TEAM VERTU READIES TO START BTCC TITLE DEFENCE AT DONINGTON
Team VERTU will look to make a positive start to its defence of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship title when the 2026 season bursts into life this weekend at Donington Park.
The EXCELR8-run team secured double title glory last year as Tom Ingram lifted the Drivers’ title for a second time, with the team also taking the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ crown after a year-long battle with rivals Alliance Racing.
Ingram heads into his sixth campaign with the team looking to join the select band of drivers to have won the BTCC title on three occasions, and on the back of a stunning year that saw him set a new record for points scored in a BTCC season – having bagged seven wins and a further eleven podium finishes.
A productive pre-season testing programme – which included dipping below his own lap record at Croft – leaves the 32-year-old in confident mood going into round one at a circuit where he has traditionally gone well.
In fact, Ingram has only failed to finish on the podium five times in 15 starts around the Donington Park National layout since joining forces with the team.
Experienced team-mate Tom Chilton is also something of a Donington Park expert, having scored wins in two of the last three season openers.
Chilton played a key role in the team’s success last year in what was his strongest campaign in Team VERTU colours, with six podium finishes helping him to take seventh in the championship standings.
Like Ingram, Chilton will hope to make the most of the proven pace of his Hyundai to start the season strongly, with his goal being to launch his own title challenge.
The two long-time Team VERTU members are joined by two new names for 2026, including Ricky Collard as he returns to the series for the first time since 2023.
Collard, the son of multiple BTCC race winner Rob, rejoins the grid for what will be a third full season of touring car competition, with much of his career to date having been spent in sports cars.
The late nature of his deal to join the team means Collard heads to Donington Park with limited time at the wheel, with three solid points finishes being the target as he continues to adapt to the switch back to front-wheel drive.
The four-car entry is rounded out by Nicolas Hamilton, who joins forces with Team VERTU for what promises to be the biggest season of his BTCC career to date.
Hamilton – who has now made more than 150 starts since his debut back in 2015 – has fond memories of Donington Park, with a sixth place finish in tricky wet conditions back in 2023 being his best result in the series so far.
Having shown encouraging pace during testing at Snetterton and Brands Hatch, Hamilton will hope to try and push towards the points on his first weekend with the team, with three solid results in the Jack Sears Trophy being his first target.
The Donington Park season opener will make the start of a new era for the BTCC with the introduction of a qualifying race on Saturday afternoon as part of a revised weekend format.
Following a single free practice session, a short qualifying session will determine the grid for the ‘Race for Pole’ – the result of which will set the grid for the first of Sunday’s three races.
A further revision for 2026 sees slightly more TOCA Turbo Boost being made available for the three races, with minimum deployment speeds having been reduced.
The ‘Race for Pole’ this weekend is scheduled to take place at 15:05 on Saturday and will air live on YouTube, with Sunday’s three races – at 11:30, 14:40 and 17:30 – being shown on ITV4.
Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Last season was the best year I’ve had in the BTCC for a long time, and I’m chomping at the bit to get down to business again this weekend at Donington Park. Going into 2026, we’ve refined what was already a mega race car and I feel confident that we can put on a strong performance to kick off the new season.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how everyone adapts to the new format we’ll be using for the first time this weekend, and practice is going to be more important than ever now when we only have one session to set us up for the rest of the weekend.
“With the qualifying race instead of a traditional session to decide the grid, having a strong race car is going to be key and it’s going to be exciting on Saturday afternoon to see how everyone approaches the first ‘Race for Pole’ of the year.
“On a personal level, I’ve won around the Donington Park National layout in two of the last three seasons, and it would be great to do it again this weekend to kick off 2026 on a high.”
Ricky Collard, #11 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Given the deal all came together very late, I’ve only had limited running in the car and I probably surprised myself with how close I was to my team-mates at Brands Hatch.
“The new weekend format means I’m also not going to have much time at Donington Park before we head into qualifying when you consider the prep work that we’ll need to do in a single practice session, so I’m really going in at the deep end! Despite that, I’m confident that I can go out there and be competitive this weekend and pick up some solid results.
“As far as I’m concerned, there is no pressure on me for the opening rounds given the amount of track time I’ve had compared to everyone else. I’ll just focus on myself, and make sure I do the best job possible.”
Nicolas Hamilton, #28 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“This is still a very new environment for me with the team and the car, but I already feel comfortable in the Hyundai and am excited to keep learning this weekend. I’m not really thinking about results, more about going out there and doing the best job that I can do in what is a very competitive field this season.
“It will be interesting to see how Donington Park pans out with the new format, and I’ve been working hard on my preparation away from the circuit with things like sim training and my fitness so that I’m as comfortable as I can be from the moment we go out on track for the single practice session.
“This first weekend will be a bit of a learning experience in terms of getting the most out of the car on new tyres and also seeing how people approach the qualifying race, as I’m sure there will be some who go out and take risks and others who are a bit more conservative.
“I’m just going to see how things go in real time but as I’ve said before, this deal is all about giving me the tools to show what I can do and I’m excited to get the action underway.”
Tom Ingram, #80 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Pre-season testing has gone well and we’ve just focussed on our own programme ahead of the opening rounds of the season. We’ve worked to improve what was already a very strong package last year and I feel in a good place as we prepare to get our title defence underway.
“Donington is going to be an interesting weekend to start things off, because there are so many unknowns to consider. The new format means we have less practice time to work on the car and then the qualifying race to consider, so we have to make sure we hit the ground running and are on our game from the moment we hit the track.
“There’s also new cars to consider from our rivals and given that you can’t read too much into testing when everyone is doing different things, we’ll only really know how quick everyone actually is when the serious stuff gets underway.
“Last season, it was all about making sure that we maximised the points that were available every weekend, and I’m taking the same approach into round one with my focus on making a solid start to the year.”
Justina Williams, Team VERTU Team Owner, said:
“With a new format, tweaks to the hybrid rules and a number of new cars on the grid, this weekend is a step into the unknown for everyone on the grid but we arrive at Donington Park in a good place.
“Over the winter, we have been able to work to refine the package we already had and pre-season testing has been positive in terms of what we have been able to achieve on track.
“I see no reason why we can’t hope to maintain our recent strong form at Donington Park, and am confident that all four drivers can fight for some solid results to start the season.”
