Jan Magnussen came out on top of a titanic battle with Jenson Button in Saturday evening's first LT race while Juan Pablo Montoya prevailed in the reverse grid heat.
Using the rFactor 2 McLaren M23, the packed legends grid lined up in the Connecticut countryside at Lime Rock for this week's challenge.
While Button started from pole, Magnussen promptly dispatched the 2009 F1 world champion with a blistering launch that put him in the mead at the first corner.
The two engaged in a fierce battle, leaving their rivals in their dust. Button hounded Magnussen for all his worth for 13 laps but ultimately fell short of beating the Dane veteran to the flag.
"That was such a tough race, I’m shaking all over!" said Magnussen.
Button was no less ecstatic about his wheel-to-wheel dice with J-Mag.
"What a fun race, Jan was awesome in terms of where to put the car. I threw it down the inside once at Turn 1 and we tapped and were drifting through the corner. It was so much fun."
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Mika Salo became the third man on the podium after a mishap from Tony Kanaan push the Brazilian down to fifth while Emanuele Pirro was P4.
Montoya took full advantage of his front row position on the second race's reverse grid to storm off from the outset, never to be seen again by his pursuers who weren't helped by a massive opening lap crash triggered by poleman Petter Solberg's dismal start.
Dario Franchitti secured the runner-up spot behind Montoya despite heavy pressure from Pirro. Salo edged Magnussen for P4, the Dane storming through the field, along with Button, but the latter clashed with Darren Turner in the closing stages, dropping him to ninth.
©TheRace-LegendsTrophy
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