November 11, 2023

It’s Bandolero and Legends Invasion Day at the beautiful Atlanta Motorsports Park. As always, the team here at LRR would like to thank our wonderful friends at Atlanta Motorsports Park for their continued support of our media outlet. Let’s shift gears and talk about a sight that is not very common on AMP’s road course, Bandoleros and Legend Cars.

Now for some of our readers that are not familiar with Bandos and Legend Cars, here’s a quick breakdown for you. The Bandolero car is a turnkey, spec-series race car designed for the younger driver. The car operates similar to a go-kart, including a centrifugal clutch system and left foot braking. Bandos are powered by a Briggs and Stratton 570cc Vanguard engine mounted behind the driver. These engines have had some slight modifications, bringing them from 20 HP to around 30 HP.

The Legend Cars have become one of the fastest growing segments in Motorsports. Legend Cars are 5/8 scale, fiberglass, full-fendered version of famed NASCAR modifieds. Some notable drivers of the modifieds, whose cars these Legends are modeled after are Fireball Roberts, Buck Baker, and Curtis Turner. These race cars are powered by a Yamaha fx09 (sealed) engine pushing 125 HP.

Legends were the first to roar down the frontstretch, and the action started early. In turn 3, the 94 of Hayden Wise broke a rear axle and slid into the sand traps, coming to a complete stop. This would lead to the first full course caution of the day. The restart was just as electric as the initial start. The 87 of Helio Messa would charge hard to the front of the field and spin off-track in turn 6. The number 41 of Michael Gannon would lead the field in the middle stages of the race, and continue his dominance on the day by pushing a 5 second lead. The 48 of Ryan and 87 of Messa would battle hard for position through the entire course. At some portions, these drivers where three wide, passing in some of the tightest, fastest sections of the track. Michael Gannon would clench the victory by 7 seconds.

The Bandoleros were led to green by Wyatt Coffey in his number 2 machine. Lane Christensen in his number 46 would make an early push for the lead on lap 2. Carter Erickson was the real story of the race. Carter’s number 8 machine would prove to be difficult to handle throughout the race. You might be asking why. Well to answer that, his roof flaps flew up and obstructed his vantage point, but that did not stop Erickson. He would continue at full race pace and finish in P3. Christensen would dominate and claim the victory by 20 seconds.

We at Liberty Racing have compiled all the points and referenced closely with US Legends to make sure the points standings are accurate. Below is the Top 5 from each Division. These international points standings are current as of Monday, November 13 2023.

Bandoleros

• 1 Lane Christensen (GA ) 1994
• 2 Wyatt Coffey (VA ) 1986
• 3 Landon Thrasher (TN ) 1976
• 4 Bentley Thompson (WI ) 1970
• 5 Jack Smith (NC ) 1937

Legends Masters (road course)

• 1 Shaun Buffington (CT ) 1200
• 2 Kevin Nowak (NY ) 1179
• 3 Darren Gallant (NH ) 1140
• 4 Lonnie Hochstetler (AZ ) 1133
• 5 Marko Kilpia (Finland ) 1100

Legends Pro (road course)

• 1 Landen Lewis (NC ) 1186
• 2 Liam Flanagan (OK ) 1170
• 3 Danny Chisholm (CAN East ) 1151
• 4 Trevor Krouse (ME ) 1135
• 5 Arto Ojaranta (Finland ) 1118

Legends Semi-Pro (road course)

• 1 Jase Mongeon (MA ) 1200
• 2 Devin Deshaies (RI ) 1152
• 3 Devin Kelly (CT ) 1108
• 4 Sami Talvitie (Finland ) 1082
• 5 Dustin Gagne (RI ) 1080

Legends Young Lions

• 1 Cole Robie (ME ) 1160
• 2 Isaac Kitzmiller (WV ) 1125
• 3 Nicholas Jr. Chaber (RI ) 1097
• 4 Rodney Jr. Dowless (NY ) 997
• 5 Alfred E. Del Castillo (TX ) 937