Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport has announced the signing of multiple Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race winner and former Independents’ Trophy winner, Árón Taylor-Smith, as the first of the team’s all-new driver lineup ahead of the 2026 season.

Taylor-Smith is one of the series’ most experienced and respected names, racking up 326 race starts since his championship debut back in 2011. Along the way, Áron has found himself on the outright podium 21 times and joins Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, looking to better his best-placed championship finish of seventh achieved back in 2024.

The likeable Irishman is a key component of the team’s programme, particularly given his season’s worth of running in the Corolla in the 2025 season, as the team seeks to hit the ground running in new machinery as they embark upon their new chapter as a two-car operation.

Árón Taylor-Smith - Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport: “Today’s announcement is a major step in my BTCC career and I cannot thank my loyal partners enough for their support in making this happen. I have appreciated all that Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport have achieved within the paddock from afar and it is exceptional. Their attention to detail both on and off track has made this the perfect recipe for me and what I hope to provide me my long-term home in the championship.

“Mark and the team are the best of the best when it comes to extracting performance but also when it comes to their understanding of the commercial landscape. I am so proud to be flying the Laser Tools Racing flag this coming season and I cannot wait to push myself to the next level. This is the start of a new journey and one that excites me beyond belief.” 

Mark Blundell - Sporting Director of Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport: “Árón is a driver we have held a long-held admiration and respect for. We are very excited to work together to take our programme to a new level in 2026. Árón has always stood out to us because of his tenacity both on and off the track. This is a great fit for our organisation.

“Having his experience and ability will be a key asset to the team as we kickstart this new chapter for Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport. I firmly believe that Árón is only scratching the surface in what he can achieve in the BTCC and we are looking forward to getting back together in victory lane.”

Keith Anderson, Motorsport Sponsorship Coordinator - Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport: “We are very pleased to welcome Árón to the team as plans really start to take shape ahead of the 2026 season. Árón has a fantastic reputation right across the paddock and the broader motorsport community. This is exactly what we want in a Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport driver, and we look forward to him playing a huge role in our on-track success across the coming season.”

The battle for the Manufacturers'/Constructors' Championship went down to the wire, with every point counting. Two powerhouse teams went blow-for-blow, trading advantages throughout the season and keeping fans on the edge of their seats right up to the final race. In the end, a new name would emerge at the top, ending the season with hard-fought glory.

The Manufacturers/Constructors title is always hotly contested, and this year was no exception, with two heavyweight contenders slugging it out to the final lap of the final race.

The powerbase of drivers: Ingram, Chilton, Morgan and Proctor claimed this title for the first time, pressed all the way by the 2023 champions, Alliance Racing / Ford, and presented us with another thrilling final-race battle, after the advantage at the top swung back and forth throughout the day.

Just three points the advantage, and ultimately, a first-time name appears on the prestigious silver salver. The 2025 Manufacturers'/Constructors' Champion is EXCELR8 Motorsport/Hyundai.

NAPA Racing UK capped off their fourth year in the BTCC with a spirited showing at the 2025 TOCA Awards, at Silverstone (8 November), as the Alliance Racing-run squad collected the Teams' Championship as they have done in every year since entering.

2025 gave us four-in-a-row Teams' titles for the Ford Focus racers, doing so in nail-biting style, leaving it to a final round mathematical battle, ultimately claiming the title by just a slender two-point advantage over Team VERTU – the smallest winning margin of any of our championship titles in 2025.

The combined force of four race-winning drivers, and a well-oiled machine running the tried and trustedFord Focus, once again proved victorious in the teams' championship.

TOCA – organiser of the British Touring Car Championship – has today (24 November) ratified the full regulations surrounding the recently announced BTCC Qualifying Race, set to be introduced from the 2026 season.

The final classification of each Qualifying Race on Saturday will determine the grid positions for Sunday’s opening contest, whilst significant Drivers’ Championship points have also been made available as part of this innovative development.

