Drivers and teams from five continents and 12 nations are descending on Portugal for the 2023 Radical World Finals, October 16-22. The week-long competition can be considered a crescendo to the twelve Radical Cup series which take place across the globe and is being held during the European Le Mans Series Grand Season Finale double-header at the Autodromo Internacional Algave.
After a highly successful inaugural event in Las Vegas last year, which saw Daryl De Leon, Toby Sowrey and Patrick Liddy crowned, the bright lights of Sin City has been replaced with the endless beaches of the Algave, and the packed ELMS crowd.
Reflecting on the success of that first Radical World Finals event, Radical’s Global Motorsport Director Tom Drewer said, “Our tagline, ‘We make racers’, rang true in Las Vegas. Not only with one of our champions, young-gun Daryl De Leon 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 times Le Mans 24 Hour 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 multi-time Radical Cup North America champion and 2023 World Finals runner up, fellow DW Racing teammate 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 Hagerty Radical Cup UK, as will be perennial front runner Chris Preen (Valour Racing). Jersey’s John Harrison (DW Racing) returns to the Radical paddock and could also be one to watch, given he took second at Portimao in the 2017 season.
Six Brits hope to take top honors in the PRO 1500 class, including two teens. 17 year old Haydn Chance (Valour Racing) has just completed his first season with Radical after stepping up from the Ginetta Junior Championship, while fellow Valour driver Like Hilton, a former ZIP Kart Young Gun and Fiesta Junior driver, is convinced he’ll make a competitive debut at Portimão despite having had just one taste of a Radical SR3 XXR and Hankook rubber.