2025 BTCC drivers and teams

Adam Morgan bolsters Team VERTU lineup

Updated: Monday 16^th December. BTCC race winner Adam Morgan will join Tom Ingram and Tom Chilton at the Excelr8-run Team VERTU for 2025.

The Lancastrian is one of the more experienced drivers on the grid, making his debut back in 2012 as a reward for winning the 2011 Ginetta GT Supercup. After two years in a Toyota Avensis, Morgan came to the fore in a Mercedes A-Class with family-run Ciceley Motorsport. Between 2014 and 2020, Morgan racked up eight wins and 30 podium results, finishing seventh in the points table in both 2015 and 2018.

The 2021 season saw a switch to rear-wheel-drive for Morgan, with Ciceley joining forces with West Surrey Racing for two seasons before he moved across to the official works Team BMW garage. Three further victories came across the four years, and 2024 marked the third consecutive top ten finish in the overall standings for Morgan.

The 36-year-old has set his sights firmly on the podium in 2025, as he returns to front-wheel-drive machinery once more.

“I’ve always felt that before I finished my time in the BTCC I wanted to get back in a front-wheel-drive car, as most of my success in the series came when I was in front-wheel-drive with the Mercedes,” explained Morgan. “To be able to do that with Team VERTU and the Hyundai is hugely exciting for me as a driver because I’m joining a championship-winning team that has arguably the best front-wheel-drive car on the grid, and have two fantastic team-mates alongside me.”

Team VERTU team owner, Justina Williams, added: “This is a deal that I’m sure will catch some people by surprise, but when we saw the opportunity was there to bring him into our lineup, it was one we had to take.

“Adam’s record through the years is very impressive and putting him alongside Tom Ingram and Tom Chilton means we have three drivers in place who we know are capable of winning races and fighting right at the front of the grid in what promises to be another hugely competitive season.”

The team has already begun testing at Anglesey, but Morgan will have to wait until the New Year to get his first sampling of the i30.

Daryl DeLeon signs with WSR for 2025

Updated: Tuesday 10^th December. West Surrey Racing will field its youngest driver in almost 20 years, having announced that rising star Daryl DeLeon will get behind the wheel of a BMW 330i M Sport in 2025.

Aged just 19, DeLeon embarks on his second full-time season in the BTCC, having debuted in the second half of 2023 with Team HARD. Before his BTCC introduction, the Irish driver enjoyed success in both the Radical SR1 Cup and the British Endurance Championship, winning the latter in 2023.

Despite Team HARD’s departure, he returned to the BTCC in 2024 with Un-Limited Motorsport, under the Duckhams Racing banner. The youngster would secure his first top ten finishes on his way to finishing 18^th in the overall standings, as well as finishing fourth in the Independents’ Trophy and third in the Jack Sears Trophy standings.

With a pre-season testing schedule due to start in the New Year, DeLeon is setting his sights firmly on silverware and Jack Sears Trophy honours in 2025.

“It’s a dream come true to join WSR and to be with the best team in the BTCC after only one full season in touring cars,” said DeLeon. “I still can’t quite believe it. I’m excited to return to a rear-wheel drive car as that’s been my background pre-BTCC and the BMW is clearly a mega machine as it proved by winning the Drivers’ and Manufacturer’s Championships in 2024.

“The first aim will be to score a podium finish and I’ll also be trying to win the Jack Sears Trophy across the season. I think both are realistic targets and I’ll be working hard with the team to raise my performance level to where it needs to be for a team like WSR.”

“We’re very pleased to welcome Daryl to WSR for the 2025 season,” offered Dick Bennetts, WSR Team Principal. “He’s impressed us with what he’s achieved across the year and has a lot of the raw potential and determination that we’ve seen in a number of young drivers that have gone on to achieve great things in our cars and beyond. Given his background racing rear-wheel drive cars, he should have little trouble getting used to our race-winning BMW. We look forward to helping him develop and move towards the front of the grid.”

