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The final INEX Championship National of 2024 is upon us, as for only the second time in 28 editions, INEX’s Road Course World Finals will be contested at VIRginia International Raceway, November 15-17. Located just outside of Danville, Virginia, 82 drivers, representing eight countries, and 26 U.S. States will seek to win their division’s championship race, with others going for the overall points championship.
One of the 21 Pro Division entries, is three-time Road Course World Finals Champion, Landen Lewis. He has won three-straight years (2021 Semi-Pro, 2022 Pro, 2023 Pro) and if he were to win Sunday’s Championship feature, he would become the first driver to win four-straight Road Course World Finals Championship features.
Lewis says winning four-straight would be “awesome,” but noted it would be his team that would make it special.
“It will be even better to do it with the same group of people at Joe Ryan Race Cars, [who have] helped me since the start of my Legend Car career,” said Lewis.
He attributes his success on road courses to when he raced dirt and having to push his car to its edge every lap. But Lewis hasn’t spent as much time this season driving a Legend Car as opposed to the previous three seasons. How does that affect his preparation ahead of this weekend? Lewis, again, credits his team and those surrounding him who build fast cars and help him find speed.
He added, “I’m really looking forward to going to a track I’ve never been to before!”
One of the 18 drivers traveling internationally, is Will Gibson from the United Kingdom, who is the two-time and defending UK Legends Champion. He will be competing in the Pro Division alongside Lewis and the remaining 19 drivers, including two other drivers from the United Kingdom, Jack Parker and Tyler Read.
“Competing against the best guys in the world, [and] trying to see whereabouts I am against the guys in America, back at the home of the Legends,” is what excites Gibson the most. He said that American driver Jordan O’Brien has raced over in the U.K. before, but that it will be exciting to race against the competition in the U.S. and against other races from Europe.
Gibson sees three main challenges for him ahead of this weekend. One of the differences between racing in the U.K. and racing in the U.S., is that he and others will have to adjust to there being contact through the corners and not just the straights. Additionally, adjusting to the different tire (Hoosier) and this weekend will be his first driving a Yamaha MT-09 engine, which won’t be introduced to the U.K. until the 2025 season.
“I wouldn’t be traveling if I didn’t think I had a chance at winning,” Gibson said. With this being his first time traveling to Road Course World Finals and the United States, he’s going to be aiming for a top five, or better yet a proper podium of third or better. Every driver traveling an long distance to this year’s event is putting in a lot of time and money to do so, and nobody does that to run second, but he noted that you also have to remain realistic.
“We’ve always said when we go racing, having fun is number one and winning is number two.”
There will be some close national championship battles to watch this weekend. In the Masters Division, Darren Gallant and Kevin Nowak enter squared up at 1100 points apiece with the 2008 Champion, Robert Gayton, 12 points behind (Chris Larson also has 1100 points but is not attending RCWF).
Ben Morabito enters the weekend with a healthy 27-point advantage over Neal Dulin, and a 39-point spread on Trenton Dillard in the chase for the Young Lions national championship.
Jase Mongeon, the 2023 Semi-Pro Road Course National Champion, leads the Pro Division points over Finland’s Arto Ojaranta by three points, with Devin O’Connell trailing by 18 points.
Reilly O’Connell travels to VIR with a perfect 1100 points in the Semi-Pro Road Course National Championship, nine points ahead of the 2023 Young Lions Road Course National Champion, Cole Robie, and 21 points ahead of Roxali Kamper. Semi-Pro has the largest entry count, at 32, and O’Connell has several tools to lean on in order to walk away the national champion. He’s put work in on the simulator and has the fortune to have a brother who has been in this situation before.
Devin O’Connell, who will be racing in the Pro Division, won the Semi-Pro Road Course World Finals Championship Feature in 2015, along with that year’s Semi-Pro national championship. He, along with other 860 Motorsports teammates, are people who Reilly plans to go to for help if needed throughout the weekend.
“I’m just going to use my practice time to find the optimal line, and try to perfect by inputs to keep the car smooth and stable,” said O’Connell.
Reilly knows who he needs to keep behind him during the race from a national championship perspective, but will wait until after qualifying to make a final decision to go on the offense or defense.
“Ideally I’ll be in a good spot and focus on defense, but things don’t always work out that way,” he added. “In which case, you’ll definitely see me on the attack.”
He has competed against Robie at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Thompson Speedway this season, along with Kamper at Hallett. He has enjoyed the battles with them this season and anticipates a fun battle between them at VIR.
This year’s Road Course World Finals concludes and exciting season of Legend Car and Bandolero racing. INEX and U.S. Legend Cars International are excited to for 2025 to begin, marking the 34th season of Legend Car racing, and the 29th season for the Bandoleros.