the USA, Canada, the UK and Scandinavia against each other on the 2.52 mile Sears Point circuit. In the Pro category John Higgins put last year's disappointment of a last lap retirement behind him to steer his stars and stripes liveried car home to take the win.

Higgins becomes the first UK driver win consecutive National championships and the World title. With Aly Hunter unable to compete due to injury, Ross Mickel stepped in as a last minute substitute and took a superb second place to Higgins. Scottish Champion Jamie Clarke was fourth with Englishman Oli Poyser, making his debut in the World finals, in fifth.

It proved to be a frustrating weekend for UK Championship runner up Steve Hobday whose engine broke cam when battling for fourth position. The Semi pro category saw another UK win. Derek Pierce, who finished third in the Scottish Championship in his first season, stormed to victory ahead of ex European Jet-ski champion Simon Belcher. Welshman James Wantling (Burnett Motorsport) also finished an impressive 8th. The Americans salvaged some consolation by winning the Masters title, Robert Gayton successfully defending his crown, although Peter Morton had been challenging for the lead but suffered a broken half shaft. Double Scottish champion Colin Noble came through for second place with Jim Clarke in fifth.

With such a strong international contingent racing, this year saw the introduction of a Transatlantic Team Challenge Cup. The UK team were again convincing winners of this competition, all twelve UK drivers playing their part throughout the weekend.

29 October 2003 - Heron takes first win

Dan Heron stunned the Legends Cars world on Saturday by taking his first race win in the class. The Newcastle based youngster, still in his first season of motor racing, was battling with many of the sport's established names throughout the weekend at Donington Park. Saturday's second heat proved to be the highlight as he was running in second place challenging the first race winner Lance Gauld. Dan went to the inside line at Coppice on the last lap to mount a challenge but there was no resistance as Gauld found his line covered with oil and he slid off. Dan and the team were ecstatic as he blasted round the remainder of the lap to take his first ever race win. Further consistency over the rest of the day was underlined as he picked up the trophy for third place overall.

Steven Baker recorded a best ever fourth place in Saturday's second heat and, in truth, looked very much at home all weekend. On aggregate Steven was fifth overall in Sunday's round only beaten by National Championship regulars and a former champion. Simeon Maurer had a difficult weekend driving the car normally pedalled by Neil Willetts. He regained some form in the final on Sunday and was challenging the leaders in the early stages. Three drivers had their first outings with the team. Leo Malim had five race finishes and broke into the top ten on Sunday, a very good performance as the newcomers all start from the back of the field. English based Canadian Jonathan Paddon also had five race finishes. Former Kart racer Steve Johnson was very quick in the first race and easily on the pace of the leading newcomers. Sadly his engine blew in the second race bringing his weekend to a premature halt.

17 October 2003 - Marshall Mulls it over

John Marshall, boss of Dunblane and Alloa's successful Beatson's Building supplies, partnered by Graham Ross, contested the renowned Tour of Mull Rally this weekend in his Peugeot 206.

The rally is extremely technical and its unusual format has three legs; one on Friday night, one on Saturday afternoon with the Saturday night section finishing in the early hours of Sunday morning.

180 miles of narrow tarmac awaited the businessman and with only a few rallies under his belt, he drove over the start ramp with some trepidation. Having only bought the 1600cc group A machine the week before, his first taste of the 150bhp was on stage one. Here he set about a steep learning curve emerging unscathed after the first pair of stages.

A serious accident stopped the next stage and the event organisers took the decision to cancel the remaining night stages. The rally re-started on Saturday afternoon, the morning stages being cancelled while police investigated the scene of the previous night's fatality.

The shortened daylight stages were forecast dry but with just a few minutes before the re-start, the rain came and a swift tyre decision was made, changing the slicks for intermediates. This proved a good choice and at the end of the leg, John had improved 48 places on his original seeding. Co driver Graham Ross commented, "He's going really well and as we're both Mull newcomers it's a great position to be in." and added, "It's so completely different to the Legends racing that John has been contesting until recently and pacenotes are new to us both, so we're both learning as we go."

