AS SNETTERTON HOSTS ELITE CUP FINALE

•    Pocket rockets make welcome return to action after early summer break 
•    USA Snetterton 300 festival to host 2026 Legends Cars Elite Cup finale 
•    Event also marks rounds nine and 10 of main Legends Championship
•    Reigning Elite Cup champ Tyler Read leads points heading to Norfolk 

Less than a week remains until the Legends Cars Championship screeches back into action at Snetterton in Norfolk following an early summer break, and what better way to return to the track than with the final two rounds of this year’s Elite Cup – taking place this weekend, 25th/26th July. 

In what has been an outstanding season so far, the prestigious Elite Cup – contested over six rounds of the main Legends Cars Championship – is set for a fantastic conclusion as part of the annual USA Snetterton 300 meeting. The stakes couldn’t be higher with the first titles of 2026 to be decided. 

Tyler Read (Daventry), the defending Elite Cup Champion, leads the way at the top of the standings by 160 points from chief rival Aaron Cooke (Croxley Green) although it is the latter who has the most race wins so far this year with seven compared to Read’s five victories. Each have won three times in Elite Cup meetings.

Sitting a mere 25 points behind Cooke is third placed Oli Schlup (Cuckfield), the youngster having hit a very rich vein of form of late. During the second of this year’s three Elite Cup eligible events at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit in May, Schlup raced to his first win of 2026 and added two more for good measure. At the subsequent event at Brands Hatch Indy, he was on the podium five times.

Chris Needham (Altrincham) is next in the Elite Cup standings and he undoubtedly has the ability and speed to overturn the current deficit of 295 points to Read. With six wins under his belt this season, two having come at Elite Cup events, Needham is also a real Snetterton specialist – remember his exceptional 2024 performance where he won all three races in one day.

Rounding out the current top six in the Elite Cup are Luke Simmons (Lingfield) and Marcus Pett (Boston), both former race winners, while seventh in the standings is reigning Masters Cup Elite Cup Champion Peter Barrable (Dublin), an outright race victor this year.

Of course, while the Elite Cup battle will take the lion’s share of attention at the weekend, Snetterton also marks rounds nine and 10 of the overall Legends Cars Championship. With only three rounds remaining after the annual visit to East Anglia, the importance of scoring well across the board cannot be underestimated.

The lead seven drivers in the Elite Cup actually comprise the same septet in the upper order of the outright championship, albeit in a slightly different order. There, Read has the advantage over Needham, with Schlup third, Cooke fourth and then Barrable, Simmons and Pett.

One of the standout features of Legends Cars is the strength in depth and magnificent quality of the racing up and down the order. Consider too the points allocations, 200 for a race win, 185 for second place, 170 for third, 160 for fourth and so on. It’s clear to see how a seemingly large points gap can shrink very quickly indeed. 

Masters Cup challenger Andy Bird (Calne), who is just 60 points shy of Barrable in the class battle in the Elite Cup, is an outright race winner this year, Ross Marshall (Stirling) did take the chequered flag first at Donington Park before an unfortunate penalty, and we also have five-time Legends Cars Champion John Mickel (Copthorne) in the mix too.

Another driver to keep an eye on is Rookie Cup leader Nathan Williams (Higher Bebington) in the No.2 Team #2Mater car, with livery based on the ‘Mater’ character from Disney Pixar’s Cars film franchise. Williams has made big strides in his maiden campaign in Legends and is very much a star of the future.

Will Gibson – Legends Cars Championship Owner:
“It’s great to be heading back to Snetterton at the weekend for the finale of this year’s Elite Cup, we’re hoping the weather will be good although maybe not quite as hot as it’s been so far over the summer! With so many points to play for it’s anyone’s guess as to who will emerge as our first title winners of the season, but we’re all looking forward to finding out.

“Tyler [Read] will obviously be focusing all his efforts on trying to become our first back-to-back Elite Cup Champion, but the standard of opposition is incredibly high and the margins are so slim. It really could go down to the last lap of the last Elite Cup race of this season. USA Snetterton 300 is always a top event and we’re really looking forward to showcasing the Legends in front of a great crowd.”

Qualifying practice for the Legends Cars will take place at 10.00 on Saturday, 25th July, with Heat One of the day following at 12.20, Heat Two at 15.20 and the Final at 17.45. On Sunday, 26th July, there will a brief 10-minute practice at 09.35, Heat One will start at 11.20, Heat Two at 14.00 and the Final is scheduled for 16.20.

Provisional 2026 Legends Cars Elite Cup Points (after Rd4)
1st Tyler Read, 2025pts; 2nd Aaron Cooke, 1865pts; 3rd Oli Schlup, 1840pts;
4th Chris Needham, 1730pts; 5th Luke Simmons, 1610pts; 6th Marcus Pett, 1520pts

Provisional 2026 Legends Cars Elite Cup Masters Cup Points (after Rd4)
1st Peter Barrable, 1440pts; 2nd Andy Bird, 1380pts; 3rd Nick Price, 1040pts

Provisional 2026 Legends Cars Championship Points (after Rd8)
1st Tyler Read, 3920pts; 2nd Chris Needham, 3765pts; 3rd Oli Schlup, 3695pts;
4th Aaron Cooke, 3650pts; 5th Peter Barrable (M), 3120pts; 6th Luke Simmons, 3050pts

Provisional 2026 Legends Cars Championship Masters Cup Points (after R8)
1st Peter Barrable, 3120pts; 2nd Andy Bird, 2710pts; 3rd John Mickel, 2085pts