The 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship was officially launched at Brands Hatch today (Wednesday), with the confirmation of the full-season entry list ahead of the final pre-season test.
The series will benefit from a new look, with several new cars joining the fray. These include the Audi A3 Saloon, the Mercedes A35 Saloon and the Ford Focus Titanium. The new entries join a grid which includes three former champions and a host of potential race winners.
The series, which also features a Saturday ‘Race to Pole’ for the first time this year, starts at Donington Park on 18/19 April. A return to Brands Hatch is then planned on 9/10 May, with Snetterton (23/24 May) and Oulton Park (6/7 June) also featuring during the first half of the campaign.
Donington Park hosts a second event at the height of summer on 22/23 August before the title is decided on the full Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on 10/11 October. Each event will feature the traditional Sunday triple-header in addition to the new-for-2026 qualifying contest.
Among the biggest names on this year’s grid are reigning champion Tom Ingram (Team VERTU) and four-time title winner Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK). But they’ll be forced to fight hard to retain their place at the top of the tree on a packed grid.
Ingram is joined in the Team VERTU Hyundai i30N ranks by the experienced Tom Chilton, plus series returnee Ricky Collard and Nic Hamilton, both of whom were added to the grid this week. Sutton, meanwhile, is joined in three more NAPA branded Ford saloons by Dan Cammish, Sam Osborne and Lewis Selby.
Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport has a new look for this year after switching to Toyota machinery. Three-time champion Gordon Shedden will drive one of its blue machines, with Árón Taylor-Smith at the wheel of the other. The factory-supported Speedworks Corolla Racing will run similar machines for Josh Cook and Max Buxton.
Cataclean Plato Racing, founded by tin top legend Jason Plato, is another entrant to look out for. The outfit’s new Mercedes will be piloted by Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan. There is a refreshed appearance for one of the grid’s stalwart teams too, with WSR entering a pair of BMWs for Daryl De Leon and Charles Rainford with a new livery.
The grid’s other new car is the Audi A3 of Power Maxed Racing. A trio of cars has been prepared for the new season, with Mikey Doble, Aiden Moffat and Dexter Patterson at the controls. Restart Racing will complete the grid with Hyundais for Chris Smiley and James Dorlin.
Tickets for all BTCC events at MSV venues are on sale now at discounted advance prices. For more information and to book now, please click here.