Victory in Heats One and Two of round 10 of the Legends Cars Championship season at Oulton Park International Circuit on Saturday, 16th August, helped Tyler Read (Weedon) open a provisional lead of almost 500 points at the top of the standings – with just one more event now remaining in 2025.

Read, who secured the Legends Cars Elite Cup title at Croft in North Yorkshire just a couple of weeks ago, pipped reigning and two-time Legends Cars Champion Will Gibson (Farnborough) by a fraction in each of the Heats to win both, and he did also take the chequered flag first in the round 10 Final.

Due to a five second track limits penalty though, which was confirmed with a lap to go, he slipped to sixth in the final classification and so a very well deserved first Legends Cars race win went the way of the increasingly quick Matt Knight (Shoreham-by-Sea) in front of a big US AutoShow crowd.

Behind Read and Gibson in Heat One, Stephen Treherne (Islington) raced to third while in Heat Two Oli Schlup (Cuckfield) completed the podium. Behind Knight in the Oulton finale was Peter Barrable (Dublin) and Legends returnee Matt Isherwood (Nantwich) in the No.52 Team Car. Isherwood hadn’t raced in the series since 2023, and this was also his first experience of the new water-cooled engine.

Treherne was the top Masters class runner in Heat One, with Barrable the highest placed Master in the two other contests – the latter leading the class by a provisional 50 points. In the Rookie battle honours were shared by David Bonser (Tamworth), who was top Rookie in Heat One and the Final, and class points leader Owen Lawlor (Dublin) who was the highest placed Rookie in Heat Two.

Read and Knight earn the wins as Legends thrill US AutoShow
Race one was a cracker with the returning Isherwood flying on his first Legends appearance in two years. Making a superb launch from third, he challenged for the lead into Old Hall but slotted into second behind Barrable before pole-starter Jack Parker (Wolverhampton) fought back to the front.

Isherwood pounced into Old Hall to take the lead into the second tour and was still on top into lap three, with Parker glued to his tail. Unfortunately, a spin just a few corners later ruined Isherwood’s hopes and he ultimately finished in 14th position. Barrable emerged in first place from Read, Chris Needham (Altrincham) and Gibson as the fast-paced action continued.

Soon enough Read had gone through and led Barrable and Gibson into lap five, but the Irishman’s race ended shortly after. Into the final tour there was nothing to split Read and Gibson but the former managed to just see off his rival by 0.064 seconds. Treherne starred with a storming drive to third from 20th on the grid, with Schlup finishing fourth from Parker and Needham.

Treherne had pole in the grid draw for Heat Two and after seeing off an equally quick starting Nick Price (March), he led prior to the deployment of the Safety Car ahead of the third tour – required due to several stricken cars needing recovery. Racing resumed on lap six with Treherne leading Schlup, Gibson, Ross Marshall (Stirling), Marcus Pett (Boston) and Read.

Schlup grabbed the lead towards the end of lap six, with Treherne shuffled back several places, but after having to skip the chicane at Hislops the next time around, the leader dropped to fifth. Gibson had moved through and led Read onto the eighth and final tour, but Read nipped by into Old Hall and managed to see off his rival by 0.059 seconds for win two of the day – his 10th of the year.

Third position went to Schlup, battling back strongly over the last couple of laps, ahead of Pett in fourth, Barrable – who produced a fabulous drive from 19th on the grid – and solid top six finisher Marshall.

Isherwood lined-up on the front row for the round 10 Final and immediately took the lead, but Knight had soon found a way through while, behind, Barrable had surged from ninth to third – and he then took the lead on lap two. Knight and Barrable traded first place before Gibson, up from 18th on the grid, hit the front on lap four. Knight, though, struck back during some superb action.

Gibson and Knight were side-by-side into lap five, the former grabbing first again into Cascades, and all the while Read had been busily slicing his way towards the leaders from 19th at the start. Gibson had to run on at the chicane on lap six, so Read moved ahead, and there was nothing to separate until the eighth and final lap when Gibson’s car slowed and eventually seized, a legacy of contact.

Read was over a second clear but then, more drama. He was served with a five second track limits penalty and so although crossing the line first he ended the race sixth. Knight came through to win after Gibson’s demise, with Barrable second and Isherwood third from Treherne and Pett.

Tyler Read – Rd10 Heat One and Heat Two Winner:
“I had a decent start to race two, it was a bit messy at the start but managed to get through it, and then the Safety Car came out. I thought that was race over as it was out for ages, but they gave us the same amount of laps back which was good and I managed to come through. I think I was seventh at the re-start and got the lead on the last lap at the first corner, the same as race one. All the points matter, coming off the back of winning the Elite Cup [at Croft] we’ve scored good points again.”

Matt Knight – Rd10 Final Winner:
“We kind of needed this to be fair, show we can do it. Getting the first win is definitely a good feeling, to be able to say we’ve done it. Our pace has been good this year when the car has been good, we’ve been very unlucky with the car and had a fueling issue the last few meetings. We changed that on Friday, and the results have showed. We know we can do it now, the car is good, so hopefully there will be more opportunity at the final round.”

Just two rounds, six races, remain in the 2025 Legends Cars Championship with the title deciding season finale taking place at Norfolk’s Snetterton Circuit over the weekend 20th/21st September, as part of the USA Snetterton 300 festival.

Provisional 2025 Legends Cars Championship Points (after Rd10)
1st Tyler Read, 4700pts; 2nd Will Gibson, 4210pts; 3rd Oli Schlup, 4145pts; 4th Chris Needham, 3815pts; 5th Connor Mills, 3735pts; 6th Jack Parker, 3510pts