TEAM VERTU AIMS TO END ON A HIGH AT BRANDS HATCH
Team VERTU will hope to bring the curtain down on the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship in style this weekend when it heads for Brands Hatch for the season finale, whilst also bidding farewell to a long-standing member of the team.
The EXCELR8-run team makes the trip to the famous Kent circuit for three races around the full Grand Prix layout seeking to wrap up second in the championship standings before turning focus towards trying to reclaim the title in 2027.
Tom Ingram is the best placed of the Team VERTU quartet going into the season finale, with a narrow five point lead over Dan Cammish in the battle to end the year as runner-up.
Ingram secured his third win of the year last time out at Silverstone and has an astonishing record around the Brands Hatch GP layout, scoring at least one podium in each of the last six seasons.
Maintaining that record this weekend would go some way towards securing the runner-up spot, and would also aid Team VERTU in both the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ and Teams’ Championship.
Experienced team-mate Tom Chilton made it four podiums for the season at Silverstone two weeks ago as he seeks to end his BTCC career on a high, with Brands Hatch this weekend marking his final outing in the series.
Chilton made his debut on the GP layout back in 2002, scoring a podium finish first time out, and has since gone on to make more than 550 starts in the series, with 19 wins and 73 podium finishes to his name alongside the Independents’ Trophy title in 2010.
Bringing his BTCC career full circle as it ends at the same venue where he debuted, Chilton has his sights firmly fixed on pushing for what would be a second win of the season having also tasted victory at Knockhill back in August.
Nicolas Hamilton also enjoyed a solid weekend at Silverstone as he continued to extract more pace from his Hyundai following revisions other the special braking system he uses on his car due to his disability.
Hamilton picked up a points finish for the fifth time this season and arrives at the final round sitting third in the Jack Sears Trophy; the award only open to those drivers with no more than one BTCC podium finish to their name.
Further points are the target for Hamilton going into the finale, whilst also seeking to maintain his JST position through the three races this weekend.
As confirmed earlier this week, Ricky Collard rounds out the Team VERTU line-up for the weekend having been drafted into a race seat in place of Osamu Kawashima after the Japanese driver made his series debut at Silverstone.
Qualifying and the qualifying race will run from 13:50 on Saturday and air live on YouTube, with Sunday’s races scheduled for 11:25, 14:35 and 17:15 and all being show on ITV4 and ITVX.
Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“It’s no secret that I absolutely love Brands Hatch as my home circuit, and the full Grand Prix layout provides a real challenge as a driver as there is no margin for error.
“Going into the weekend on the back of a positive performance at Silverstone, I’m feeling optimistic about my chances and feel confident that we can be in the mix towards the front. The fact that we’ll have full TTB to take into Saturday can only help and hopefully we can secure a strong result there to set us up for Sunday.
“My BTCC career started on the Brands Hatch GP circuit back in 2002 with a podium finish, so having made the decision to bring my time in the series to an end, it feels appropriate that my final race will be at the same circuit.
“There are so many fantastic memories from my time in the series, from that debut podium finish in the Vauxhall through to my time with Arena Motorsport in the Honda and Ford, and then the last decade since returning from the World Touring Car Championship.
“Being part of Team VERTU for the last five seasons has been a particular highlight, and I’m hopeful that this weekend, I can bring the curtain down on my BTCC journey with another podium finish – hopefully with a trip to the top step!”
Nicolas Hamilton, #24 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Silverstone was another positive weekend on the whole as we continued to learn about the changes we made to the car at Croft, and to come away with another points finish was really pleasing as we move towards the end of the season.
“Brands Hatch GP is a truly iconic circuit and always delivers action on the final weekend of the season, and I don’t expect things to be any different this time around. My goal is to try and maintain the progress that I’ve made as a driver this season to challenge for points, and wrap up a top three finish in the Jack Sears Trophy.”
Tom Ingram, #80 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Returning to the top step of the podium two weeks ago was a good boost in confidence as we head into the season finale and we head for Brands Hatch in a positive frame of mind – even though there is no longer a championship on the line.
“With the battle for second place being so close with Dan, it’s important that we remain fully focused on the job at hand and maximise every session on track.
“We know that Brands Hatch GP is a circuit where traditionally we have been strong, and the hope is that we can replicate that form again this weekend to end what has been a challenging season in the best way possible.”
Justina Williams, Team VERTU Team Owner, said:
“Although there is no championship on the line this weekend, our approach to the season finale will be exactly the same as it has been in recent years and we go to Brands Hatch with our focus firmly on fighting for victory.
“Not only do we want to secure the best possible result in the championship, we also want to ensure that we go into the off-season on a high and I’m confident that all four drivers will be able to challenge for some strong results thus weekend.”