A general overview of the Saturday format is provided below:

• One 40-minute Free Practice session to take place at approximately 10:30
• One Official Qualifying Session set to take place at approximately 14:00, split into Two Qualifying Groups of 15 minutes each 
• The group that includes the fastest set lap time overall will set the odd numbers of the grid for the Qualifying Race and the other group will take the even numbers
• There will be a ten minute gap between the end of the Official Qualifying Session and pit lane opening for the Qualifying Race
• Qualifying Race Distance to be approximately 15 minutes in duration (set in advance to the nearest lap count at each particular circuit)
• No Option Tyres permitted to be used in the Qualifying Race – only that event’s standard dry/slick tyre and/or wet tyre may be used
• Throughout the Official Qualifying Session and Race, each car will have the permitted TOCA Turbo Boost (TTB) available as per Championship order 
• Half points from a Championship Round to be awarded as per the finishing order of the Qualifying Race (rounded up to the nearest whole point where applicable):

Pos	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Pts	10	9	8	7	6	5	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	1	1

• No Manufacturers’/Constructors’, Teams’, Independent Drivers’, Independent Teams’ or Jack Sears Trophy points will be scored in the Qualifying Race
• No extra point will be awarded for leading the Qualifying Race or Fastest Lap
• No extra point will be awarded for securing Pole Position for Race 1

The entirety of Qualifying, including the Qualifying Race, will be streamed LIVE in the UK and across the globe via the ITV YouTube channel.

Sunday will maintain the three full rounds of racing, all-day-live and free on ITV4 as has been the case for many years. Further minor regulations surrounding Qualifying – tyre availability, parc ferme rules etc – were also ratified and will be made available in the full 2026 Rules and Regulations document.

Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport has announced the team’s two-car assault for the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship. An exciting new collaboration with Speedworks Motorsport sees the team take to the grid in two British-built TOYOTA Corollas as they begin an exciting new chapter in the UK’s premier racing championship.

This means that the new campaign will mark a completely new driver lineup, new chassis and new programme for the fan favourites. Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, supported operationally by new partner Speedworks Motorsport, will once again be led by Founder and former Formula One driver Mark Blundell.

The news marks the extension of the successful relationship between Laser Tools Racing and MB Motorsport into its fourth consecutive year. Since forming their alliance in 2023, the partnership has racked up a total of 17 race wins, 25 podiums and one Drivers’ Championship - a total that the team are looking to add to substantially in 2026.

The team are also delighted to have retained the services of championship-winning race engineer, Craig Porley, whose engineering excellence has been a key part of the team’s continued success since 2020. Porley’s increased responsibilities will see him take a leading role in the team’s continued development and future aspirations.

Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport have been hard at work to secure the services of two talented drivers who will lead the team’s on-track assault in the new year, with their identities to be revealed very, very soon.

Mark Blundell, Founder and Sporting Director - Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport: “We are delighted to be unveiling the next chapter in the Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport journey. It has been a long-held ambition to increase our programme to two cars - we are proud to be making that step in 2026 and are thankful to the continued support of our partners who have made this progression possible.

“Making the move to the Corollas alongside Speedworks Motorsport in 2026 has been the product of a huge amount of consideration and review. From our very first conversation, these discussions have been very productive, and it really feels like a powerful partnership where we can build and succeed together. Retaining the engineering expertise of Craig Porley is a major part of the MB Motorsport puzzle for 2026, and we look forward to him continuing to drive forward our on-track performance. We are very happy with the driver lineup that we have managed to secure, and we are looking forward to making these announcements soon.”

Keith Anderson, Motorsport Sponsorship Coordinator - Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport: “A lot of work has gone into bringing together the strongest possible programme for the 2026 season in recent months and we are delighted to have our plans confirmed so early in the post-season. We believe that Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport represents the perfect partnership for us in the BTCC and we are very excited to launch into the new season with a new look, new cars and a new driver lineup!”

Christian Dick, Owner - Speedworks Motorsport: “Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport have been one of the series’ front-runners and big players in recent years and we are proud that they have chosen Speedworks Motorsport to support them operationally in 2026. Mark and the team have a fantastic reputation for holding themselves to a high standard both on and off the track and together, I am sure, we will make a powerful combination.”

