Fresh from his maiden race victory at Silverstone, Barnaby Brewer rounded off his debut season by securing the 2026 Fiesta Junior Championship Rookie Cup title at Oulton Park, bringing a successful first year of racing to a close.
Brewer, who embarked on his maiden season in real-world racing this year, headed into the final BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship round at Oulton Park on a high after his double podium success at the penultimate round at Silverstone.
The finale brought a new challenge with the usual weekend’s running condensed into one day, with a morning qualifying session ahead of two races around the 2.692-mile circuit.
Qualifying proved tricky on Saturday morning, with cold and damp conditions proving a challenge for the entire field. However, Brewer set himself up well for the penultimate race of the season, qualifying his Young Minds-liveried Fiesta P5 on the grid.
With his teammate and rookie title rival Daniel Takyi qualifying P2, Brewer’s aim was to stay clean in the mixed conditions and move up the field in race one. Holding position at the start, Brewer remained P5 through the opening lap as the top five battled ahead, before a red flag was shown at the beginning of the second lap due to a car becoming stranded in the gravel further down the field.
Upon the restart, Brewer once again made a great start to hold position through the first few corners before making a move on the outside of Takyi to gain the inside line into Island Bend, moving him up to P4.
His rookie title rival was hot on his tail as Brewer held him off on the second lap, before running out of space on the outside line at Lodge Corner. This dropped him back down to sixth as he lost momentum before the pit straight.
With five minutes remaining, Brewer moved back up to P5 as Harper took to the grass. However, the race was ended early following a second red flag, with Brewer ultimately classified P6 on countback.
With his sights set on the Rookie Cup title, Brewer started the final race of the season from P6 on the grid. However, after two red flags and multiple incidents, the race was unable to reach the required distance for the results to be classified.
Despite an anti-climactic end to the weekend, Brewer had done enough to secure the Rookie Cup honours, capping off an impressive first year in real-world racing.
Commenting on the season finale, Barnaby said: “I’m over the moon to come away with the Rookie Cup title after what’s been a huge learning curve this season. Oulton Park was a tricky way to finish, especially with both races being cut short, but we’ve done enough to get the job done.
It’s been a hugely enjoyable year, not just because of the progress and results, but also because of the people I’ve met and the experience of being part of the Fiesta Junior paddock. A huge thank you to the Race Car Consultants team for all of their hard work throughout the season, and to my driver coach Zak Taylor for all of his guidance and support.
I’d like to thank everyone who’s supported me this year, whether trackside or from home. I’m really excited to see what comes next!”
The Rookie Cup title marks a strong finish to Brewer’s first season in real-world racing, capping a year of learning, progress and memorable results.
Photos by James Roberts