After the bright sunny opening round at Donington Park, the British Touring Car Championship moves to the east side of England for rounds four, five and six at Brands Hatch Indy.
Jake Hill celebrates just his fourth pole position of his BTCC career at Brands Hatch. Image: BTCC.net
Do not write off the NAPA Fords, either. When the green flag is waved, all four Ford drivers will want to bolster their starting positions exponentially. Below is the summary of the top six shootout teams' qualifying results.
Charles Rainford will lineup second on the grid in just his second weekend in the championship. Image: BTCC.net
Last year, Colin Turkington claimed victory in races one and two in his BMW from pole, so can defending champion Jake Hill manage the same achievement? With two eager Team Vertu cars behind him, he will have to rely on Rainford to be willing to play the team game to guarantee a successful run.
On the other side of the garage, it was a disastrous qualifying session for Scotsman, Aiden Moffat. After setting purple sectors in early Q1, the BMW driver took too much kerb at Paddock Hill bend, sending his BMW sliding off into the gravel and eliminating him from qualifying and placing him twenty-fifth and last.
The 100th anniversary livery on Sutton's Ford Focus. Image: BTCC.net
The other three NAPA Racing squad didn't enjoy the summer sun to much either with Daniel Rowbottom lining up alongside Sutton after suffering with a crippling migraine all day, limiting his ability to drive. Dan Cammish could only muster fifth, just behind the leading BMW's and the Team Vertu duo of Adam Morgan and Tom Ingram. Fourth driver, Sam Osbourne, will start from seventh, narrowly missing out on Q3 in a relatively impressive drive.
Tom Ingram on his way to second place at Donington Park. Image: C.Minniss Photography
The other duo of Tom Chilton and Michael Crees will lineup a disappointing fifteenth and sixteenth place after Chilton lost his best time to track limits, and Crees to several on-track errors that led to him being unable to post a clean time on the board.
Mikey Doble in the Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra, Donington Park. Image: C. Minniss Photography
Mikey Doble put in a serious lap time in the second part of qualifying to see his Astra into Q3. He would end up being sixth, a titanic effort for a team that was unsure if they would even be on the grid just a few weeks ago. New teammate Halstead was twenty-third on the grid, but he had only sat in the car less than 24 hours ago, so time will tell how he adjusts to the Vauxhall.
Credit: BTCC.net
If all this talk of touring cars has got you in the mood to trade some paint, check out our editor Angus' piece on the BTCC rFactor 2 DLC packs. You will be up to speed with all things touring cars in no time at all!
Image: Studio 397
The BTCC will be aired live in North America (US and Canada) for the first time, thanks to a new multi-year agreement with the RACER Network, which will stream live and on-demand as part of a long-term agreement with the championship.
Chris Smiley, Restart Racing. Image: BTCC.net
All 30 races are scheduled to air on the main RACER channel, whilst the support series and extended BTCC highlights will be available to watch via the RACER+ App, the network's premium motorsports streaming platform. Race 1 will begin at 06:40 Eastern Time (ET) with Race 2 following at 09:05 ET and Race 3 closing out the day's racing at 12:10 ET.
What do you think about the start of the 2025 BTCC season? Are you at Brands Hatch this weekend? Let us know in the comments down below!
Qualifying Overview
With Saturday's action in the books, the dust settles, and reigning champion Jake Hill will start at the front of the pack for race one's action tomorrow! The BMW's look strong as always at Brands Hatch, but the Hyundai drivers look just as hungry.Jake Hill celebrates just his fourth pole position of his BTCC career at Brands Hatch. Image: BTCC.net
Do not write off the NAPA Fords, either. When the green flag is waved, all four Ford drivers will want to bolster their starting positions exponentially. Below is the summary of the top six shootout teams' qualifying results.
West Surrey Racing
In the heat of the unusually sunny English May weather, reigning champion Jake Hill put his WSR-run BMW on pole position after breaking the qualifying lap record. The WSR trio seemingly overcame the awful balance the BMW's struggled with in the opening rounds, with teammate Charles Rainford putting his BMW alongside Hill and young-gun Daryl DeLeon further back in 20th after losing his fastest lap to track limits violations.Charles Rainford will lineup second on the grid in just his second weekend in the championship. Image: BTCC.net
Last year, Colin Turkington claimed victory in races one and two in his BMW from pole, so can defending champion Jake Hill manage the same achievement? With two eager Team Vertu cars behind him, he will have to rely on Rainford to be willing to play the team game to guarantee a successful run.
On the other side of the garage, it was a disastrous qualifying session for Scotsman, Aiden Moffat. After setting purple sectors in early Q1, the BMW driver took too much kerb at Paddock Hill bend, sending his BMW sliding off into the gravel and eliminating him from qualifying and placing him twenty-fifth and last.
Napa Racing UK
It was a bad day to be an Ash Sutton fan, adoring a striking new livery, the three-time champion didn't make it out of Q1 with the heavy penalty of having just two seconds of boost available to him after his pair of race wins in Donington.The 100th anniversary livery on Sutton's Ford Focus. Image: BTCC.net
The other three NAPA Racing squad didn't enjoy the summer sun to much either with Daniel Rowbottom lining up alongside Sutton after suffering with a crippling migraine all day, limiting his ability to drive. Dan Cammish could only muster fifth, just behind the leading BMW's and the Team Vertu duo of Adam Morgan and Tom Ingram. Fourth driver, Sam Osbourne, will start from seventh, narrowly missing out on Q3 in a relatively impressive drive.
