The week-long competition can be considered a crescendo to the 12 Radical Cup series that takes place around the globe and is being held during the European Le Mans Series season finale at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve near the southern coastal city of Portimao.
After a successful inaugural event in Las Vegas last year, in which Daryl DeLeon, Toby Sowery and Patrick Liddy were crowned, the bright lights of Sin City have been replaced with the endless beaches of the Algarve.
Reflecting on the success of that first World Finals event, Radical’s global motorsport director Tom Drewer commented: “Our tagline, ‘We make racers’, rang true in Las Vegas. Not only with one of our champions, young-gun Daryl DeLeon – who was poached from the Radical ranks shortly thereafter for a British Touring Car ride – but, equally, with one of our runner-ups, and a man 30 years Daryl’s senior, Indy Al Miller, who proved it’s never too late to start living out your dreams and find success in this sport.
“This year’s field is another exciting mix of talent, both young and old, from all across the globe.”
Fresh from clinching the Platinum class title in the 2023 Blue Marble Radical Cup, former American Le Mans Series champion and two-time Le Mans 24 Hours starter Jon Field (DW Racing) leads a contingent of four American drivers, who will all be vying for the top step in the Platinum class for Radical SR10 machinery.
The others are Alan ‘Indy Al’ Miller (DW Racing), a professional jet ski racer come multiple Radical Cup North America champion, fellow DW Racing team-mate Gregg Gorski, who has taken victories in both Radical Cup and the Creventic 24H Series, and Jim Booth (Valour Racing), the 2017 Radical European Masters champion and man who nicknamed the 425bhp Radical SR10 ‘The Torque Monster’.
Looking to take the Platinum crown back to England will be young-gun Ben Caisley (DW Racing), who has stepped up to the SR10 after narrowly missing out on the 2022 SR1 and 2023 SR3 class titles in the Radical Cup UK, as will be perennial frontrunner Chris Preen (Valour Racing). Jersey’s John Harrison (DW Racing) returns to the Radical paddock and could be one to watch, given he took second at Portimao in the 2017 season.
Source: Autosport