Restart Racing switches to Hyundai; keeps Chris Smiley

Updated: Wednesday 4^th December. Restart Racing has confirmed that Chris Smiley will return to the team for its second season in the British Touring Car Championship, following an announcement that it will run a pair of Hyundai i30s in 2025.

Announcing a “multi-year collaboration” with Excelr8, Restart Racing will bring an additional Hyundai i30 Fastback N entries to the BTCC grid next season, marking the first customer programme for the Korean brand in the BTCC.

The works team stated back in August that it was open to working with an additional team for 2025, whether that would be a new entrant to the series or an existing stable already on the grid. Restart Racing – founded by former BTC Racing boss Bert Taylor – joined the grid in 2024 and finished third in the Independents’ Trophy with two class victories.

Chris Smiley, who secured a season-best result of sixth for the team at Silverstone, has been rewarded with a second season leading the Restart Racing outfit in the BTCC. Smiley is a race winner in the BTCC, having won for BTC Racing at Rockingham in 2018 and picked up a further four podiums for the team across 2018 and 2019 in the Honda Civic Type R.

Smiley has also collected silverware behind the wheel of an Excelr8 prepared Hyundai i30, finishing in second place at Donington Park for the 2020 season opener – the first ever podium for Hyundai in the BTCC.

“I’m fully aware of what this package can deliver,” said Smiley. “It’s a proven race winning car, and with the right team and preparation, we’re aiming to climb as far up the grid as we can. I’m thrilled to be back with Restart Racing and can’t wait to get started.”

Ben Taylor, Restart Racing team principal added: “Having worked with the i30s during my time at Excelr8, I know firsthand just how fast and competitive these cars are. They were among the quickest on the grid last year, and with the talented team we have here at Restart Racing, we’re eager to hit the ground running in 2025.” 

TBL announcement confirms grid expansion

Updated: Tuesday 3^rd December. The organisers of the British Touring Car Championship have confirmed that the grid will grow to 24 cars in 2025 following the publishing of allocated TOCA BTCC Licences (TBLs) for the upcoming season.

The biggest headline of the off-season will be the return of One Motorsport, which sat out the 2024 season. Previous drivers Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat found seats at the satellite Toyota team for last season, taking Starline sponsorship and colours across with them to the LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ garage. The refreshed team has been granted a pair of TBLs for 2025.

Eight official teams will contest the BTCC in 2025, although these will be further split by various sponsorship and naming agreements. Four of those teams were granted four licenses each, with the remaining half of the field each granted a pair.

The 2025 season will see the expansion of West Surrey Racing once again, who will return to a four-car outfit having run three for the majority of 2024. Speedworks Motorsport has also retained four entries, having run two teams last season – both the works and satellite Toyota outfits.

EXCELR8 Motorsport continues with four entries for its Hyundai i30s, with both Tom Ingram and Tom Chilton already confirmed to return in 2025. Alliance Racing – the team behind the NAPA Racing UK Fords – also retains four licences, with three drivers to be announced alongside Ash Sutton.

Un-Limited Motorsport, who recently announced former MINI Challenge competitor Max Hall as its first driver for 2025, will also expand to a two-car team. The team previously ran Daryl DeLeon in its sole Cupra Leon.

Power Maxed Racing and Restart Racing round out the grid, both retaining their two entries each.

17-year-old Max Hall joins Un-Limited Motorsport

Updated: Tuesday 26^th November. Un-Limited Motorsport has announced that Mini JCW Championship runner-up Max Hall will graduate to the BTCC for the 2025 season.

Despite only being 17 years old, Hall has already racked up over ten years of racing experience, and secured the rookie title in the Mini JCW Championship in 2024. Hall will join the BTCC’s newest team, Un-Limited Motorsport, which will also look to continue the progress made in its debut season this year.

“Joining Un-Limited Motorsport at this stage of my career is an incredible opportunity,” said Hall. “While I know we have work to do as a team, I’m excited about the challenge and ready to give it everything I’ve got. Competing in the BTCC has always been a dream, and I’m confident we can make great progress together. This is a big step for me and I can’t wait to get started.”

