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James Dorlin joins Speedworks Motorsport for maiden BTCC campaign

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Speedworks Motorsport has completed its driver line-up for the 2025 British Touring Car Championship after announcing the signing of rising star James Dorlin.

Joining three-time champion Gordon Shedden and race winners Aron Taylor-Smith and Ronan Pearson at TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK, the 25-year-old will make his series debut in a Toyota Corolla GR Sport.

Dorlin is no stranger to the TOCA package having previously raced in the Renault UK Clio Cup and most recently the Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain, where he was crowned the inaugural champion in 2020.

Joining the McLaren Young Driver Programme in 2019, the Yorkshireman has spent the past few years competing in GTs, but has always had an eye on one day making the jump up to the BTCC.

Dorlin said: “It feels like this has been a long time coming! The BTCC has always been something I’ve aspired to, and back when I was racing in the Clio Cup, the natural progression was to go into touring cars, but then I got the opportunity to join the McLaren Young Driver Programme, which was obviously something I couldn’t pass up.

“That sent me down the sportscar route instead and put my BTCC ambitions on the backburner for a while, so it’s great to finally get the chance to join the championship – and with a manufacturer-backed team, too. It really doesn’t get much better than that!

“Danny [Buxton] and I have always had a good relationship, and when he asked me what my plans were for 2025, I told him I wanted to go racing again properly – over the past couple of seasons, I’ve not really had much seat time aside from the odd outing here and there. When he subsequently presented me with an opportunity to join Speedworks and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK, I immediately knew I needed to pull out all the stops to make it happen.

“Realistically, it’s going to be a huge challenge and I have a lot to take on-board. The BTCC is a very different proposition to GT racing and a different kind of beast to tame, but that flat-out push and no-holds-barred battle from the moment the lights go out to the moment the chequered flag falls is something I’ve really missed since stepping away from the TOCA package.

“In recent years, I’ve driven solely rear wheel-drive, so switching back to front wheel-drive will take a bit of getting used to but I’m sure I’ll soon settle into the groove, and while the majority of the drivers on the grid have been doing this for much longer than I have, I’ve probably raced against most of them at some stage during my career, so it will be good to compete with them again.

“I’m super-excited to get going, and I’m ready for the challenge that lies ahead. In Gordon, Árón and Ronan, I’ve got three very strong team-mates, and I’m really looking forward to working with them all and learning as much as I can from their experience in touring cars.

“I won’t get chance to do much pre-season testing, but spending two years away from the cut-and-thrust has given me all the hunger in the world to hit the ground running, create a good impression and really make a success out of this.

“A lot of people have put in a huge effort to make it happen – not least my loyal partner, What The Fork, without whom this certainly wouldn’t have been possible – and I’m ready to give my absolute all and work hard to repay them and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK for their faith in me. Ultimately, the reason I’m doing this is to win!”