Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire hosts the eagerly awaited final two rounds of the 2025 Legends Cars Elite Cup next weekend, 2nd/3rd August, with the last six races of the campaign marking a welcome return to the British Touring Car Championship package – and with it, live coverage on ITV4.

It’s been seven weeks since the previous Elite Cup event, American Speedfest at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in early June, where the action was typically fast-paced and unpredictable with no fewer than six winners from the six races contested.

There, Tyler Read (Weedon) moved to the top of the Elite Cup standings but his margin coming into the finale at Croft is just 35 points from Oli Schlup (Cuckfield) and Will Gibson (Farnborough) who are tied. With a total of 1,200 up for grabs across Croft’s half dozen races, 200 points for a win, the title battle will almost certainly go down to the last contest.

If it’s anything like the 2024 finale, which was at Knockhill in Scotland, high drama could be likely right up to, and even after, the last chequered flag. During last year’s decider, race victory for Read looked to have given him the crown but when another car was deemed not running at the flag, Jack Parker (Wolverhampton) was elevated to 17th place and so took the title by a mere five points.

Parker is seventh in the Elite Cup standings, after a bit of a turbulent year, and is more than 400 points off the lead – but he can never be discounted. Ahead of him are fourth placed Connor Mills (Upminster), the inaugural Elite Cup Champion, and fellow race winners Chris Needham (Altrincham) and Marcus Pett (Boston) – the latter back racing following his wedding in Portugal a few weeks ago.

In the Masters Cup class battle, reigning Elite Cup Masters Champion Peter Barrable (Dublin) has an advantage of 180 points over Stephen Treherne (Islington). Owen Lawlor (Dublin), meanwhile, has a strong cushion in the Rookie class standings over David Bonser (Tamworth).

Additionally, making a very welcome UK race debut at Croft will be American driver Trevor Krouse who is joining the team of Will Gibson and will pilot the squad’s ‘arrive and drive’ Legends car. The New England racer, who met Gibson in last year’s World Finals in the USA, will add yet more flavour.

Of course, rounds five and six of the Elite Cup will also be rounds eight and nine of the outright Legends Cars Championship which was last in action during the Super Touring Power 3 festival at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit at the end of June.

Only a single day event for the Legends there, Gibson and Mills shared the spoils with the latter’s third win of 2025 and continued consistency of scoring moving him to the top of the overall standings. Gibson, meanwhile, took a pair of victories and entered the history books by winning the first ever Legends race on the Brands GP track and also hit a landmark 50 career Legends race wins.

Mills’ lead in the Legends Cars Championship presently stands at 130 points from Read, with Gibson another 20 points back and Schlup fourth only five points shy of the reigning and two-time Legends Cars Champion. There is then a gap of more than 300 points to Parker and Needham in fifth and sixth, who are only separated by just over 30 points going into the weekend.

Treherne, a former Legends Cars Champion, has the advantage in the overall championship Masters Class battle with a cushion of 235 points over Barrable. As in the Elite Cup, Lawlor is the leader of the Rookie class standings.

Phil Cooper – Legends Cars Championship Owner:
“Croft will undoubtedly be the biggest weekend of the season for the Legends Cars, not just being with the BTCC again and the live TV, but also racing in front of thousands of spectators trackside for the conclusion of this year’s Elite Cup.

“We’ve enjoyed some absolutely outstanding racing this year, and the new water-cooled engine has proven to be a strong step forward for the championship, so we’re looking forward to six fantastic races next weekend. It really is incredibly close at the top of the Elite Cup standings and, as last year proved, the Champion genuinely could be decided on the last lap of the final race next Sunday.”

Qualifying practice for the final two rounds of the Legends Cars Elite Cup season is scheduled to take place at 10.20 on Saturday, 2nd August, with Heat One of the weekend following at 11.30, Heat Two at 14.20 and the day one Final at 16.45. On Sunday, 3rd August, Heat One is set to start at 12.55, Heat Two at 15.10 and the Final will be around 17.50. Sunday’s action is set to be live on ITV4.

Provisional 2025 Legends Cars Elite Cup Points (after Rd4)
1st Tyler Read, 1885pts; 2nd Oli Schlup, 1850pts; 3rd Will Gibson, 1850pts; 4th Connor Mills, 1775pts 5th Chris Needham, 1495pts; 6th Marcus Pett, 1470pts

Provisional 2025 Legends Cars Championship Points (after Rd7)
1st Connor Mills, 3170pts; 2nd Tyler Read, 3040pts; 3rd Will Gibson, 3020pts; 4th Oli Schlup, 3015pts; 5th Jack Parker, 2675pts; 6th Chris Needham, 2640pts