Daniel Lloyd reigned victorious as the winner of the 2025 Independent Drivers' Championship. He was awarded his second piece of silverware of this year's TOCA Awards, at Silverstone (8 November), to bookend what has been an impressive campaign from the Huddersfield racer.

Lloyd works hard for sponsors, for fans, and for himself as a driver. At one point this year, it looked like he might not complete the season, but he grafted, secured the funds, and secured a championship title as a fitting reward.

His mum might have something to say about that–surely it was down to his magic pebble bringing him luck! A late-season surge, which saw Daniel win five of the last eight independent contests, put him in charge of the title fight going into the last race weekend.

However, with only 12 points separating the top three, ahead of the Brands Hatch GP races, it was always going to be a tense finale. But Huddersfield’s finest showed true Yorkshire grit to fend off his challengers to take his first championship title in the BTCC.

Mikey Doble's 2025 campaign racing for Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing showcased one of the most impressive championship battles ever seen. After the devastation of the fire that burnt down that team's facilities, for Doble to only fall short of an Independent Drivers crown by four points is all the more impressive of a season.

The reigning Jack Sears Trophy Champion bolted away from the line in the Independents Championship at the start of the year, qualifying and scoring points superbly, including an overall race win at only the third race meeting of the year at Snetterton. This was exceptional, as pre-season sponsorship challenges genuinely looked likely to keep the team from competition altogether this year.

The Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing team and Mikey Doble really did look like they might dominate the championship points table, until true disaster struck: the well-documented and truly devastating workshop fire, destroying both cars and dreams.

But the spirit of both team, the driver and the spirit and kindness of many in the paddock combined to overcome, and not a round was missed. Maybe it was too high a mountain to climb to claim the title, this year against such odds, but Mikey and the team had an exceptionally good go.

Chris Smiley's 2025 campaign with Restart Racing showcased one of the most impressive winning records in the Independent field. His ability to convert opportunities into victories set the standard for what was ultimately a strong season despite the challenges that lay ahead.

Restart Racing had a great year with both of its drivers in the top three positions in the Independent Drivers Championship.

Standing on the Independent winners’ podium more than anyone else in 2025, Smiley claimed ten victories, including a superb three-out-of-three lockout-of-wins at Knockhill.

Six non-point finishes cost Chris dearly in his quest for the title, but the strike rate of being the most winning driver should be a huge reward for what was an excellent season, claiming third place in the Independent standings.

Restart Racing capped off their sophomore year with a spirited showing at the 2025 TOCA Awards, at Silverstone (8 November), as the Hyundai i30 N racers collected four different awards during the evening.

Only one title was secured before the final meeting of the year, and that was wrapped up by a team in only their second year in the championship.

Restart Racing can be very proud of their 2025 season. With a new car to learn, they quickly adapted to the Hyundai, and the results started coming in from the very first meeting, a trend that continued to the final round, with Daniel Lloyd and Chris Smiley taking an impressive 19 of the possible 30 Independent race wins.

By far the most dominant margin of any points advantage within the championship this year, Restart Racing claimed the title by a whopping 103 points.

Daryl DeLeon reigned victorious as the winner of the 2025 Jack Sears Trophy (JST) and was awarded his second piece of silverware of this year's TOCA Awards, at Silverstone (8 November), to bookend what has been an impressive campaign from the Filipino driver.

The JST is an annual award which proudly carries the name of the first-ever BTCC champion. This year, it was exclusive to drivers who had not visited the overall podium more than once before.

The 2025 JST was another hotly contested title fight, with three drivers claiming 23 of the possible 30 victories. These drivers were Charles Rainford, Sam Osborne and DeLeon, who all took their maiden BTCC race victories across the season. Ultimately, it came down to a battle between two BMW teammates; a battle which went all the way to the final chequered flag of the season.

Even with the pair enjoying the overall top step of the podium for the first time in 2025, it was the driver who, for the final two meetings claimed a mighty pair of overall pole positions, proved victorious. Nine wins, nine second places and three third-place finishes, is an impressive tally for a JST champion.