There was no problem with tyre choice on Saturday night as the rain had set in for the remainder of the stages, so the pair set off on the same Pirelli intermediates that had served them well in the afternoon. The first stage was set to test them. 22 gruelling miles took the cars half way up the island and round the top. About half way through, the front end washed wide and John had to resort to the handbrake to avoid going straight off. Unfortunately the car spun and dropped the rear end in a ditch. Although undamaged it took the efforts of some spectators to help them out, eventually dropping over a minute.

After one more stage the crew returned to the service area where the car was given the all clear by the mechanics and sent on its way for the final loop of stages. With no further dramas John and Graham cruised to the finish in the picturesque harbour of Tobermory. "Of 160 cars that started, we finished 50th and I am delighted." commented John at the finish ramp, "I'd love to come back and try to improve my position next year when I have some more rally experience. The car ran faultlessly and the crew did a great job." he added.

John's next rally has not been decided but he is interested in competing in Peugeot's one make series for which the car was originally built and is still eligible.

The thoughts of the team are with the family of co-driver Susan Cameron.

You can catch a small selection of pictures from the event in our 2003 gallery.

29 September 2003 - Wantling second in Rookie Trophy

James Wantling has taken second position in the Corgi Legends Cars 2003 Championship Rookie Trophy.The 23 year old from Wrexham entered the meeting with a mathematical chance of winning the trophy but had problems in the opening two races that put the title out of reach. The opening race saw both James and his rival Craig Percy involved in accidents in the latter stages of the race which kept things open for the next race. Percy however got the better of race two and finished in 8th place with James 19th after brake problems. The points difference put the trophy out of reach for the final but James started well and bagged his best finish of the day in 11th place, second in the rookie class.

Steven Baker had his best meeting do date with three strong race finishes in 12th, 14th and 12th. These results are all the more remarkable considering that the Northamptonshire based youngster started all three races from the back of a 24 car grid.

Neil Willetts had a disappointing day. The Solihull racer wound up in the incident that brought out the red flags in the first race although his car had been stranded in the middle of the circuit for two laps before the officials took any action. He also retired from the final but finished 15th in the second race. John 'Jon' Higgins elected to start his races from the back of the field as he tested the car prior to next month's World Championships in America. His best result was a leisurely fifth place in the first race.

22 September 2003 - Higgins is champion!...

Burnett Motorsport's John Jon Higgins has retained the title after taking two race wins in the penultimate round of the Corgi Legends Cars 2003 Championship. John Jon was thrilled to have won the title with a round to spare but was 'gutted' by the misfortune suffered by championship rival Steve Hobday who was involved in a multi car incident on the first lap. Hobday's car rolled and was severely damaged causing the Lancastrian to take no further part in the meeting. As well as securing the title JJ also passed another statistical milestone with his 60th and 61st UK race wins.

The rest of the Burnett Team also fared well with Neil Willetts taking his best ever result in the opening heat when he was second behind Robin Drysdale. Neil has also moved into 11th place in the championship and looks set to challenge Simon Belcher for 10th place next weekend at Mallory Park. James Wantling had another impressive meeting but his Rookie Championship rival Craig Percy just got the better of him on points and carries a 100 point advantage to the final round. Simeon Maurer and Steven Baker were also in action and both enjoyed themselves - Simeon has committed to take part in the World Championships at Sears Point in November whilst Steve Baker will rejoin the National Legends Championhip next weekend at Mallory Park.

18 September 2003 - "Rally Boy" goes Racing...

Peugeot 206 Cup driver Chris Moore made his debut appearance as a racing driver at the weekend, when he tackled the final round of the Scottish Legends Championship at the Knockhill Racing Circuit. He was driving the ex John Marshall car, and within a few hours of passing his ARDS test he went straight into first practice. He soon began to find his feet, learning both the track and the car, and despite his unique 'sideways' driving style he was soon lapping within a second of the championship leader! Sunday morning.

