Memories of Knockhill
The British Touring Car Championship heads north of the border this weekend as the sixth round of the 2026 season arrives at the Knockhill circuit in Fife. After five rounds of fierce competition, the paddock heads to Scotland for one of the most eagerly anticipated stops on the calendar.
Ash Sutton continues to lead the championship standings, with the four-time champion having built a commanding 59-point advantage over reigning champion Tom Ingram heading into the Knockhill weekend.
Ingram and the EXCELR8 Motorsport squad have refused to let up, though, and arrive at Knockhill full of confidence after his victory in the weekend finale at Thruxton.
It’s also been a big week off track for the team, with the news that Ricky Collard has extended his agreement with EXCELR8 Motorsport to cover the next three rounds of the season, starting with this weekend’s trip to Knockhill. Having scored five podium finishes across the first half of the campaign and settled quickly into life back in a front-wheel-drive touring car, Collard’s extension is a timely boost as the team looks to build on its championship challenge over the remainder of the year.
With the title fight intensifying and a team on the up heading to one of the most unique circuits on the calendar, this is shaping up to be a weekend to remember.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Knockhill circuit, its history with the BTCC, and how EXCELR8 Motorsport has fared there in the past.
A quick history of Knockhill
Long before it became Scotland’s national motorsport centre, Knockhill was little more than farmland in the hills of Fife. It was local enthusiast Tom Kinnaird who first saw the site’s potential when he joined up disused service roads with a former mineral railway line that had once served the nearby Lethans Colliery. That project came to fruition in 1974, when the circuit officially opened, with the first car race following in May 1975.
The venue passed through several hands in its early years before businessman Derek Butcher took over in the 1980s, investing heavily in the facilities and transforming Knockhill from a modest club circuit into the professional, seven-days-a-week venue it is today. That investment paid off, and Knockhill remains the only FIA-approved motorsport circuit in Scotland.
In terms of layout, Knockhill is a study in compact, technical racing. At just over 1.2 miles in length, it’s one of the shortest circuits used by the BTCC, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in character. Elevation changes of around 200 feet are packed into a handful of corners, with blind crests, tight hairpins and sweeping direction changes that punish the smallest mistake.
It’s also one of only a few circuits in the world licensed to run in both clockwise and anti-clockwise configurations, adding yet another layer of unpredictability to race week.
Knockhill and the BTCC
Knockhill’s relationship with the British Touring Car Championship stretches back to 1992, when the series first ventured north for a double-header weekend. The very first BTCC race held at the Knockhill circuit was won by Jeff Allam at the wheel of his Vauxhall Cavalier GSi, setting the tone for what would become one of the most popular rounds on the calendar. A certain Colin McRae was also part of the grid for that first meeting on what was his only BTCC appearance.
Since then, Knockhill has hosted the BTCC almost every year, with only a brief pause in 2003 as circuit improvements were carried out. No driver has enjoyed more success there than Jason Plato, who has racked up nine victories at the circuit since his first win in 1997. This year though, he will be looking on from the pit wall overseeing his own team.
The circuit’s unpredictable layout is what makes Knockhill so special. The high kerbs send cars bouncing onto two wheels as drivers hunt for every inch of track, overtaking opportunities are hard-won, and the compact nature of the circuit means the entire crowd can see almost every corner from wherever they’re standing.
Add in an enthusiastic home crowd cheering on Scotland’s own drivers at the biggest event on the circuit’s calendar, and it’s easy to see why the venue holds such a special place in BTCC folklore.
Team EXCELR8 at Knockhill
Knockhill has been a fruitful hunting ground for the EXCELR8 Motorsport outfit in recent seasons, and last year’s visit was no exception. Heading to Scotland on the back of a strong showing at Croft, the team arrived with Tom Ingram leading the championship standings and both Tom Chilton and Adam Morgan sitting inside the top six.
Ingram delivered in style, taking a podium finish in race one before following it up with a dominant win in race two to claim what was EXCELR8 Motorsport’s fifth victory of the 2025 season. It was a result that extended his championship lead over closest rival Ash Sutton and played a key role in his eventual march to the title, and capped off a hugely successful weekend for the team in what was ultimately a title-winning campaign.
EXCELR8 Motorsport now heads back to Knockhill with everything to play for in the title race with half of the season still to run, and a real opportunity to add another chapter to its growing history at this iconic Scottish venue.