• Tyler Read successfully defends Legends title in fantastic 2026 finale
• Breathtaking visit to Donington Park GP delivers six incredible races
• Aaron Cooke takes four wins, Oli Schlup and Sean Smith share other two
• Peter Barrable retains Masters title to add to Elite Cup success
Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit delivered an absolutely superb conclusion to the 2026 Legends Cars Championship over the weekend, 26th/27th September, where Tyler Read (Daventry) claimed the coveted title for a second consecutive year.
In doing so, Read has achieved a famous ‘double-double’ as he also retained the Legends Cars Elite Cup crown earlier in the year. Joining him in celebration is Masters Championship winner Peter Barrable (Dublin), the Irishman having successfully defended his Championship and Elite Cup crowns.
Aaron Cooke (Croxley Green) starred with four fantastic race victories, ending his maiden season of Legends racing second in the title battle. Chris Needham (Altrincham) concludes the season third after a largely luckless Donington event, but ends 2026 as the winningest driver with 13 victories.
Oli Schlup (Cuckfield) raced to his fourth win of the year with a great drive in Heat One of round 13, and championship returnee Sean Smith (Marlow) made a huge impression on his first outing in four years to claim victory in the second of Sunday’s Heats. Nathan Williams (Higher Bebington) has been confirmed as the 2026 Rookie Champion and the No.52 Team Car claims Team Car title spoils.
Magnificent winning triple for Cooke in Rd12
Race one was a perfect way to begin the season finale, and all of the main championship players were right there at the flag. Andy Bird (Calne) had led from pole but was successfully challenged by fellow front-row starter Read on the outside into Hollywood. Both Needham, from eighth, and Cooke, from 15th, made rapid progress and by the end of lap two the former led with Cooke sixth.
Needham initially kept ahead of Read, Bird, Schlup, Luke Simmons (Lingfield) and Cooke with challenges at almost every other corner. Then, on lap four, there was drama at Fogarty’s when Bird was tagged from behind and his front bumper became caught on the rear of Needham’s car. They both continued but Needham slipped to fourth and Bird ran on over the gravel.
Two corners later at Goddards, Simmons’ bid came to an end when brake failure sent him into the barriers. In the blink of an eye the sixth and final lap arrived where Cooke produced the decisive move on the brakes, from third, to get the lead into Melbourne Hairpin. He held on from new points leader Needham, Read and Schlup with Stephen Treherne (Islington) the top Masters runner in fifth.
Heat Two of the day had major implications for the title battle when Needham was tapped into a spin out of Redgate at the start, and was then caught-up in the aftermath of a multi-car tangle at Melbourne. Read, who was also involved in the latter skirmish, was fortunate to emerge better-off than his main championship rival and ultimately moved over 100 points clear.
Pole starter Ross Marshall (Stirling) led at the time from Matt Knight (Shoreham-by-Sea), with Cooke right there in third. Cooke grabbed the lead into the Fogarty Esses on lap two and never looked back on his way to a controlled success. Read battled back to second and Knight completed the podium, with brake issues, while Needham rescued a bruising 14th. Barrable won the Masters in fifth.
Visibility in the round 12 Final was tricky due to very low evening sun. The lead changed hands several times over the first couple of tours and by the start of lap three Simmons headed the way from Needham, up from 14th, Treherne, Marcus Pett (Boston) and Cooke – the latter up from 21st.
Needham moved into the lead at the Old Hairpin and as he and Simmons battled, Cooke made his way into third. The action among the leaders was frenetic and remained so to lap eight when the Safety Car was deployed due to a car in the gravel at Redgate. Racing would resume over one final lap with the top six order Cooke, Simmons, Needham, Read, Schlup and Treherne.
Incredibly, as the cars rounded Goddards at the resumption, Needham’s engine cut-out as several runners swept by. He was able to get the car going again, but had to settle for 13th place. Cooke, meanwhile, took a clean sweep for the day from the rapid Simmons and Read, with Schlup fourth. Bird claimed the Masters win in seventh due to a track limits penalty for Treherne.
Read seals the title as Schlup, Smith and Cooke all win
Into Sunday’s racing Read carried a lead of 215 points over Needham and as the competitors prepared for Heat One light rain arrived, adding more unpredictability. Read and Needham started on the front row but at Redgate there was a spin for Needham, triggering further incidents.
The Safety Car was deployed as a result and racing resumed on lap three, where Read led Schlup and John Mickel (Copthorne). The lead duo were quickly in their own race and pulled well clear of the others, Schlup producing the winning pass into the Fogarty Esses on the seventh and final lap.