Race one. 6 laps: Despite his pace in qualifying Chris was forced to start from the back of the twenty two strong grid, as this was to be his first ever race. By now rain was starting to fall but there was no time to change to wet weather tyres, making the 125bhp super lightweight rear-wheel-drive racer a real handful to drive! Keeping the crowds entertained Chris found that his 'sideways' style was of great help in the rain and crossed the line in 12th place overall, having passed ten cars in the short six lap race! Even better still was his fastest lap time- 76.23 seconds was fastest of all novices, rookies and beat a large section of experts too. Sunday afternoon.

Race two. 6 laps: Disappointment, as after putting on yet another good performance an engine problem forced Chris, now affectionately nicknamed "Rally Boy" to coast to the finish in order to preserve the car for the final just a few hours later. Sunday afternoon.

Race three... The final. 8 laps: By now the rain had stopped, and starting once again from the back of the grid the smiling geordie was in determined mood. By the end of the first lap he had made up three places, and was clearly on a mission! Lap 4, and after picking his way through the traffic he had made up eight places and was closing in on the leading pack... However, pulling 125mph down the start/finish straight the 1250cc Yamaha engine had had enough, as the earlier engine problem returned forcing Chris to pull to the side of the track and into retirement. A disappointing end to what had been a fantastic day. "I haven't had this much fun in ages!" He said as he brought the car back to the final parc ferme holding control. "Its a shame about the engine problem, but the mechanics assure me it wasn't my fault!" He said with relief. "They kept telling me that rallying was invented for racing drivers who cant drive racing lines... "Well, Im pleased to say I pretty much proved them wrong!..... Strangely enough they were also very reluctant to take up my offer for them to give rallying a go!!!"

Chris would like to thank his sponsors Beatson's Building Supplies and Burnett Motorsport.com for their support for the race.

08 September 2003 - Higgins back in command...

John Higgins stormed back to the top of the Corgi Legends Cars 2003 Championship after a stunning weekend's action at Donington Park. John 'Jon' won the opening heat from the front of the grid but only after a good scrap with Robin Drysdale. In the second heat, starting from the back, he carved his way through the field into second place behind Oli Poyser. With all the leading drivers starting at the back in the final John 'Jon' was soon on the case and battling for the lead with Steve Hobday. Steve held on gamely for several laps before JJ finally outsmarted him to take a lead he would not lose.

James Wantling extended his Rookie Trophy lead in the first race beating his nearest rival Craig Percy by four places. The tables were turned in the second race however as the Welsh youngster suffered only his second retirement in 35 races due to a broken halfshaft. The team fixed the car for the final although Percey got the verdict this time and, by virtue of James's retirement, taken a small points lead in the Trophy. Neil Willetts was back in action and found himself at the right end of the field with some quick drives. Neil finished 9th in the first race and 13th in the second. Thirteenth was not unlucky but the seemingly ever present Willetts Bad Luck manifested itself in the final when he was bundled off the circuit.

Also joning the line up again this weekend was Simeon Maurer who was back for his second meeting. The National Supersports front runner was clearly getting to grips with Legends and bagged 17th place in the final right from the back of the grid. Two brand new drivers also impressed with the team. Steve Baker and Kieran Stewart both netted three strong race finishes, Stewart being quite spectacular at times, too.

24 August 2003 - Two more wins for Higgins, Wantling extends Rookie lead...

A great day's motor sport in front of a huge Bank Holiday crowd at Brands Hatch with John Higgins taking victory in both of the heats having drawn starting positions in the middle of the fieled. John was denied a hat trick of wins by Gary Coake whose car clashed into John's at Druids damaging his inside rear tyre which slowly deflated. John managed to control the car and nurse it home in 15th position.

The Rookie Trophy saw James Wantling extend his lead over second placed Craig Percy after winning all three races in his class. Burnett Motorsport were also pleased to welcome back Dan Heron who had his first National Championship starts. Joining Dan were Legends debut men Gary Jones, Simeon Maurer and Jonanthan Harrison. These three all drove well on their Legends debuts with Jones picking up the best newcomer trophy on the day (right - click to enlarge), the Formula Ford regular looking sharp in all the three races. Maurer and Harrison were also quick and adapted to Legends very quickly, the pair normally seen starring in National Supersports and Britcar Saloons respectively.

