Legends Cars: Cooke takes championship lead at Donington Park

Aaron Cooke takes the championship lead at Donington Park for the Legends Series after excellent weekend of racing.

Matt Knight started on pole for Heat One, but it would not last long as Luke Simmons and John Mickel passed him quickly into Redgate while further back, a several car collision ended up with Tyler Read in the gravel. Fortunately for him, Read would manage to keep it running and climb his way back up the order throughout the race. Cooke would take the lead on lap two before losing it to Mickel the following lap. A Safety Car would have to be deployed after a car went of the circuit at McLeans, but Ross Marshall made a move for the lead under the caution period, leaving him with a penalty.

Once the race resumed, Simmons would find his way back into the lead in the final two lap dash before losing out at the final chicane to Marshall and Cooke to drop to third. Marshall would take victory on track, but the penalty earned earlier on would drop him behind Cooke and Simmons into third on amended result. Chris Needham would finish fourth ahead of Marcus Pett who completed the top five.

Heat Two would see Pett and Andy Bird lining up on the front row but it would be Oli Schlup who takes the lead early on from fourth on the grid. Pett would return to the lead shortly after before losing it again on the run to Redgate. Bird and Schlup would start to duel for the lead up until right before the final lap where Read would make his way into the lead. However, he would not hold onto it as Bird and Pett would pass him at the final chicane, giving Bird the victory from Pett and Read. Cooke would finish fourth ahead of Schlup in fifth.

Round three’s final would see Needham, after some engine troubles in Heat two, jump from sixth to the race lead. Schlup would join him as the pair would make a gap for themselves. Schlup would take the lead on lap four after Needham went wide before retiring with more engine problems. Schlup would be caught by Bird and Read making it a three-way fight to the end of the race. Bird and Read would pass Schlup before swapping the lead on several occasions up until the finish with Read getting the edge after passing at McLeans on the final lap taking victory from Bird in second and Schlup in third. Marshall and Peter Barrable would complete the top five.

Sunday’s Heat One would have Mickel on pole from Bird but it would swap on the run into Redgate. Mickel would get back to the lead on lap two but a lock-up would allow Bird to get back into the lead swiftly. Needham showed some extraordinary pace in the opening few laps, starting in eighteenth he would make his way to the lead by the end of lap four. Needham would lead Bird and Read before Bird’s race came to an end after being put into the barriers. Read would pick up where he left off the day prior and pass Needham for the lead on the final lap to take victory from Needham and Cooke. Pett and Barrable would complete the top five in Heat One.

Heat Two would see Read start from pole from Needham while Simmons and Cooke were right behind. Needham would swoop into the lead on lap two before Cooke took it for himself on lap five. Needham, Read and Schlup all managed to get by Cooke before Schlup made a double overtake on lap seven to take the lead. Needham would not let it last long taking the lead himself up until the final lap of the race. Schlup would take the lead on the final lap before running deep allowing the four behind him through. Read tried to pass Needham into the chicane but neither of them took the win after Cooke had a better run on the drag to the line to take the victory. Read and Needham would settle in behind while Simmons and Marshall completed the top five.

The final race of the weekend would see drama on the opening lap at Hollywood with a car spinning and several cars off into the gravel. Mike Schlup would end up in the lead ahead of Nathan Williams. Oli Schlup would make his way passed for the lead before Read took over from him on lap three. The pair would switch positions on lap four before Needham, Simmons and Cooke fought their way into the battle. Eventually, Read would take victory in a photo finish from Oli Schlup, Cooke, Simmons and Needham.