We’re proud to once again compete alongside EXCELR8 in Britain’s premier racing series, as Team VERTU aims to defend the championship titles won last season.
Two-time champion Tom Ingram leads the line-up, joined by race winner Tom Chilton and newcomers Ricky Collard and Nicolas Hamilton.
You can watch every main race featuring Team VERTU this season on ITV4 and ITVX, with qualifying streamed on YouTube. Race coverage is also available on YouTube for viewers outside the UK.
Races: 384
Wins: 43
Podiums: 123
A BTCC star since his 2014 debut, Tom joined EXCELR8 and Vertu in 2021, won the title in 2022, and reclaimed it in 2025 with a record points haul, after earlier winning multiple Ginetta titles.
Races: 559
Wins: 19
Podiums: 73
The youngest driver in BTCC history when he debuted in 2002, Tom won the Independents’ title in 2010 in the WTCC. He joined Team VERTU in 2022 and helped win the 2025 Manufacturers’ title.
Races: 96
Wins: 0
Podiums: 9
Returning to the BTCC after a break since 2023, Ricky is a British GT champion and British F4 runner-up behind Lando Norris. Driving the title-winning Hyundai, he aims to help Team VERTU defend its titles.
Races: 187
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Lewis Hamilton’s younger brother is the BTCC’s first disabled driver, with 150+ starts since 2019. Joining Team VERTU, he drives a front-running car for the first time, targeting the Jack Sears Trophy.
EXCELR8 Motorsport was founded back in 2010 by Justina Williams and secured a championship title in its first season of competition in the MINI CHALLENGE.
Having established itself as the top team in the popular one-make series, EXCELR8 moved into the high-profile British Touring Car Championship for the first time in 2019, initially running an MG6 GT before introducing the Hyundai i30 Fastback N into the series twelve months later.
In its fourth season competing in the series in 2022, the team secured the BTCC title with Tom Ingram to further enhance its ever growing reputation and then scored both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’/Constructors’ title in 2025.
It means EXCELR8 is firmly cemented as one of the leading teams in British motorsport, with more than 250 race wins and over 50 championship titles.
Founded back in 1958, the British Touring Car Championship is one of the oldest championships in the world, and one that is known and loved across the globe.
From the very first race through to the current day, race fans have been drawn in by the opportunity to witness models that they can relate to going wheel-to-wheel on track.
The all-action racing and packed weekend schedule offers huge value for money, with a full-day of competition at the circuit costing less than a trip to the football.
The popularity of the BTCC is reflected by a broadcast deal that is the envy of every other series in the UK, with each race shown free-to-air without the need for a subscription.
That means easy access to the action for fans at home, whilst those enjoying the racing trackside are able to get up close to the stars thanks to an open paddock policy.
From watching the teams at work in the garages to being sprayed with champagne during the podium celebrations after the chequered flag, it’s the kind of access F1 fans can only dream of – and it comes as part of the package.
A BTCC season features ten events at eight of the leading circuits in the UK, running from Donington Park in late April through to Brands Hatch in early October.
Each of those ten race meetings follows the same format, with practice on Saturday morning followed by qualifying that sets the grid for a qualifying race – a new feature for the 2026 season.
The result of that race determines the grid for the first of three races on Sunday, where hybrid boost, tyre strategy and a reverse grid all come into the equation.
A busy support package including the likes of British F4, the MINI CHALLENGE and Porsche Carrera Cup means maximum entertainment from the first track session of a weekend to the very last.
After two seasons running under the Bristol Street Motors banner, the realignment of the Vertu Group's retail brands meant a fresh new look for 2025 with the reveal of Team VERTU.
The new look resulted in a ‘teal takeover’ of the paddock as race fans threw their support behind Team VERTU in its quest for success on track.
Off track, the Team VERTU Fan Zone would be hugely popular throughout the season as fans took the opportunity to meet the drivers and get involved in a series of different activities.
'/%3E%3C/svg%3E)