Stunning wins for Lloyd, Ingram and Osborne at Silverstone
The 2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will go down to the season finale at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time with Tom Ingram leading old adversary Ash Sutton in the overall standings.
Team VERTU’s Ingram will take a healthy 33-point advantage into the final three races of the campaign, following a pulsating and celebratory penultimate event at Silverstone this weekend (20/21 September).
Although Ingram took a win and Sutton bagged a double podium, the BTCC’s leading duo had to largely settle for a supporting role around the 1.64-mile National layout, as Daniel Lloyd and Sam Osborne scored hugely popular triumphs.
Lloyd claimed his first victory in more than 1000 days – also a first overall success for Restart Racing – and the team were celebrating again shortly after having moved into an unassailable lead in the Independent Teams’ title race.
Ingram completed his win with a top-class performance in the second bout, but the largest roar was arguably saved for the reverse grid finale where Osborne took a memorable maiden victory.
Aside from the chase for the most coveted prize in British motorsport there are also monumental battles taking place in a number of the other championships.
Alliance Racing/Ford hold a two-point lead in the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ order over EXCELR8 Motorsport/Hyundai, whilst the same two outfits under their NAPA Racing UK and Team VERTU names are separated by three points in the Teams’ table.
Lloyd, Mikey Doble and Chris Smiley are covered by eight points in the Independent Drivers’ battle while Daryl DeLeon tops WSR stablemate Charles Rainford by eight points in the race for the Jack Sears Trophy.
Round 28, 29 and 30 of the 2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place on the brilliant Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on 4/5 October.
Lloyd triumphant in maiden Restart Racing victory
Restart Racing's Lloyd took home a brilliant victory in the opener, as the Huddersfield racer celebrated his first triumph since the Brands Hatch finale back in 2022.
The contest saw the now Independent Trophy leader start from fourth place, initially jumping reigning champion Jake Hill (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport – BMW) on the opening lap as the field charged towards the first corner.
Ahead of the duo, polesitter Daryl DeLeon (WSR – BMW) and Gordon Shedden (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA) finished the opening lap side-by-side in a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle, with the former running wide at Copse and tumbling to fifth by the time the leading pack found the Wellington Straight.
With Shedden heading the field, Lloyd wasted no time as the #123 made a decisive move to the front, brilliantly placing his Hyundai i30 N down the inside of the Corolla GR Sport into Brooklands on only the second lap of the race.
Come lap five, Hill took his chance to move further forward, pulling alongside Shedden heading into the daunting Copse corner and securing second entering the braking zone into Maggots.
The podium positions would remain unchanged as on Lap 18, Nic Hamilton's (Powder Monkey Brewing Co with Esidock – Cupra) car caught fire and was parked off the circuit on the Wellington Straight, prompting a Safety Car intervention that remained until the chequered flag.
Ingram soars at Silverstone as Sutton secures second
Team VERTU's Ingram stood triumphant in the second bout, as NAPA Racing UK's Sutton secured second to keep the title fight well and truly alive.
The soft-tyre shod Hyundai i30 N of Ingram blasted through the order, relinquishing Hill’s #1 Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW of the lead early in the contest.
Ingram never looked back, and the victory ensured he had already secured more points than his 2022 title winning campaign.
Sutton elected to run the medium Goodyear tyre compound, but that failed to deter his charge as the four-time champ sliced his way up to second in the #116 Ford Focus.
Whilst Ingram had increased his championship lead slightly to 38 points it was now Sutton that had both the grid and tyre advantage for the final race of the day.
Hill completed the podium as the BTCC's leading trio showed exactly why they are often regarded as the class of the field.
Árón Taylor-Smith (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA) was one of the stars of the race as the Irishman surged from 11th on the grid to fourth at the finish, ahead of Rainford (LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR – BMW) and race one winner Lloyd (Restart Racing – Hyundai).
Osborne secures sensational first ever win
NAPA Racing UK's Osborne took a hugely popular victory in the final reverse grid race at Silverstone.
Starting from pole position – having recently completed his 200th BTCC race at Donington Park – Osborne had to contend with race-long pressure from behind as a gaggle of experienced winners filled his wing mirrors.
The main contender was the #66 Toyota Corolla of Josh Cook as he searched left and right to find a way past. In the end, it was Cook's TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA car dramatically locking up at almost every turn as Osborne's Ford Focus covered off every attempt.
As Osborne exited Woodcote for the final time there were emotional scenes in the car and on the pit wall as the Yorkshireman blasted his machine past the chequered flag amidst jubilant cheers around the famous circuit.
Cook held a comfortable second ahead of title contender Sutton, as the NAPA Racing UK man clawed back some points on standings leader Ingram.
Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport's Hill was fourth, ahead of Team VERTU's Ingram, who relegated LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR's Aiden Moffat down to sixth on the final lap.
Daniel Lloyd, Restart Racing, said: “That was amazing. I’m emotional, my first win since Brands Hatch in 2022 and the first ever for Restart Racing. Thank you to everyone at the team for all their hard work this year, this feels really special. It means everything, we’ve been chasing an overall podium all year so to get a win is just amazing. It’s well up there as one of my best moments – really special.”
Tom Ingram, Team VERTU, said: “It was a really good weekend – we did everything we needed to do and a little bit more besides. It was important to win race two. When you’ve got the soft tyre and an advantage in terms of boost – which hasn’t been the case for us very often this year – you’ve got to exploit that. It’s nice to be going into the final weekend with a little bit of a points cushion, but by no means is it signed-and-sealed – far from it. We certainly can’t afford to just cruise and collect – just one bad result could throw it wide open.”
Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK, said: “I’m completely lost for words. I can’t thank the team enough, everyone, they’ve all been mega – the amount of effort put in is unbelievable. The start was so good, I just knew I had to keep the win. There was a moment when I thought Josh [Cook] was coming but we managed to hold it. I never thought this day was coming, an absolutely awesome weekend.”
2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Silverstone
1. Daniel Lloyd, Restart Racing 25 Laps
2. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +0.519s
3. Gordon Shedden, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA +1.367s
4. Senna Proctor, Team VERTU +1.701s
5. Josh Cook, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA +2.389s
6. Charles Rainford, LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR +2.672s
7. Tom Ingram, Team VERTU +3.787s
8. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +6.249s
9. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK +6.972s
10. Adam Morgan, Team VERTU +7.472s
2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Silverstone
1. Tom Ingram, Team VERTU 25 Laps
2. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +2.875s
3. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +4.654s
4. Árón Taylor-Smith, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA +4.829s
5. Charles Rainford, LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR +6.280s
6. Daniel Lloyd, Restart Racing +8.721s
7. Gordon Shedden, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA +8.864
8. Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR +9.448s
9. Josh Cook, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA +11.569s
10. Daryl DeLeon, WSR +12.364s
2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Silverstone
1. Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK 22 Laps
2. Josh Cook, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA +1.609s
3. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +4.463
4. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +9.543s
5. Tom Ingram, Team VERTU +10.065s
6. Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR +10.541s
7. Adam Morgan, Team VERTU +11.380s
8. Tom Chilton, Team VERTU +11.701s
9. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +14.799s
10. Mikey Doble, Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing +15.549s
Penalties:
Josh Cook was deducted 10 points from the Drivers’ Championship and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA were deducted 20 points from either the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ and/or Teams’ Championship for having an engine changed above the permitted number.
