Speedworks-run squad selects experienced young gun to fill fourth Corolla seat
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK has completed its four-strong driver line-up for the forthcoming Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign with the recruitment of rising star James Dorlin, as the Speedworks Motorsport-run squad goes all-out in its quest for title glory.
The British-built Toyota Corolla GR Sport enjoyed its most successful season-to-date last year, notching up no fewer than five victories and nine further podium finishes, including an historic top three lockout at Snetterton.
In a bid to build upon that form, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK has assembled a potent driver line-up for 2025, with returning three-time BTCC champion Gordon Shedden flanked by reigning Independents’ title-holder Árón Taylor-Smith, talented young gun Ronan Pearson and newly-signed rookie Dorlin, who despite being just 25, has already achieved a great deal in the sport.
No stranger to the TOCA package, the Yorkshireman sealed the runner-up spoils in the Renault UK Clio Cup in 2018 – equalling the record for the most consecutive race wins in a single season in the series along the way – prior to being crowned the inaugural Porsche Sprint Challenge GB Champion two years later.
Appointed a member of the prestigious McLaren Young Driver Programme in 2019, Dorlin went on to reach the top step of the rostrum in the British GT Championship with the brand, subsequently lifting the Silver/AM Cup laurels behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Huracán in 2022 – his maiden campaign of GT3 category competition.
Having similarly shone in both the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and GT Cup Championship, the Barnsley native is now aiming to prove his mettle in the BTCC, with the upcoming 30-race campaign due to get underway at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK’s ‘home’ circuit of Donington Park in Leicestershire on 26/27 April.
Christian Dick, Team Principal, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK, said:
“We’re delighted to finalise our line-up for the new BTCC season, and to do so with a driver of James’ calibre is a real coup. He comes highly recommended by Speedworks’ Head of Motorsport, Danny Buxton, who worked closely with him at McLaren and has a keen eye for spotting genuine talent, and his career CV speaks for itself.
“Having never driven a touring car before, he knows he will need to get quickly up-to-speed – particularly given the hectic and unique nature of BTCC race weekends – but he is absolutely the real deal and I am very confident he will soon develop into a leading contender.
“Although he is still only in his mid-twenties, James has already accumulated a great deal of knowledge from competing in different championships and different cars, all of which will help to ease his acclimatisation to the Toyota Corolla and the BTCC. Together with Gordon, Árón and Ronan, I firmly believe we have the perfect blend of youth and experience on the driving strength this year – meaning the target for the forthcoming season can be nothing less than trophies and titles.”
James Dorlin, Driver, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK, said:
“It feels like this has been a long time coming! The BTCC has always been something I’ve aspired to, and back when I was racing in the Clio Cup, the natural progression was to go into touring cars, but then I got the opportunity to join the McLaren Young Driver Programme, which was obviously something I couldn’t pass up.
“That sent me down the sportscar route instead and put my BTCC ambitions on the backburner for a while, so it’s great to finally get the chance to join the championship – and with a manufacturer-backed team, too. It really doesn’t get much better than that!
“Danny [Buxton] and I have always had a good relationship, and when he asked me what my plans were for 2025, I told him I wanted to go racing again properly – over the past couple of seasons, I’ve not really had much seat time aside from the odd outing here and there. When he subsequently presented me with an opportunity to join Speedworks and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK, I immediately knew I needed to pull out all the stops to make it happen.
“Realistically, it’s going to be a huge challenge and I have a lot to take on-board. The BTCC is a very different proposition to GT racing and a different kind of beast to tame, but that flat-out push and no-holds-barred battle from the moment the lights go out to the moment the chequered flag falls is something I’ve really missed since stepping away from the TOCA package.
“I’m super-excited to get going, and I’m ready for the challenge that lies ahead. In Gordon, Árón and Ronan, I’ve got three very strong team-mates, and I’m really looking forward to working with them all and learning as much as I can from their experience in touring cars.
“A lot of people have put in a huge effort to make it happen – not least my loyal partner, What The Fork, without whom this certainly wouldn’t have been possible – and I’m ready to give my absolute all and work hard to repay them and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK for their faith in me. Ultimately, the reason I’m doing this is to win!”