Un-Limited Motorsport ran a single Cupra Leon in 2024 for Daryl DeLeon, with the young Irishman scoring a pair of top ten results on his way to 18^th overall in the standings. The team is currently working on expansion as it looks to finalise a deal to run a second car for 2025 and beyond.

“Max is exactly the kind of driver we were looking for to join Un-Limited Motorsport,” said Team Owner Bob Sharpless. “He’s demonstrated incredible skill and determination throughout his career, and we’re confident he’ll thrive in the BTCC environment. This is a pivotal moment for both the team and Max, and we’re excited to see what we can accomplish together. We’re also looking forward to expanding to a two-car entry next season, which will be another major milestone for us.”

For Hall, the Kent-based driver is well aware of the steep learning curve ahead of him, but has his targets in place for his rookie season – where he will compete for Jack Sears Trophy honours.

“Achieving regular top ten finishes and competing for podiums are key goals,” he said, “but it’s also about gaining valuable experience and helping the team and car reach their full potential. By the end of the season, I want to establish myself as a driver consistently in contention for top results, proving that young talent can make a meaningful impact in one of motorsport’s most prestigious championships.”

Andrew Watson and Speedworks part company

Updated: Thursday 21^st November. Speedworks Motorsport and Andrew Watson have confirmed that the Northern Irishman will not be competing with the team for the 2025 British Touring Car season.

After an impressive debut season for Watson in 2023 saw him bring home the Jack Sears Trophy for Power Maxed Racing, there was a lot of excitement around his pairing with Rob Huff in the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK team for 2024. Despite scoring points in 25 of the 30 races, including a best of fifth at Snetterton, the season was somewhat of a disappointment for Watson. Although he scored 28 more points than his 2023 tally, Watson could only finish 14^th in the final points standings.

“This season obviously didn’t yield the results we all wanted, which is a shame,” admitted Watson. “At the time, it was the obvious progression to move from an independent team to a manufacturer-backed entry. Due to various reasons, we didn’t operate at the level needed to fight at the front in the BTCC, but I wish everybody at Speedworks well moving forward.”

For the vast majority of the 2024 season, the independent satellite Toyota team lead by Josh Cook outperformed its sister team carrying the official Toyota colours. Although Cook’s pair of victories matched Huff, Aiden Moffat’s sole win meant the LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ outfit not only took more wins but also outscored the works team by 130 points.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank Andrew for all his efforts with Toyota Gazoo Racing UK this year,” said Speedworks Team Principal Christian Dick. “He has been a great guy to have in the team and worked well with Rob to help develop the Corolla. Ultimately, the anticipated results didn’t materialise for a variety of reasons, and following some post-season discussions, we have all agreed it is in everybody’s best interests to have a fresh start. We wish Andrew all the very best.”

Jake Hill and Laser Tools Racing to defend title with West Surrey Racing

Updated: Wednesday 6^th November. Jake Hill will return to the wheel of a West Surrey Racing-run BMW 3-Series for the fourth consecutive season in defence of his 2024 championship victory.

The 30-year-old came out on top at a thrilling Brands Hatch finale only last month, and will continue his strong partnership with the historic WSR squad. The partnership racked up an impressive eight wins, 16 podiums and scored 28 points finishes across the 30 races in 2024, in what was the first year Laser Tools had backed Hill and the BMW team.

Hill has confirmed he will carry the number one on the windows of his BMW for the 2025 season, and is pleased to continue with the team that has seen him take 17 of his 20 race victories across his BTCC career.

“I was so proud that, as a team, we managed to take the crown in 2024 after going close so many times before,” explained Hill. “To achieve it in the way we did in a thrilling title race that went right down to the wire made it even better. To put it simply, there was nowhere else I wanted to be in 2025 than to be lining the grid once again for Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, in a WSR-run BMW.”

