Moving to WSR at the start of 2025 marked a new challenge for Daryl DeLeon. Coming from a right-hand drive, front-wheel drive CUPRA, to a left-hand drive, rear-wheel drive BMW… and it required adaptation.
The transition proved to be one of the stories of the season as the young talent took overall race day honours before collecting his main silverware target at the end of the season.
“To be honest, I didn’t really have any problem with, you know, swapping sides,” DeLeon said. “The main thing was, of course, it’s rear-wheel-drive. So, the way you drive it is slightly different. And for me, it was just about adapting to that.”
The collaboration with engineer Jenner Collins played a crucial role in this adjustment. “I had rear-wheel drive experience previously, but with the touring car and to really get the final hundredth out of the car was something that WSR and my engineer, Jenner Collins, helped me with,” he explained.
The first win of DeLeon's BTCC career, at Brands Hatch, was particularly special. “It was probably one of the best days of my life… for all of us to come back at Brands much stronger and to win every single race on the Sunday was quite special. I hadn’t even had a podium before my win, so when I crossed the line in first, I was very happy,” DeLeon said.
Reflecting on the season as a whole, DeLeon highlighted the progress he made alongside the team. “It’s a nice feeling to know that the team are fully giving it their maximum to make the car strong so as well I was progressing myself with a few techniques,” he said. “Each weekend was just learning, and since Croft especially, we just got stronger and stronger towards the end of the year.”
DeLeon’s qualifying pace also stood out. He finished joint third in the Goodyear Wingfoot Award, alongside Ash Sutton, and scored two back-to-back poles late in the season. “I’d always said I was a better racer than qualifier, but then towards the end of the year, working closely with my engineer Jenner Collins, he really helped me get the maximum out the car.”
For DeLeon, Croft was the turning point. “We went into the break and reflected, we planned to come back stronger with my engineer, we were much stronger in qualifying and overall race pace. And when I got that podium at Croft, I was very happy because I felt like it’s one of the best I’ve ever driven,” he said.
Preparation was central to his approach. “I’d always jump on a call with my engineer and discuss ideas, and we would jump on the sim. I’d obviously drive the track on the sim, make some changes myself, and then see how that reacts to the car,” he said. “Of course, you can’t quite exactly get the real replica of what it’s going to do in real life versus the sim, but it gives you an idea of what you’re looking for when you approach the race weekend.”
On the Jack Sears Trophy, DeLeon reflected on his achievement in his second full BTCC season: “I was very confident at the start of the year with WSR, but the Jack Sears competition last year was very strong. Of course, we had an inter-team battle with my teammate for the championship. When I crossed the line and I was the champion, I was really, really happy… of course I was, but I was also sort of relieved because there’s a lot of hard work that goes into the championship and it was just nice to be rewarded for that.
“Especially with the way Brands, the last round went, starting from pole and then having to do an engine swap. So that wasn’t ideal, but we managed to take back the lead before race three, so I was super relieved.”
Across the season, DeLeon combined adaptation, preparation, and collaboration with the top class WSR squad to deliver a breakthrough year, culminating in his first overall victory and the Jack Sears Trophy.
