Hot on the heels of a barnstorming first event of the Legends Cars Championship season just a week ago at Silverstone, the pocket rockets will be back in action mere days from now when this year’s Legends Cars Elite Cup gets underway at Donington Park – running as part of the BTCC package.

Rounds three and four of the Championship season, which take place on 18th/19th April, also mark the first two rounds of the annual Elite Cup which is an inter-series battle across the three largest events during the Legends campaign each year. There is a distinct points table for the Elite Cup, but those points also count towards the main Championship as well.

Of course, the coming weekend’s event alongside the British Touring Car Championship will be the biggest of the year for the Legends Cars in terms of both spectator attendance and the added bonus of live television coverage on ITV4 and online through ITVX on day two.

Coming off the back of three fantastic victories at Silverstone, which ensured the early lead in the Championship standings, Chris Needham (Altrincham) will be determined to make his tremendous start to 2026 count by continuing that impressive form at Donington Park.

Another of the absolute stars of the season curtain-raiser was Aaron Cooke (Croxley Green), who almost made it three wins himself. This year marks Cooke’s first full campaign in Legends Cars and he started in brilliant style with two victories helping him to second in the standings.

Third in the points is reigning Legends Cars Champion, and also 2025 Legends Cars Elite Cup Champion, Tyler Read (Daventry) who was the other race winner at Silverstone. His weekend was impacted by ongoing car trouble, so he will be looking for a fault-free trip to Donington.

Peter Barrable (Dublin), who is a past outright race winner in the Championship, enjoyed a very consistent series of front-running performances in rounds one and two. He not only heads the Masters Cup, taking five class wins last time out, but is also fourth in the overall standings.

The Championship top six is completed by Luke Simmons (Lingfield), who reeled off six highly consistent race performances at Silverstone, and Oli Schlup (Cuckfield) who actually claimed five podium finishes across rounds one and two but was hit with a 50 point penalty as well.

Matt Knight (Bramber) was the other overall podium finisher from the season curtain-raiser and he is eighth in the standings, very close behind Masters Cup competitor Andy Bird (Calne) who took the class victory in the last of the Silverstone encounters.

There is little to choose at present between the next bunch of drivers, Ross Marshall (Stirling), Nick Price (March), former five-time Legends Cars Champion John Mickel (Copthorne) and Marcus Pett (Boston), and all will be aiming to perform well in front of the huge crowds expected at Donington.

Nathan Williams (Higher Bebington), who is competing in his first full year of Legends action with the popular Team #2Mater squad, tops the Rookie class while the Team Car class battle is headed by the outfit’s No.11 car, piloted at Silverstone by Mark Beaty (Newcastle).

Legends Cars racing truly is the most action-packed and entertaining around, with some unique features ensuring the category really does stand out and plough its own furrow. Not just the 5/8 scale cars, powered by Yamaha motorcycle engines, and the ‘bump-drafting’ on the straights, but also the way grids are formed.

Ballots are drawn to set the starting order for the first Heat of each day, or round, and that order is then reversed for the second Heat each day. Points totals are calculated from the combined scores of each driver across a day’s two Heats, and that order is then flipped for the grid of the Final – the highest scoring drivers starting at the back and the lowest scorers at the front.

Will Gibson – Legends Cars Championship Owner:
“We really are delighted to be back with the BTCC package at Donington, it’s undoubtedly the highlight of the year in terms of the crowds, the fan interaction and, of course, the live coverage on ITV4 and ITVX. After a brilliant start at Silverstone just over a week ago, we can’t wait to see what happens on our first visit to Donington this year which is, of course, the beginning of the Elite Cup.

“Silverstone was brilliant, six fantastic races and classic Legends finishes with only hundredths of a second in it at the flag. Chris [Needham] and Aaron [Cooke] were highly impressive over the first couple of rounds, so it’s going to be interesting to see if they can continue their momentum or if the others, headed by our reigning Champion Tyler [Read], can begin their fightback.”

Qualifying at Donington will get underway at 09.05 this Saturday, 18th April, with Heat One of round three – the first race of the Elite Cup – starting at 12.15, Heat Two at 15.35 and the Final at 17.50. On Sunday, 19th April, Heat One of round four is scheduled for 09.10, Heat Two follows at 12.55 and the Final concludes the day at 18.10. Live coverage of Sunday’s action will be on ITV4 and ITVX.

Provisional 2026 Legends Cars Championship Points (after Rd2)
1st Chris Needham, 1105pts; 2nd Aaron Cooke, 1040pts; 3rd Tyler Read, 930pts; 4th Peter Barrable (M), 850pts; 5th Luke Simmons, 830pts; 6th Oli Schlup, 820pts

Provisional 2026 Legends Cars Championship Masters Cup Points (after Rd2)
1st Peter Barrable, 850pts; 2nd Andy Bird, 730pts; 3rd Nick Price, 540pts; 4th John Mickel, 515pts; 5th Graham Butler, 270pts; =6th Ben Mahoney/Mike Schlup, 215pts