Hill’s performances throughout 2024 alongside the Team BMW pairing of Colin Turkington and Adam Morgan were instrumental in getting BMW across the line to its record-breaking tenth manufacturers’ championship in the BTCC, while West Surrey Racing stretched its tally to a hugely impressive 18.

“We are very pleased to have extended our agreement with Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport and to have Jake back in one of our BMWs in 2025 to defend the championship,” said West Surrey Racing Team Principal, Dick Bennetts.

“He raised his level this year and dealt with late-season pressure extremely well to not only take the drivers’ title, but to help BMW win the manufacturers’ crown, too. Naturally, our aim is to win again in 2025 and having these important building blocks in place so early in the winter is a huge help so we must thank Mark, Alex and the team at MB Motorsport for their ongoing commitment to this programme.”

2025 BTCC drivers and teams 

Which drivers are already confirmed for BTCC 2025?

Four-time champion Ash Sutton was one of the first to have a firmed-up drive for 2025. The NAPA Racing UK team confirmed in April that Sutton had signed a three-year extension on his contract, committing both parties to the BTCC until at least the end of the 2026 season.

While no there has been no official confirmation for 2025 at present, 2024 rookie Scott Sumpton has confirmed that he will not be returning with Restart Racing next season. Having competed with the squad for two years – the first in the TCR UK championship – Sumpton announced he was leaving the team in a social media update. The initial post suggested he would be leaving the series entirely, but a later edit confirmed that he was moving to “a new challenge within the BTCC.”

Elsewhere, Excelr8 Motorsport confirmed at the end of October the return of the two Toms – Chilton and Ingram, to spearhead its charge in 2025.

Which teams and cars will be racing in BTCC 2025?

While its drivers and cars will remain the same, Team Bristol Street Motors’ official entry will change to Team VERTU. This change follows the decision made by the Vertu Motors group to consolidate its main retail brands (of which Bristol Street Motors was one) together under one banner.

Vertu has been working with the Hyundai team since 2021, and has been title sponsor since 2022, enjoying no fewer than 20 race wins and 52 podiums. In its first season as title sponsor, Tom Ingram took the Hyundai to championship glory and finished no lower than second in the standings for the next season. Ingram returns to lead the team once more, with Tom Chilton joining him in the garage once again. Chilton celebrated his 500^th BTCC start in 2024 and will line up for his fourth year behind the wheel of the i30.

Alliance Racing, the team behind NAPA Racing UK, has also confirmed that the Ford Focus ST will be back for 2025, but there are serious discussions ongoing regarding a replacement for 2026. While remaining coy on what’s in the pipeline, team owner Pete Osborne has gone on record to state it will be a front-wheel-drive saloon from a manufacturer currently not in the BTCC paddock.

Grids in 2024 were noticeably lower than previous years, and the BTCC has stated it is actively looking for more teams for next season. However, TOCA boss Alan Gow has also announced there will be a cap of 24 entries on the grid for the 2025 season.

One of the teams expected to be in the running to extend the field next year will be One Motorsport. The team stepped away from the grid for 2024 but stated from the beginning that it was eyeing up a return in 2025. One Motorsport’s previous driver line-up have all found places in the BTCC paddock elsewhere, with Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat jumping across to Speedworks to drive the satellite Toyota Corolla team, while Jade Edwards is now a regular pundit in the ITV4 TV studio.

This page will be updated whenever team news is revealed - so make sure you keep checking back for the latest BTCC news!

Are there any new rules in BTCC 2025?

ToCA have confirmed a number of rules tweaks for 2025. These include a two-year engine freeze, a slight amendment in how grid positions for those who fail to make it out of Part 1 of qualifying are decided, and the eligibility for Jack Sears Trophy contenders. The most noticeable changes, however, are likely to be the new rules that state only the top three from races one and two, rather than the top ten, will be forced to run the hardest tyre available in races two and three respectively, as well as a new NASCAR-style ‘Restart Point’ at the end of Safety Car periods.