British Touring Car Championship Preview: How To Watch Round 1 At Donington

We're deep into the British springtime and that can only mean one thing: The British Touring Car Championship is back! With a plethora of new faces on the grid and plenty to look forward to, the 2025 season is shaping up to be an ultra-competitive year of racing.

With four BTCC champions on the grid, including the welcomed return of series legend Gordon Shedden, the sharp end of the field is undoubtedly going to be full of great battles and the exchanging of paint, in classic touring car fashion!


2024 Drivers Champion, Jake Hill, will be throwing everything at his title defence this year.

Rounds one, two and three of the championship kick off the season at Donington Park, one of Britain's most famous racing venues and for good reason. The Craner Curves especially are one of the most renowned corner sequences in Europe. Drivers will send it through the sequence at full tilt, and if the car becomes unstable or the driver makes a mistake, the consequences can be rather spectacular.

For the first time in the championship's history, the entire field of cars will race with 100% fully sustainable fuel as the BTCC enters a new era of competition. The removal of the hybrid system has made the current machines 55kg lighter than their predecessors, which has already seen some of the fastest laps in BTCC history during pre-season testing.

2025 BTCC Driver and Team lineup​

Constructor Entries​

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Independent Entries​

One Motorsport return to the BTCC grid! Image: BTCC.com

Entering/re-entering the BTCC

• Max Hall: debuting with Un-Limited Motorsport in the Cupra Leon.
• Dexter Patterson: Returning to the series after having last raced in 2023 for Team HARD, driving an all-new second car for Un-Limited Motorsport to replace Daryl DeLeon.
• Ronan Pearson: Returned to the series after he split with Team Bristol Street Motors after the Knockhill round of last season, driving the first car for Toyota Gazoo Racing UK to replace the departing Andrew Watson.
• Dan Lloyd: The 2018 TCR UK champion returns to the series after having last raced in 2023. He is driving a second car for Restart Racing to replace Scott Sumpton.
• Charles Rainford: Porsche Carrera Cup GB runner-up last year. Will make his BTCC debut with LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR in the BMW 330i M Sport to replace four-time champion Colin Turkington... big boots to fill!
• Gordon Shedden: Triple Champion returns to the series again after having last raced in 2022 for Halfords Racing with Cataclean, driving a third car for Toyota Gazoo Racing UK to replace Josh Cook.
• Stephen Jelley: Returning to the series after having last raced in 2023 for Team BMW, driving a second Honda Civic Type R for One Motorsport.
• James Dorlin: Making his BTCC debut with Toyota Gazoo Racing UK in the Corolla GR Sport to replace a departing Aiden Moffat.
• Nicolas Hamilton: A hard-fought battle to return to the grid, but he's done it! Hamilton last raced in 2023 for Team HARD. For 2025, he is driving an all-new third car for Un-Limited Motorsport.
• Michael Crees: The 2020 Jack Sears Trophy winner will return to the series after having last raced in 2023 for Team HARD at the final five rounds, driving the final car for Team Vertu to replace Ronan Pearson.

Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK. Image: BTCC.com

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Changed teams​

• Daryl DeLeon: moved from Un-Limited Motorsport to West Surrey Racing.
• Adam Morgan: moved from Team BMW to Team Vertu to replace Nick Halstead.
• Árón Taylor-Smith: Transferred from Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing to Toyota Gazoo Racing UK to replace the exiting Rob Huff.
• Josh Cook: returned from LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ to One Motorsport.

Leaving the BTCC​

• Colin Turkington: The Four-time champion leaves West Surrey Racing with an aim to return in 2026.
• Scott Sumpton: Exiting Restart Racing to make way for Dan Lloyd, currently racing in Britcar alongside Sim Racing's Jimmy Broadbent.

Team changes​

• Restart Racing: Switched from running Cupra León cars to Excelr8-prepared Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance cars.
• One Motorsport: Returning to the series after taking a sabbatical for 2024.
• LKQ Euro Car Parts: Moved from Toyota Gazoo Racing UK to West Surrey Racing.

Planned Mid-Season Changes

• Senna Proctor: Returning to the series and will be driving for Team Vertu after having last competed in 2021 for BTC Racing to replace Michael Crees for the second half of the season.

Championsip Debutants​

This year, we have three new drivers joining the grid: Max Hall for ROKiT Racing with Un-limited Motorsport, Charles Rainford for the LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing team with WSR, and finally James Dorlin for the Toyota Corolla GR Sport.

Max Hall​

With an imposing testing record, lighting up the timesheets purple on numerous occasions, the talented eighteen-year-old is now focused on translating his pace into three strong results on Sunday as he competes for honours in the Jack Sears Trophy and Independent Drivers' Championship.


Max Hall's humorous Cupra Leon livery for 2025. Image: BTCC.com

“I'm really excited for the weekend! It's been a busy few months of hard work, and I’ve loved every second, but I now just can’t wait to get out on track and see where we truly stack up against everyone else.

Everyone at Un-Limited Motorsport has been amazing and the amount that I’ve learnt during pre-season testing is hard to comprehend. Importantly, we’ve made progress every time I’ve been in the car so that’s something to be positive about." - Max Hall

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Charles Rainford​

Graduating from the support package series, Porsche Carrera Cup, Charles Rainford is undoubtedly one to watch with extensive experience at not only all the venues, but with the racing package as a whole. Both he and Max Hall have been in the TOCA paddock for a while, so don't expect them to struggle with adjustments and nerves!


Charles Rainford, championship debutant and West Surrey Racing's newest recruit for 2025. Image: BTCC.com

“I’m so excited, not just to race in the BTCC, but with the most successful team on the grid in LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR. Some of my earliest memories of racing are of watching the BTCC with my Dad, so to be there myself feels amazing." - Charles Rainford

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James Dorlin​

The final new face to the championship, James Dorlin, comes over to the BTCC from sports car racing. A decorated champion, the BTCC was always something he wanted to participate in, and with this chance from Toyota, the Barnsley native is going to have his chance to prove himself in a touring car, instead of a GT!


James Dorlin completes Toyota's lineup for 2025. Image: BTCC.com

“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!" - James Dorlin

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How to watch the BTCC​

This weekend's race day action will be featured on the home of the BTCC, ITV4, for UK residents from 11:00 on Sunday, 27 April. Meanwhile, the ITV YouTube page will host qualifying on Saturday, 26 April, at 14:55. New for this year, however, the championship will be available outside the UK, but not on TikTok!


Tom Ingram will be chasing down his second BTCC driver's title in 2025.

TOCA, the organisers behind the BTCC, announced that each race day of the 2025 season, including all support races, will be streamed worldwide on the BTCC YouTube channel! The exceptions are in the UK and North America, with the latter now being able to watch live through the RACER network.

All 30 races are scheduled to air on the main RACER channel, whilst support series and extended BTCC highlights will be available to watch via the RACER+ App. For our North American members and touring car fans, is the BTCC something that you are going to give a chance this year? Let us know in the comments below!

The first piece of on-track action for the BTCC in 2025 is being live-streamed on the ITV Sport YouTube channel! Check it out below!


Are you planning to either attend the race meeting or watch the racing from the comfort of your home? Let us know in the comments down below, and make sure to add who you are supporting this year!