Team Vertu
With Ash Sutton being so far down the order due to the lack of boost, nobody expected a heavily ballasted Tom Ingram to make it to Q2, never mind make it fourth place overall. His teammate Adam Morgan lines up just in front of him in third.Tom Ingram on his way to second place at Donington Park. Image: C.Minniss Photography
The other duo of Tom Chilton and Michael Crees will lineup a disappointing fifteenth and sixteenth place after Chilton lost his best time to track limits, and Crees to several on-track errors that led to him being unable to post a clean time on the board.
Power Maxed Racing
Initially, a one-car entry in 2025 after a major sponsor dropped support at the last minute, nobody expected much of Power Maxed Racing heading into this season. Still, they have done what they do best and blasted everyone's expectations out of the water. Not only are they competitive, but they have both of their Vauxhall Astra shells on the grid, the second car being piloted by 2025 McLaren Cup class winner Nick Halstead from this weekend onwards.Mikey Doble in the Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra, Donington Park. Image: C. Minniss Photography
Mikey Doble put in a serious lap time in the second part of qualifying to see his Astra into Q3. He would end up being sixth, a titanic effort for a team that was unsure if they would even be on the grid just a few weeks ago. New teammate Halstead was twenty-third on the grid, but he had only sat in the car less than 24 hours ago, so time will tell how he adjusts to the Vauxhall.
Full Qualifying Results
| P/ | No/ | Name/ | Entry/ | Q1/ | Q2/ | Q3/ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jake HILL | Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport | 46.746 | 46.636 | 46.493 |
| 2 | 99 | Charles RAINFORD | LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR | 46.818 | 46.568 | 46.514 |
| 3 | 33 | Adam MORGAN | Team Vertu | 46.929 | 46.684 | 46.519 |
| 4 | 80 | Tom INGRAM | Team Vertu | 46.961 | 46.599 | 46.694 |
| 5 | 27 | Dan CAMMISH | NAPA Racing UK | 47.043 | 46.704 | 46.706 |
| 6 | 88 | Mikey DOBLE | Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing | 46.908 | 46.639 | 46.755 |
| 7 | 77 | Sam OSBORNE | NAPA Racing UK | 47.122 | 46.79 | |
| 8 | 123 | Daniel LLOYD | Restart Racing | 47.085 | 46.839 | |
| 9 | 2 | Daryl DELEON | WSR | 46.991 | 46.843 | |
| 10 | 14 | Ronan PEARSON | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA | 47.187 | 46.852 | |
| 11 | 22 | Chris SMILEY | Restart Racing | 47.152 | 46.945 | |
| 12 | 12 | Stephen JELLEY | One Motorsport | 47.181 | 46.961 | |
| 13 | 100 | Ashley SUTTON | NAPA Racing UK | 47.206 | ||
| 14 | 32 | Daniel ROWBOTTOM | NAPA Racing UK | 47.199 | ||
| 15 | 3 | Tom CHILTON | Team Vertu | 47.309 | ||
| 16 | 777 | Michael CREES | Team Vertu | 47.216 | ||
| 17 | 66 | Josh COOK | One Motorsport | 47.314 | ||
| 18 | 40 | Árón TAYLOR-SMITH | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA | 47.252 | ||
| 19 | 93 | Max HALL | ROKiT Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport | 47.616 | ||
| 20 | 132 | James DORLIN | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA | 47.272 | ||
| 21 | 28 | Nicolas HAMILTON | Powder Monkey Brewing Co with Esidock | 48.342 | ||
| 22 | 17 | Dexter PATTERSON | ROKiT Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport | 47.369 | ||
| 23 | 50 | Nick HALSTEAD | Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing | 48.682 | ||
| 24 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA | 47.598 | ||
| 25 | 16 | Aiden MOFFAT | LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR | 49.533 |
If all this talk of touring cars has got you in the mood to trade some paint, check out our editor Angus' piece on the BTCC rFactor 2 DLC packs. You will be up to speed with all things touring cars in no time at all!
Image: Studio 397
How to watch the BTCC
TOCA, the BTCC's organisers, announced that each race day of the 2025 season—including all support series races—will be streamed LIVE on the BTCC YouTube channel worldwide, with the exception of the UK and North America, which have existing broadcast arrangements.The BTCC will be aired live in North America (US and Canada) for the first time, thanks to a new multi-year agreement with the RACER Network, which will stream live and on-demand as part of a long-term agreement with the championship.
Chris Smiley, Restart Racing. Image: BTCC.net
All 30 races are scheduled to air on the main RACER channel, whilst the support series and extended BTCC highlights will be available to watch via the RACER+ App, the network's premium motorsports streaming platform. Race 1 will begin at 06:40 Eastern Time (ET) with Race 2 following at 09:05 ET and Race 3 closing out the day's racing at 12:10 ET.
What do you think about the start of the 2025 BTCC season? Are you at Brands Hatch this weekend? Let us know in the comments down below!