18 August 2003 - Another race win and podium for Burnett Motorsport...

A day of mixed fortunes for the team although essentially a good day with John Higgins (second from the right) taking another race win and retaining his championship lead whilst James Wantling took over the lead position in the Rookie Trophy.

Oulton Park is clearly a bogey circuit for Neil Willetts however as, for the second year in succession he left the circuit having sustained extensive damage to his car, completing only one race. For sure Neil will be upset at this set back although he demonstrated that he was right on the pace from practice where he was 7th quickest, a position he matched in the first race.

John Higgins bagged the first race win and was second in the next race but was involved in a collision with Peter Morton in the final which damaged his car. Despite this he nursed the car home into 6th place. He still leads the championship from Steve Hobday.

James Wantling was the 2nd rookie finisher in all three races but his score was sufficient to take the lead in the Rookie Trophy from Craig Percy and on his first ever visit to the tricky Oulton circuit.

04 August 2003 -Good weekend for Burnett Motorsport...

Neil Willetts bagged a fifth place in the second heat on Sunday and this was the result of a dogged drive. James Wantling saved his best drive for the last race of the weekend. In truth it wasn't a question of 'saving' up, more 'working towards' as he learned to drive and race on a circuit which he had not competed on before.

John Higgins had a faultless day on Saturday taking all three race wins along with the fastest time in the practice session. In Sundays racing he was third in the first race after a rear of the grid draw and then third again in the second heat after the race was stopped at two thirds distance. No one could catch him in the final as he racked up his fourth race win of the weekend.

Dan Heron was competing in the Scottish Championship races and won his first ever Legends Trophy for the best improver of the day. He raced hard all weekend, again on a circuit he'd never raced on before, and put in a superb performance in the final which he led at the start. After losing the lead he was still fighting for position and it was a joy to see him gamefully battling with the double Scottish champion Colin Noble.

14 July 2003 - Wantling is best improver...

James Wantling picked up the award for best improver in the seventh round of the championship it Croft over the weekend. Three action packed races were played out in front of a packed venue which was playing host to the British Touring Car Championship. Motorsport fans across Europe were able to watch the Legends final on theMotors TV Satellite channel. The rookie championship is one of the keenest fought for many years and James remains in second position after three good race fininshes. He has overtaken the early season leader David Franklin but was in turn beaten by the vastly more experience ex karting Champion Craig Percy. Neil Willetts bagged three solid race finishes with 14th, 11th and 13th overall which, considering there were 29 entries, was a good effort.

22 June 2003 - Report from Rockingham...

John Higgins took another outright win in the sixth round of the Corgi Legends Cars National Championship this weekend at Rockingham. John was in fine form and bagged two more wins to bring his career tally to 50. Neil Willetts had a frustrating weekend with problems in all three races - the Solihull based racer had hoped for at Rockingham after having taken third place in the Rockingham Championship last season. His rear axle angle link bracket broke in first race. The team replaced the axle but the inside top bolt broke in the second race. In the final Neil flat-spotted a couple of tyres. James Wantling closed the gap on the Rookie Championship leader David Franklin.

11 June 2003 - Report from Knockhill...

Round three of the Scottish Legends Cars Championship at Knockhill was an up and down day for Burnett Mortorsport. In the opening race their lead driver John Marshall, through away a certain victory on the last lap with some self-confessed 'brain fade'. In the second a coming together with Marshall and Malcom Clark at McIntryes knocked a front wheel awry forcing the former's retirement while in the final, Marshall produced the drive of the day to take a fine win. It was victory at a cost however as his team mate James Wantling had a big accident at the bottom of Duffus Dip rolling his car onto its side bringing out the red flag after 6 of the schedule 8 laps. Wantling was okay but it took the shine off the win.

