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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.
Tom Ingram
Races: 357 · Wins: 40 · Podiums: 112
Tom Ingram has firmly established himself as one of the leading lights in the BTCC since making his debut back in 2014, having earlier secured multiple titles in Ginetta racing.
Top rookie in his first season, Tom picked up his maiden podium finish the following year and made it onto the top step of the podium for the first time in the 2016 season opener at Brands Hatch.
Tom went on to lift the Independents’ title on two occasions before joining EXCELR8 in 2021, when he also joined forces with Vertu for the first time.
Scoring a first win for the team at Snetterton, Tom then achieved a life-long dream in 2022 when he secured the overall championship title. After two seasons as runner-up, Tom then reclaimed the title in 2025 after a stunning year that saw him set a new record for points scored in a season.
Tom Chilton
Races: 532 · Wins: 18 · Podiums: 69
Tom Chilton was just 17-years-old when he made his BTCC debut back in 2002, which made him the youngest driver to ever race in the series at that point. A podium finish in his first race was a sign of things to come as he marked himself out as one to watch, ending his rookie season fifth in the Independents’ Championship.
His first victory in the championship at Silverstone in 2004 with Honda made him the series' youngest ever winner, and Tom would be a regular figure on the podium in the years that followed, winning the Independents’ title in 2010 and eventually moving up to the World Touring Car Championship in 2012.
A six-year stint in the WTCC saw him score multiple wins and lift the Independents’ Trophy before a return to British shores, and became part of the Team VERTU line up for the first time ahead of the 2022 season.
Now the most experienced driver on the grid, Tom continues to be a front-running force and played a key role in Team VERTU lifting the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ title in 2025.
Ricky Collard
Races: 72 · Wins: 0 · Podiums: 2
Ricky Collard makes his return to the BTCC for the first time since 2023 this season with Team VERTU looking to add success in touring cars to an already impressive career resume.
The son of former BTCC racer Rob – who made nearly 500 starts in the series – Ricky started his career competing in single-seaters and finished second behind Lando Norris in the inaugural season of British F4.
A switch into GT racing saw him win races in the German-based ADAC Masters series and also in the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe, whilst he also made a surprise touring car debut with WSR as a substitute for his father – bagging a podium finish at Silverstone.
Two full seasons of touring car competition with Toyota saw Ricky score another podium whilst also took a win on the road at Brands Hatch, only to lose the victory to a track limits penalty.
Recent seasons have seen Ricky return to GT racing, with the highlight coming in 2024 when he joined forces with his dad to secure the British GT title at the wheel of a Lamborghini Huracan.
Now armed with the title-winning Hyundai, Ricky returns to the BTCC aiming to fight for silverware at the sharp end of the grid and aid Team VERTU in defending its titles.
Nicolas Hamilton
Races: 160 · Wins: 0 · Podiums: 0
The younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis, Nicolas Hamilton has already secured a place in the BTCC record books as the first – and so far only – disabled driver to take part in the series.
Despite being told he would never walk as a child having been born with cerebral palsy, Nic launched his racing career in the Renault Clio Cup back in 2011 and also competed in the European Touring Car Cup before his BTCC debut arrived in 2015 with a part-season in an Audi S3.
Having returned to the Clio Cup, Nic the rejoined the BTCC in 2019 and has now amassed more than 150 starts, with his best finish coming in a dramatic mixed weather race at Donington Park in which he took sixth spot.
The move to Team VERTU means that Nic will now be at the wheel of a front running car for the first time in his touring car career with his aim being to try and launch a challenge for honours in the Jack Sears Trophy.
Named after the first driver to win the BTCC title, the Trophy is open to any driver who has no more than one podium finish in the series to their name.
About EXCELR8
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.
The BTCC
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.
About EXCELR8
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.
Race Schedule
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.
Dates to be updated as per: https://btcc.net/calendar/
Teal Takeover
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.