The 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship may not have fired its first competitive shot yet, but if two days of pre-season testing at Croft Circuit are anything to go by, the season ahead is shaping up to be one of the most compelling.
A packed pitlane, record lap times and a rain-soaked Tuesday afternoon drama. The North Yorkshire circuit delivered the kind of theatre that only the BTCC can produce, even before a single point has been awarded.
Ingram: Business as Usual
There was never much doubt that Tom Ingram would arrive at Croft with something to prove. The Team VERTU driver opened proceedings in Tuesday's dry morning session with a commanding 1:20.455s lap - a time good enough to beat his own circuit record from last season and plant his name firmly at the top of the timesheets.
It was a statement of intent from the 32-year-old, who clearly has no intention of easing into his title defence gently. Team-mate Tom Chilton backed him up admirably, slotting in 0.201s behind to give the Hyundai camp a strong double act heading into the afternoon.
The session also offered an early look at some intriguing midfield battles. Ash Sutton and NAPA Racing UK debutant Lewis Selby ran fourth and fifth, while Josh Cook edged out Dan Cammish in a close scrap for the remaining top-five positions.
Tuesday afternoon, however, belonged to the skies rather than any one driver. Heavy rain transformed Croft into a very different circuit, catching more than one car out. Ingram himself ending his day early after an off in the slippery conditions. It was three-time champion Gordon Shedden who thrived in the murk, guiding his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport Corolla to the top of the wet-weather standings with a 1:28.453s lap. A performance worth noting, even if the four-second gap to the dry-conditions benchmark keeps things in perspective.
New Kids on the Block
Away from the stopwatch, Tuesday was equally significant for what it brought to the championship. Plato Racing wheeled out its pair of Mercedes AMG A35 Saloons for the very first time, with Daniel Rowbottom and Adam Morgan working methodically through their shakedown programme. It was early days, but the mere sight of the Silver Arrows livery in a BTCC paddock is enough to set pulses racing.
Rowbottom and Morgan are no strangers to each other either, having previously shared a garage back in 2019, which should help the team find its feet quickly. This is a team built to compete, and with JP at the helm, you can be fairly certain it won't be short on drama either.
De Leon Seizes the Moment
If Day One set the table, Day Two served the headline act. WSR's Daryl De Leon lit up Wednesday's running with a stunning 1:20.417s lap, the fastest time a BTCC car has ever turned at Croft Circuit and edging under Ingram's existing pole position benchmark to top the overall two-day standings.
It was a compelling effort from the young BMW driver, and one that will have eyebrows raised right across the championship. WSR are no strangers to producing fast cars, but a rookie lap record at a circuit as demanding as Croft is the kind of pre-season marker that commands serious attention.
The battle for top spot on the day was no procession either. Restart Racing's James Dorlin produced a superb run that had him convinced he'd grabbed the bragging rights, only to fall a tantalising 0.027s short of De Leon's benchmark. It was a sign of real confidence from Dorlin and Restart Racing, who look like genuine dark horses for the campaign ahead.
The Bigger Picture
Step back from the individual performances and the two days at Croft paint a picture of a championship itching to go. Twenty drivers completed a combined 2,268 laps with few significant mechanical dramas to speak of. NAPA Racing UK alone racked up 652 laps across their four Ford Focus Titaniums, the kind of preparation that has defined their operation in recent seasons.
Of course, testing times tell only part of the story. Fuel loads and tyre strategies varied wildly throughout, and more than one team will have been running well within their limits. The real order won't emerge until qualifying at Brands Hatch, but that uncertainty is precisely what makes these early glimpses so tantalising.
The season officially gets underway on 8 April with the BTCC Season Launch at Brands Hatch, which will also serve as the final pre-season test before the championship begins in earnest. On this evidence, it cannot come soon enough.
Images courtesy of ©Oliver Woodburn - ©Nick Murphy - ©Thomas Jolley - ©Jack Lane
