TEAM VERTU PREPARES FOR THRUXTON THRILLS
Team VERTU will hope to replicate the fine results it secured at Thruxton last season when the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship bursts back into life at the fastest circuit in the UK this weekend.
The high-speed Hampshire venue hosts the fifth meeting of the year as the series returns to action after an early summer break brought about by the FIFA World Cup, with the EXCELR8-run team chasing a strong weekend on track to strengthen its title challenge.
Reigning champion Tom Ingram is the best placed of the four Team VERTU drivers in the standings, with a triple podium at Oulton Park prior to the summer break having helped him to close the gap on rival Ash Sutton in the title race.
Currently sitting 48 points behind Sutton, Ingram will be chasing his fourth win at Thruxton and is bidding to take to the top step of the podium for the second season in succession.
His victory last season was the first for Team VERTU at the circuit, and helped kickstart his charge towards a second BTCC title, with a strong showing this time around being vital as he looks to defend his crown.
Ricky Collard arrives at Thruxton sitting fifth in the standings having secured a podium finish at each of the four meetings run to date this year.
Collard’s results so far at the wheel of the Hyundai i30 Fastback N have been particularly impressive given the late nature of his deal to join the team, and the fact that he was returning to front-wheel drive for the first time since 2023 – having since focused his career on sports cars.
As he continues to work on extending his programme with the team, Collard will look to add to his podium tally this weekend to maintain his championship position, with the ultimate goal being to try and secure a maiden BTCC victory.
Tom Chilton, the most experienced driver on the grid with nearly 550 BTCC starts to his name, goes into the weekend sitting in an unrepresentative twelfth place in the standings after a difficult campaign to date, with a single podium finish at Snetterton back in May.
Despite being a self-proclaimed fan of the UK’s fastest circuit, Chilton has yet to make it onto the top step of the podium at Thruxton – making it the only circuit on the schedule where he has failed to achieve that feat.
Keen to make up ground in the standings, Chilton will hope to secure three strong results from the weekend with a first win of 2026 being the target.
Nicolas Hamilton arrives at Thruxton buoyed by a solid points finish last time out at Oulton Park, where he ended the weekend with a strong twelfth place.
That followed on from an eleventh place finish at Brands Hatch earlier in the year and a points-scoring performance in the qualification race at Snetterton, where he also secured victory in the Jack Sears Trophy for the first time.
With confidence on a high, Hamilton heads for Thruxton looking to maintain the progress he has made since joining Team VERTU at the start of the season with further points being the aim.
After free practice on Saturday morning, qualifying and the qualifying race will take place from 14:00 and will air live on the ITV Sport YouTube channel.
Sunday’s three races – scheduled for 11:45, 14:40 and 17:30 – will then air live on both ITV4 and ITVX.
Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Even though I’ve never managed to take a win at Thruxton, it remains one of my favourite circuits on the BTCC calendar as it’s so unique – there really is nowhere else like it.
“I think it’s fair to say that the season hasn’t gone the way I hoped so far, and I’ve certainly had more than my fair share of bad luck during the opening four rounds of the season. However, the fact that we topped qualifying and scored a podium finish at Snetterton shows we have the pace and it’s all about now trying to ensure that we show that across a full weekend.
“Three strong finishes are the aim and with the speed in the car, there is no reason why at least one of those can’t be on the podium.”
Ricky Collard, #11 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Thruxton is my home circuit, although it isn’t one where I’ve actually raced much in the past, with this only being my sixth visit despite the fact that I did my first race back in 2012.
“It’s a really challenging circuit with little margin for error, and it’s one where you have to be brave if you want to maximise your results, so it should play to my strengths as a driver.
“I’m going there in confident mood given the results I’ve picked up so far this season, and considering how strong the Hyundai has been there in the past. It’s no secret that I really want to get onto the top step of the podium and claim my first BTCC win, and I think Thruxton will give me a great opportunity to do that.”
Nicolas Hamilton, #28 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“The summer break has given me the opportunity to reflect on how my season has gone so far, and I’m really pleased with the progress I’ve made. To score points at three of the four meetings and take a Jack Sears Trophy win is great and has given me a platform on which to build through the rest of the year.
“Thruxton is going to be a fresh challenge given how unique the circuit is, but I go into the weekend with the same approach I have taken through the opening rounds, which is to keep pushing myself to develop and improve.
“Every time I go out on track, I feel more and more comfortable in the car and with the support of the team behind me, I’m hoping to push for more points finishes and to challenge for the Jack Sears Trophy win.”
Tom Ingram, #80 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Thruxton was arguably our best weekend of the season last year with a win and two second places, so it’s a great place to now get our title challenge back underway after the summer break.
“Although we hadn’t tasted victory until last season, Thruxton is a circuit where we have traditionally gone well and which plays to the strengths of the Hyundai. A lot of people look at the layout and say it’s all about top speed but you also need a car that handles well, which is exactly what we have.
“It’s important that we maximise our results this weekend to try and reduce the gap to Ash in the standings, but we also have to remember that the early summer break means we haven’t even reached the half-way stage yet and there is a lot of racing still to come.”
Justina Williams, Team VERTU Team Owner, said:
“It was really pleasing to open our win account at Thruxton last season and we return this year hunting a repeat to boost our championship challenge. All four drivers have shown strong pace so far this season which leaves us confident about what we can achieve and there is no reason why we can’t hope to fight for silverware across the board on our return to action.”
