Goodyear tyre choices will play a key role this weekend as Brands Hatch hosts the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) finale, where both the Drivers’ Championship and Goodyear Wingfoot Award are still to be decided.

Brands Hatch’s full GP layout offers a fittingly dramatic backdrop to the final three races of the season, as drivers return to the Kent circuit after racing its shorter Indy layout in May. Tom Ingram (Team VERTU) heads into the final event with a 33-point lead over NAPA Racing UK championship rival Ash Sutton, so an exciting battle is promised across Sunday’s three races.

Goodyear will supply each driver with one set of its white-decaled soft compound tyres and two sets of the yellow-decaled medium compound this weekend, alongside three sets of carryover tyres from any previous event. This means teams will be free to choose the tyres of their preferred compound for qualifying, providing a strategic opportunity to optimise their performance across the weekend.

Brands Hatch GP is one of the fastest and most demanding venues on the BTCC calendar. The high-speed stretch from Hawthorn Bend through to Clearways puts enormous lateral loads through the tyres, while the circuit’s elevation changes and mix of slow and fast corners make up a finely balanced trade-off between traction and outright grip. This challenge is amplified by October’s notoriously unpredictable weather, which can change track conditions within a single lap.

Michael Butler, Goodyear’s BTCC Event Leader, explains: “Brands Hatch GP is a fitting stage for the BTCC finale, and this weekend’s races will be a test of strategy and execution. Our tyre allocation means teams will need to make critical decisions about which compound to use in which session; some drivers have saved particular carryover compounds for this event, so tyre strategy could very well decide the championship outcome. Goodyear’s role is to provide consistency and performance, and we’re proud that tyre strategy has been instrumental in keeping the title race wide open until the very last round.”

Speaking to Goodyear at the start of the season, local driver Tom Chilton (Team VERTU) highlighted the unique character of the circuit: “Brands Hatch is my local circuit. I love both layouts, but on the GP circuit the high-speed Hawthorn corner is my favourite. Because it’s such a fast track, we run a bit more front camber to cope with the load through the tyres. It’s a different setup philosophy to the Indy circuit, and you really need to get it right to extract maximum tyre performance.”

Goodyear Wingfoot Award championship still open at the season close

With only one qualifying session to go, the season-long Goodyear Wingfoot Award, which drivers have been accumulating points towards all season, is also still undecided. Tom Ingram and Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK) are still able to clinch the trophy on Saturday.

The championship is still open, also due to the two championship contenders struggling with qualifying at the previous event at Silverstone, with Ingram only bringing home one point, while Dan Cammish didn’t gain any. Ingram leads Cammish by 16 points in the season-long award standings, and with 20 points on offer for pole, either driver could bring home the 2025 trophy.

The Goodyear Wingfoot Award rewards qualifying performances, with drivers competing for a trophy at each round and accumulating points towards winning the coveted overall trophy at the season’s end.

Last time out at Silverstone, and amidst unpredictable wet-dry conditions, Daryl DeLeon of West Surrey Racing managed to change tyres just at the perfect time to claim pole position and duly take the ninth Goodyear Wingfoot Award trophy of the season.   

Track action at Brands Hatch GP begins on Saturday 4 October with qualifying, before Sunday’s three races bring the 2025 BTCC season to a conclusion on 5 October.