Campaign kicks off in style with Season Launch at Brands Hatch
The 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship was officially launched earlier today (8 April) with the full entry list confirmed at its annual Season Launch event at Brands Hatch.
A host of big stars and an influx of new cars have made the biggest headlines during the off-season with the BTCC boasting one of the most exciting lineups in its recent history.
While the build‑up to Britain’s biggest motorsport championship is often led by the drivers, a trio of new cars – Audi A3 Saloon, Mercedes A35 Saloon and Ford Focus Titanium – have arguably stolen the limelight ahead of this season’s BTCC campaign.
These new entries, three former champions on the grid, an eye-catching list of additional contenders, plus the return of a BTCC legend in an all-new role only tell half the story of one the BTCC’s busiest winters in memory.
If the spiced‑up entry list wasn’t enough, TOCA – organiser of the BTCC – has introduced the most significant change to qualifying in the Championship’s near 70‑year history, with a race now taking place on Saturday to set the grid for Sunday. And it’s not just about grid positions, with a further 100 championship points on offer during the season as drivers battle it out in a ‘Race to Pole’.
So, while the championship still features the unmissable 30 rounds across ten standout events around the country, fans will now also enjoy the added spectacle of ten Qualifying Races on Saturday afternoon… in total, making 40 races in the season.
This all follows an incredible 2025 where Tom Ingram became a two-time BTCC Champion during a season that saw cars run 100% fully sustainable fuel for the first time and the championship continued to grow its fanbase around the world with every race being broadcast LIVE globally for the first time via its YouTube channel.
To further highlight the anticipation ahead of the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship literally thousands of spectators have descended on Brands Hatch for today’s annual Season Launch event, as the drivers and teams contest the final official pre-season test, as well as meeting and greeting the fans during a pitlane walkabout.
Read on for more information on the lineup, new cars and rule changes for what is sure to be a classic BTCC season…
New Champion or familiar face?
The two most recent title winners on the grid – Tom Ingram (Team VERTU) and Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK) – will more than likely boast the shortest odds at winning the most coveted prize in UK motorsport, but the BTCC remains an unpredictable sporting spectacle.
The fight may well come from within their own camps with Team VERTU retaining the experienced challenger and ever quicker Tom Chilton, series returnee Ricky Collard and the fiercely talented Nic Hamilton – brother of seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Hyundai i30N package is also proven of course with the team taking overall Drivers’ and Manufacturers’/Constructors’ honours last season.
NAPA Racing UK is blasting back with the introduction of the Ford Focus Titanium saloon, albeit with much of the learning from the hatchback version being carried over.
Sutton will be joined by Dan Cammish – potentially the standout challenger of those looking to win the title for the first time – plus race winner Sam Osborne and debutant Lewis Selby.
Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport are no strangers to winning the overall crown, having done so with Jake Hill in 2024, and the outfit has put together its biggest project yet in 2026.
The signing of three-time champion Gordon Shedden, the increase to two cars with Árón Taylor-Smith, and the switch to Toyota machinery suggests the squad means serious business.
There’s the factory-supported Speedworks Corolla Racing in the same stable too, as multiple race winner Josh Cook is joined by youngster Max Buxton, with a fully revamped Toyota Corolla GR Sport looking to propel them to glory.
The biggest story of pre-season was the birth of Cataclean Plato Racing – led by two-time champion and tin top legend Jason Plato.
If the news and excitement around Jason’s return in an all-new guise wasn’t enough then its introduction of the Mercedes A35 Saloon plus the potent driver lineup of Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan quickly made the fledgling outfit a fans’ favourite.
WSR has quite literally won it all, proving to be the BTCC’s most successful team in history, and now the Surrey-based squad is looking to continue building its next generation of success with its two young stars – Daryl De Leon and Charles Rainford.
The pair won a race apiece overall in 2025, as well as duelling it out for the Jack Sears Trophy, so their progress this season towards the leading contenders will certainly be one to watch.
The other new car on the grid really turned heads at the recent pre-season test at Croft, as Power Maxed Racing’s introduction of the Audi A3 Saloon wowed the crowds. Coming back from the adversity of its devastating fire last year, PMR embarked on building a trio of new cars, as well as bringing back another famous marque into the BTCC.
PMR didn’t stop there of course and by naming three seriously talented drivers – Mikey Doble and Aiden Moffat (LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing), plus Dexter Patterson (Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing) – the squad is looking to challenge on all fronts in 2026.
Restart Racing may be dark horses for some serious silverware in 2026 with a second season running the all-conquering Hyundais and more experience under its belt. Chris Smiley is a proven race winner and young gun James Dorlin set a stellar pace during recent testing at Croft.
Having claimed the Independents Drivers’ crown last year, the team will be looking to both defend the title as well as keep pushing for overall victories and podiums this season.
Race to Pole
TOCA – organiser of the British Touring Car Championship – is always looking at improving and refining the greatest show in UK motorsport, and this winter proved no exception.
Following discussions at the annual end-of-season meeting between TOCA and its competing teams, it was announced that a Qualifying Race – the ‘Race to Pole’ – would take place for all cars on the Saturday afternoon at each race weekend.
Not only would the final classification of each Qualifying Race determine the grid positions for Sunday’s opening contest, but significant Drivers’ Championship points have also been made available as part of this innovative development with ten points being awarded to the winner down to one point for the tenth placed finisher.
As a result, fans will now enjoy BTCC racing action on Saturdays – a change that represents one of the biggest shake‑ups to the structure and excitement of a race weekend ever – while the introduction of an additional 100 points on offer could trigger the most significant dynamic shift yet in the overall BTCC title fight.
The entirety of Qualifying, including the Race to Pole, will be streamed LIVE in the UK and across the globe via the ITV YouTube channel, whilst Sunday will maintain the three full rounds of racing, all-day-live and free on ITV4 as has been the case for many years.
So, does this press release provide the full story of a history‑making BTCC off‑season? Probably not, but the talking must end at some point, and we are now almost ready for the competitive action to begin.
The opening rounds of the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Donington Park on 18/19 April.
Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “It has been quite the off‑season in the BTCC, one of the busiest and most exciting that I can remember.
“A monumental effort goes into making the BTCC the UK’s ultimate motorsport success story, with our dedicated teams, loyal partners, TOCA staff and all stakeholders playing their part in delivering this fantastic entry list and season schedule.
“Whichever way you look at it, the quality of the entire grid is absolutely phenomenal – particularly when also considering the very significant economic and geopolitical headwinds that everyone has faced.
“Last year we took the BTCC to a global LIVE TV audience and introduced 100% fully sustainable fuel for every car, and once again we’ve proven that we never rest on our laurels ahead of the 2026 campaign.
“New cars, former champions, rookies and emerging young talent, alongside established drivers and proven machinery, combine to form a formidable line‑up, with the introduction of a Qualifying Race adding a further twist to our brilliant sporting spectacle.
“The addition of the ‘Race to Pole’ on Saturday will certainly spice things up ahead of our hugely popular three‑race Sunday format, and it’s an enhancement I’m sure will be enjoyed by both drivers and spectators alike.”
Click here for the official entry list for the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
