BTCC ready to kick off 2025 season at Donington Park
The British Touring Car Championship commences its 2025 season at Donington Park this weekend, with the Leicestershire venue staging the first three races of the year on its National layout.
With the grid having grown in size since last season, the battle for the biggest prize in UK motorsport promises to be as competitive as ever this year and heading into the new campaign as the driver to beat is reigning champion Jake Hill.
Remaining with West Surrey Racing for a fourth consecutive campaign, Hill is gunning for back-to-back title triumphs in his BMW however he’s set to face stiff opposition from a host of contenders.
Last year’s runner-up Tom Ingram remains with EXCELR8 in his bid for a second crown whilst four-time winner Ash Sutton is looking to reclaim the title and in the process, make history by becoming the first five-time BTCC champion.
Sutton’s Alliance Racing team-mate Dan Cammish also can’t be discounted from being in the mix either. The same can be said for Josh Cook, who is back with One Motorsport in a Honda, and three-time champion Gordon Shedden who has joined Speedworks Motorsport to race a Toyota Corolla.
Continuing down the order this year’s entry list includes a number of race winners that could easily break into the title conversation.
Tom Chilton and Adam Morgan will race alongside Ingram in Hyundai’s while Aron Taylor-Smith and Ronan Pearson have joined Toyota. Dan Rowbottom meanwhile is set to embark on another year behind the wheel of the Alliance-run Ford Focus ST.
Stephen Jelley is back in the BTCC with One Motorsport while Restart Racing’s Chris Smiley and Dan Lloyd have brand-new Hyundai i30s to get a handle on. Other notable names include last year’s Jack Sears Trophy champion Mikey Doble and new BMW recruits Aiden Moffat and Daryl DeLeon.
Several newcomers have joined the fray too and will be looking to make their mark. Leading them is Un-Limited Motorsport’s Max Hall – who has impressed during testing – as well as Charles Rainford and James Dorlin.
Changes aren’t limited to just the grid this season with the forthcoming weekend marking the first since the end of 2021 that the series hasn’t implemented hybrid deployment. Instead, drivers will get a power boost from the turbo on their cars.
Elsewhere, the departure of hybrid has led to all cars now running 100% sustainable fuel following positive test runs that were carried out last year.
The action at Donington Park kicks off on Saturday with two practice sessions being followed up by qualifying. Three races then headline proceedings on Sunday.
Timetable – Donington Park
Times in BST
Saturday – 27/4
09:45 – Free Practice 1
12:10 – Free Practice 2
15:10 – Qualifying
Sunday – 28/4
11:50 – Race 1
14:35 – Race 2
17:25 – Race 3
2025 BTCC Entry List
1 – Jake Hill – West Surrey Racing – BMW 330i M Sport
2 – Daryl Deleon – West Surrey Racing – BMW 330i M Sport
3 – Tom Chilton – EXCELR8 Motorsport – Hyundai i30 Fastback N
12 – Stephen Jelley – One Motorsport – Honda Civic Type R
14 – Ronan Pearson – Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Corolla GR Sport
16 – Aiden Moffat – West Surrey Racing – BMW 330i M Sport
17 – Dexter Patterson – Un-Limited Motorsport – Cupra Leon
18 – Senna Proctor – EXCELR8 Motorsport – Hyundai i30 Fastback N
22 – Chris Smiley – Restart Racing – Hyundai i30 Fastback N
27 – Dan Cammish – Alliance Racing – Ford Focus ST
28 – Nicolas Hamilton – Un-Limited Motorsport – Cupra Leon
32 – Dan Rowbottom – Alliance Racing – Ford Focus ST
33 – Adam Morgan – West Surrey Racing – BMW 330i M Sport
40 – Aron Taylor-Smith – Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Corolla GR Sport
52 – Gordon Shedden – Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Corolla GR Sport
66 – Josh Cook – One Motorsport – Honda Civic Type R
77 – Sam Osborne – Alliance Racing – Ford Focus ST
80 – Tom Ingram – EXCELR8 Motorsport – Hyundai i30 Fastback N
88 – Mikey Doble – Power Maxed Racing – Vauxhall Astra
93 – Maximus Hall – Un-Limited Motorsport – Cupra Leon
99 – Charles Rainford – West Surrey Racing – BMW 330i M Sport
116 – Ash Sutton – Alliance Racing – Ford Focus ST
123 – Daniel Lloyd – Restart Racing – Hyundai i30 Fastback N
132 – James Dorlin – Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Corolla GR Sport
777 – Michael Crees – EXCELR8 Motorsport – Hyundai i30 Fastback N
