WSR drivers Daryl De Leon, Charles Rainford and Lewis Gilbert delivered a solid set of points finishes as the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship concluded on the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on Sunday aboard their BMW 330i M Sport racing cars.
De Leon, who wrapped up the Jack Sears Trophy title at the corresponding event a year ago, was Mr Consistency across the weekend with a pair of top 10 finishes for the Cambridgeshire-based Anglo-Filippino, who secured third spot in the Independents’ Championship as a result.
His highest finish was fifth in race two – achieved on the superior soft-option Goodyear tyre – which was also the best finish he has recorded in the BTCC on the 2.6-mile Grand Prix layout. He was seventh and 17th in the first and third.
Teammate Rainford was, like De Leon, a contender for the Independent Drivers’ title at the start of Sunday, but his hopes were extinguished on the opening lap of race one when he found himself in the Armco barrier rising from Dingle Dell.
While he was not classified in the opener, the Horsham racer – twice a winner earlier this season – recovered to 16th in the second bout on the medium tyre and 11th in the finale on the soft.
There was also a triple-points finish for Scottish racer Gilbert, who held his nerve well in race one to come home 13th. The #29, from Dalry, North Ayrshire, added 15th in each of the remaining two races – the last of which was twice interrupted by the safety car.
The day’s results secured the runner-up spot in the BTCC Independent Teams’ standings for 18-time series champions, as well as fourth in the overall Teams’ points race.
The new season begins at Donington Park in the East Midlands on April 10-11, 2027.
Daryl De Leon: “It’s been an eventful season. We’ve had plenty of Independent podiums, some highs, some lows… but that’s the rollercoaster of motorsport. We’ve finished third in the Independent Championship and had a pretty strong final round, but we’ve struggled a bit this year performance-wise. It’s all learning though. A massive thanks to WSR for all their hard work, and we’ll hopefully see you next year.”
Charles Rainford: “The season has had its ups and downs, some fantastic moments and some real low points, but I think I’d sum it up as unlucky more than anything else. My WSR BMW has seen some action today, whether it was ending up in the barrier in Race One or getting battered about in the other races, but that’s part and parcel of the finale. We’ll regroup over the winter and make a big effort to be back on the grid next year.”
Lewis Gilbert: “It’s been an up-and-down weekend. We started well, lost our way a bit on Saturday afternoon, but had a really good race this morning to make up a load of places to finish 13th. Race Two was more points in 15th, but then I had to use the medium tyre in Race Three, which wasn’t ideal because of how the track temperature dropped. It wasn’t a bad day. There was potential for things to be a bit better, but that’s the way it goes. A huge thanks to WSR for making me feel so welcome this half-season. I can’t wait to be back on track.”
Dick Bennetts, Team Principal: “It’s been a tough day and not the end to the season we wanted. Daryl drove well to finish in the top five in Race Two, it was good to see Lewis in the points twice and Charles has been on the back foot after what happened to him in the opening race. Weekends like this make you value the wins and championship titles that little bit more and we’ll definitely be looking to get back into title-challenging form for 2027.”