The first race started in beautiful conditions under a warm sunny sky, a rare sight at Knockhill. Marshall got off the line well to grab the lead into Duffus Dip with Robert Marshall hard on his heels. By lap two, Robert Marshall had somehow managed to drop back to ninth as Malcolm Clark, Jim Clarke, Alastair Hunter and a stream of other cars all swept passed and closed in on the tail of the leader. For the next couple of laps Malcolm Clark latched onto Marshall's rear while at the same time keeping a weather eye open for third placed Jim Clarke who was swarming all over his tail. In fourth was Ally Hunter who was engaged in a fierce tussle with Colin Noble, Noble eventually getting the best of the scrap on lap 4. Meanwhile up front John Marshall continued to lead until, inexplicably, on the final lap going into McIntyes he got it all wrong, admitting afterwards he simply lost concentration(not in so many words!!). The ensuing mellee saw Malcolm Clark emerge as the winner with Colin Noble second and Jim Clarke third. John Marshall managed to salvage fifth behind Ally Hunter but it was a case of what might have been!

The second event saw a race long battle for the lead between Jamie Clarke and Colin Noble, the latter taking the win by just two tenths. Noble had taken the lead on the third lap before Clarke re-asserted himself a couple of laps later. In third was Ray Davison from Derek Pierce with Ally Hunter fifth and Jim Clarke sixth. John Marshall was again in the news, once again for the wrong reasons. On the fifth lap fighting for sixth with Jim Clarke and Malcolm Clark the latter appeared to hit Marshall at McIntyres badly damaging the front wheel. As Marshall crested the Glenvaragill Chicane the wheel practically broke away forcing the car off the track and into retirement. Marshall's agony didn't finish there either. Whilst remonstrating with the track marshall's and anyone who would listen he failed to stay behind the tyre barrier thereby getting himself reported to the Clerk of the Course. At the time of writing the results of this incident are no known! Marshall had however saved everything till last, the Final.

At the lights he made a magnificent start from row three to grab the lead going into Duffus dip and then simply disappeared. In second was Derek Pierce,Alex Knight was third and Lance Gauld fourth. Knights race came to an end at half distance when he crashed at the foot of Duffus Dip, going straight on into the barriers. This let Colin Noble into third from James Clarke and Gauld. At the front Pierce had finally begun to reel Marshall in, whether he would have caught him we'll never know as John Marshall's team-mate at Burnett Motorsports, James Wantling crashed heavily between Duffus Dip and McIntyres, the car coming to rest on its side! Wantling emerged shaken but otherwise seemingly okay but the incident brought out the red flags, giving Marshall a deserved, but somewhat downbeat win.

18 May 2003 - Mine's a double says John jon...

John Jon Higgins won no less than five races this weekend at Pembrey to extend his lead in the championship! Six races at a circuit that only four of the drivers had seen before promised some classic Legends Cars action. None of the Burnett Motorsport team had raced at Pembrey before and this makes the performance of the whole team all the more remarkable. Higgins set the pace from the word go with the fastest lap in practice and then set out his stall for the weekend with a win in the first heat. John Marshall was a very encouraging fourth with Neil Willetts eighth and James Wantling 15th. The results continued to come over the rest of the weekend with Higgins bagging five more wins, edging closer to a career total of 50 chequers! John Marshall was in impressive form and as it turned out his 4th place was his lowest finish all weekend, two third places and a second in the final on Sunday levitating him up the championship table although progress would have been higher but for fuel pump problems! Neil Willetts and James Wantling also had their best ever meetings with Neil fourth overall and James taking a career best tenth place in only his third National Championship meeting (and achieved from the back of the field).

John Higgins has extended his championship lead to 335 points over Steve Hobday whilst John Marshall is now 8th, climbing two places in the table. Neil Willetts' reward for a superb weekend was a shed load of points that saw him the highest climber in the table from 16th to 10th. James Wantling moved up four places in the overall table and into second place in the Rookie Trophy.