Amazingly, Needham and also Simmons fought back supremely from the lap one dramas. Simmons, who was in the Redgate gravel on lap one, charged to fourth behind Needham but, post-race, the latter’s car was excluded due to a missing rear bumper – a result of the lap one chaos. Simmons, therefore, took third and Cooke fourth.
Going into Heat Two, Read’s advantage was 330 points over Cooke with Needham having slipped to third in the championship. Smith had drawn pole but Simmons made the best start and went around the outside at a greasy Redgate to lead. The Safety Car was soon called due to a car stranded at the Old Hairpin, but the action resumed on lap three where Simmons again led away comfortably.
By mid-distance Barrable had paired off with the leader but they were being caught, and there were several changes for third place – particularly with a puddle at the apex of Melbourne Hairpin causing numerous drivers to lose grip. Into the final lap there were eight for the lead, Smith redoubled his efforts and had moved up to second with Read third and the latter then passed Smith at Hollywood.
Pressuring Simmons hard, Read was soon edged to fourth at Melbourne as Smith and Charlie Budd, in the No.52 Team Car, dived past. Smith read it perfectly to emerge in the race lead and went on to seal a terrific win with Read grabbing second from Simmons out of Goddards. Cooke, Needham and Budd headed home Masters winner Barrable.
More drizzle arrived before the last race and it was another absolute cracker, a fitting way to finish the season. Marshall led from pole before Mickel moved to the front at McLeans, but the former hit back into the Fogarty Esses. Mickel responded again and so led into lap two with Nick Price (March) up to second from Marshall, Pett, Needham and Williams.
Price took a turn at the front and then Marshall hit back on lap three and, at half distance, 12 cars were in the fight for the win. Schlup moved to the head of the pack before Cooke dived past him into Melbourne Hairpin on lap five. They paired off and pulled away, before Schlup re-took the lead.
News then came of a five second track limits penalty for Schlup but Cooke managed to take the lead on the road anyway, taking another win. Schlup was second but on corrected times dropped to fourth behind Simmons and Masters winner Mickel. Price also had a penalty and so Smith and Knight completed the top six.
Tyler Read – Legends Cars Champion:
“I’m really happy, it’s been a massive team effort this year so I’m happy for the whole team. To sign it off like we did with an amazing race, I couldn’t have asked for a better end. I thought me and Chris [Needham] would be swapping first and second in the championship all weekend but, unfortunately, he had a lot of issues. So, we had to just keep it sensible which I did do, mostly!”
Peter Barrable – Legends Cars Masters Champion:
“It’s been a great year, great battles with Andy Bird, Nick Price, John Mickel and Stephen Treherne. We kept it consistent, Andy [Bird] obviously had some terrible luck at the start of the year, but it’s the way it goes and I’m delighted to get the second Masters title. You need to be finishing fourth, fifth or sixth in the overall championship to win the Masters, it ain’t easy!”
Aaron Cooke – Rd12 Heat One, Heat Two, Final and Rd13 Final Winner:
“This is mega, a great way to round-out the season and we just clinched P2 in the championship so that’s mega. I want to say a big thank you to all the sponsors who have made this year possible, they’re absolute heroes – they helped get me here so thank you very much. Three wins for the day on Saturday, another win on Sunday, I couldn’t have asked for any more.”
Oli Schlup – Rd13 Heat One Winner:
“It’s great to win. I was looking behind and there was nobody there, so I wasn’t going to do anything silly, I was going to sit there and wait. I thought it was quite a nice move, I held him [Read] off on the last two corners so I’m happy with that result. Others have gone for the final move into the second to last corner, so I thought if I get it done one before, cover it off, there’s nothing he can do.”
Sean Smith – Rd13 Heat Two Winner:
“We didn’t intend to do a lot [this weekend], we just needed to learn the new engine, new brakes, we only bought the car about a week ago. We stripped it, took it apart, put it back together and were just coming out to learn ready for next year. The car felt good and after four years away, to get a win here this weekend is really good.”
Final 2026 Legends Cars Championship
CHAMPION Tyler Read, 6390pts
2nd Aaron Cooke, 6115pts
3rd Chris Needham, 5965pts
4th Oli Schlup, 5730pts
5th Luke Simmons, 4880pts
6th Peter Barrable (M), 4850pts
Final 2026 Legends Cars Championship Masters Championship
CHAMPION Peter Barrable, 4850pts
2nd Andy Bird, 4410pts
3rd John Mickel, 3535pts
Final 2026 Legends Cars Championship Rookie Championship
CHAMPION Nathan Williams 3195pts
Final 2026 Legends Cars Championship Team Car Championship
CHAMPIONS Team Car No.52, 2880pts
