Team VERTU will hope to bounce back from a bruising trip to Donington Park when the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship races into Croft in North Yorkshire this weekend for the eighth meeting of the season.
The EXCELR8-run team was in the wars in the East Midlands a fortnight ago, with a single podium finish for Tom Ingram being little reward for the efforts of the team and its four-strong driver line-up.
Ingram remains second in the championship standings going into the weekend, but saw the gap to Ash Sutton increase to 98 points last time out with just three events left to run on the schedule.
That gap at the top has reduced Ingram’s chances of successfully defending his title, although he will still hope to gain ground on the current points leader at a venue where he has gone well in the past.
Last season saw Ingram score a race win and set a new lap record, with a similar performance the aim this weekend as he also bids to strengthen his hold on second in the championship standings.
Ricky Collard remains the second highest-placed Team VERTU driver in the standings despite a disappointing retirement in the final race at Donington Park, when multiple bouts of contact resulted in him suffering a puncture.
Despite that, the former British GT Champion heads to Croft sitting fifth in the championship standings and needs to score just 15 points to surpass his previous highest seasonal score in the series.
Although he has limited experience around Croft in his career to date, the form of the Hyundai in recent seasons means Collard remains confident of adding to the six podium finishes he has secured thus far in 2026.
Tom Chilton was also in the wars at Donington Park after a series of electrical issues resulted in him picking up just a single points finish from the weekend.
Like Ingram however, Chilton has a strong previous record at Croft having scored multiple podium finishes, including a win two years ago.
Keen to put Donington Park behind him, the most experienced driver on the grid goes into the weekend seeking to return to the kind of form that saw him score victory at Knockhill earlier in the campaign.
Croft was the scene of Nicolas Hamilton’s BTCC debut back in 2015, and he returns this weekend seeking to build on a promising campaign that has already seen him score more points than ever before.
Hamilton came close to adding to his tally last time out at Donington Park and will hope to be firmly in contention for the top 15 positions again this time around as he continues to make progress at the wheel of the Hyundai.
A second Jack Sears Trophy win of the campaign remains the ultimate goal as he bids to strengthen his position in the standings.
Qualifying and the qualifying race this weekend will run from 14:05 on Saturday and air live on YouTube, with Sunday’s three races at 12:10, 14:30 and 17:15.
Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said: “On the back of a really frustrating weekend at Donington Park last time out, I’m hoping to return to the kind of form we displayed at Knockhill and want to be back fighting towards the front of the grid.
“With that in mind, Croft is a good circuit to be heading to as it’s one where I’ve been strong through the years, going all the way back to 2005 when I finished on the podium in my Honda!
“We’ve been strong for the past two seasons in particular with the win in 2024 and then another podium last year, and a trophy has to be the target again this time around.”
Ricky Collard, #11 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said: “Croft isn’t a circuit where I’ve raced a lot in my career, although I did pick up some silverware during my time in Formula 4 - including one of my six wins back in 2015.
“It’s a challenging circuit but one where the Hyundai has gone well in the past, so I’m going into the weekend confident about bouncing back from race three at Donington Park a few weeks ago.
“A return to the podium is the target, and I’ll keep pushing hard to try and make it onto the top step.”
Nicolas Hamilton, #28 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said: “Croft is a circuit that will always be special for me given it’s where I achieved my childhood dream of competing in the British Touring Car Championship for the first time back in 2015.
“I always look forward to returning to the circuit and this season in particular, I’m excited to see what we can achieve given the progress that I’ve made throughout the year.
“It’s a shame that we weren’t able to take part in the test at the start of the season, but the Hyundai has been really strong at Croft for the last few years and I’m hopeful of challenging for some more points.”
Tom Ingram, #80 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said: “With only three rounds left this season we have to be realistic about the championship, as it would take a huge turnaround to overturn the gap in the standings over the next nine races.
“At the same time however, I’ve been around the BTCC for long enough to know that this is a series where anything could happen, so it’s important that we continue to push as hard as we can to maximise every race.
“Croft is a circuit where the Hyundai has been particularly strong in recent years, as we saw last season with a win and a new lap record. We also had a solid test there at the start of the year so hopefully this weekend we can avoid some of the bad luck that has hampered our season and fight for three strong results to strengthen our hold on second place.”
Justina Williams, Team VERTU Team Owner, said: “Croft has been a strong circuit for us in recent seasons and hopefully we can repeat that past form again this weekend.
“It’s a big ask when it comes to the championship at this stage of the season, but we’ll keep pushing hard with all four drivers to try and fight for more silverware as we seek to end the year on a high.”
- BTCC
- Partnerships