14 May 2003 - Scottish Cup race meeting...

The Formula Three / GT meeting at Knockhill saw a break from the Scottish Championship as the regulars contested the annual cup. All the Burnett team cars remained in one piece although John Marshall's car suffered a broken half shaft in first race and spoiled his chance of the overall standings. Dan Heron has now completed six races and finished very well considering the weather. James Wantling finished two races but had a retirement in the other due to another car stopping right in front of him. Robert Marshall finished well with no major damage and is looking forward to the rest of the season. Steve Reynolds had a late night engine change due to lack of power out of the corners so it was a busy camp into the early hours but worth the change.

30 April 2003 - Good debut for Marshall junior...

Ross Marshall made his debut in the Scottish XR2 Championship on Sunday at Knockhill and despite a first corner shunt that eliminated Dave Colville and turned the mid-field on its head, Ross finished the race in a respectable 21st spot. After qualifying a solid 19th with a time of 70.22 seconds Ross slipped back in twenty first after the opening lap when the aforementioned accident at Duffus Dip mixed the field up somewhat. Several people benefiting and several losing out, including a couple of the race favourites, Sandy Forrest and Colin Robertson who slipped down the pack, the latter all the way from fourth to twelfth. Finlay Mickel meanwhile to advantage of the confusion to move up from fourteenth to eighth while John Swift jumped from eighth to fourth!. Ross however found himself in front of Ian Mackie and Neil Scott in twenty first place before Mackie managed to find a way through on lap five. One lap later and Scott was passed and Ross's race was beginning to look a forlorn hope. He held on well though and kept both drivers in sight for the remainder of the race, even getting alongside Neil Scott going into Duffus Dip on lap nine before Scott firmly shut the door on him . Despite this setback he stayed with both cars until the flag to record a respectable finish and gain some useful experience.

22 April 2003 - Higgins extends championship lead...

Another round, another win. The championship moved to Mondello Park over the Easter weekend and John Higgins was again the overall winner of round two although this time he was also back in his race winning habbit. Chris Stockton won the first race with John winning the other two. Round four also saw two more race wins (races one and three) although a halfshaft failure in race two made a dent in the points score. Most drivers retire when such a breakage occurs - not John Jon. Two carefully driven laps saw the car nursed home into 17th place and the 40 championship points that go with it. Such efforts are without doubt the things that can make the difference to a championship campaign. John's championship lead has more than doubled from 70 points to 160. The Legends statisticians also confirmed that John has passed another milestone - that of 40 career race wins. His tally now stands at 43.

The other Burnett Motorsport drivers also had tales to tell. James Wantling was top rookie in the first two heats but a retirement in the third race knocked him slightly down the order. James remains fourth in the 2003 Rookie Trophy. John Marshall was in good form after his holiday bagging a best finish of 5th place whilst Neil Willetts, who is rapidly becoming well known as one of the real characters of the Legends paddock, had a best finish of 9th.

17 April 2003 - Legends live on TV, Easter Monday...

This weekend sees rounds two and three of the championship contested at Mondello Park in Ireland. If you can't make it along then why not tune in to Motors Television and watch the final race of round three live on Easter Monday afternoon. This is the first broadcast of many (details to be announced) for this season.

Higgins wins round 1...

31/03/03 - John Jon Higgins (right) picked up where he left off last season by winning the opening round of the 2003 Corgi Legends Cars Championship at Mallory Park at the weekend. The Burnett Team had a good weekend in all with the whole team of five cars coming through the meeting unscathed. John Marshall probably did enough to justify his forthcoming holiday by taking seventh place. Neil Willetts drove well - especially in the final and new boy James Wantling (pictured below) produced three excellent race finishes on his debut. The Burnett Hire car was driven by the returning Daren Hills who also secured some good results.

Corgi & Legends - The die is cast...

09/03/03 - The National Legends Cars championship will be sponsored by Corgi for the 2003 season. It is anticipated that this will facilitate major television coverage - more details as soon as we receive them.

Autosport Show...

12/01/03 - Despite being signed up by Renault F1 for 2003 Allan McNish is still having talks of running in a legend race car. The two were caught in negotiation at the NEC.. (click photo to enlarge).

2003 Race Dates...

12/01/03 - The provisional dates are now available - why not start planning your season as a customer or supporter of Burnett Motorsport?