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Vansdirect is proud to once again have a presence in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) this season as a supporting partner of defending champions, Team VERTU.
Two-time BTCC title-winner and defending champion Tom Ingram leads a four-driver line-up comprising experienced race winner Tom Chilton, plus newcomers Ricky Collard and Nicolas Hamilton.
You can watch every main race featuring Team VERTU this season on ITV4 and ITVX, with qualifying streamed on YouTube. Race coverage is also available on YouTube for viewers outside the UK.
A firm BTCC fan favourite, Tom Ingram has been at the forefront of EXCELR8 Motorsport’s success in the series since joining forces with the team in 2021.
Making his BTCC debut in 2014, Ingram had already come close to title success prior to joining EXCELR8, but his arrival turned EXCELR8 into race winners for the first time.
Fourth overall in his first season with the team, Ingram went on to achieve his and the outfit’s first BTCC title in 2022 with six wins, 12 podiums and a 100% finishing record.
Over the following two seasons, Ingram remained at the sharp end, consistently adding to EXCELR8’s victory tally before going on to dominate proceedings in 2025 with nine wins and 32 podiums en route to his and EXCELR8’s second BTCC title.
One of the most experienced drivers in all of touring cars, Tom Chilton debuted in BTCC way back in 2002 when he was just 17-years old.
Despite his youth, Chilton quickly made his mark in BTCC, scoring a shock podium on his debut before notching up his first victory in 2004. Going on to race with several of BTCC’s top teams, Chilton has also enjoyed long stints competing on the international stage in the World Touring Car Championship, where he was also a race winner.
Joining EXCELR8 Motorsport in 2022, Chilton has topped the podium on four occasions in the team’s Hyundai i30 N Fastback and was a top ten finisher in the overall standings in 2024 and 2025.
Ricky Collard is setting his sights firmly on race wins as he makes a return to the BTCC with Team VERTU in what will be his first tin-top season since 2023.
The son of Rob Collard – veritable BTCC royalty with more than 500 starts to his name – Ricky enjoyed a stellar ascent through the single-seater ranks in the early days of his career, even finishing runner-up to 2025 F1 World Champion Lando Norris when they raced against each other in British F4
GT racing would ultimately become Collard’s calling, the youngster achieving wins in the German-based ADAC Masters and Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe before going on to win the British GT title in 2024 alongside his father.
For 2026, Collard returns to BTCC with title-winning Team VERTU Hyundai machinery underneath him as he bids to secure his maiden touring car victory.
The younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis, Nicolas Hamilton has already secured a place in the BTCC record books as the first – and so far only – disabled driver to take part in the series.
Despite being told he would never walk as a child having been born with cerebral palsy, Nic launched his racing career in the Renault Clio Cup back in 2011 and also competed in the European Touring Car Cup before his BTCC debut arrived in 2015 with a part-season in an Audi S3.
Having now amassed more than 150 starts, Hamilton’s move to Team VERTU means he will now be at the wheel of a front running car for the first time in his touring car career with his aim being success in the Jack Sears Trophy.
The British Touring Car Championship has an illustrious history woven into fabric of motorsport, not just nationally but internationally too.
In fact, only the American NASCAR series and Formula 1 have enjoyed such longevity as the BTCC, which has been a staple of the motorsport schedule every year since 1958.
Dozens of manufacturers and high-profile racers have competed in BTCC over the years, not least during its 1990s heyday when the series lured ex-F1 drivers – including Gabriele Tarquini, Derek Warwick and Nigel Mansell – alongside a wealth of locally-sourced talent, many of whom would go on to big things on the international stage, such as Team VERTU’s own Tom Chilton.
The popularity of the BTCC is reflected by a broadcast deal that is the envy of every other series in the UK, with each race shown free-to-air without the need for a subscription.
That means easy access to the action for fans at home, whilst those enjoying the racing trackside are able to get up close to the stars thanks to an open paddock policy.
From watching the teams at work in the garages to being sprayed with champagne during the podium celebrations after the chequered flag, it’s the kind of access F1 fans can only dream of – and it comes as part of the package.
A BTCC season features ten events at eight of the leading circuits in the UK, running from Donington Park in late April through to Brands Hatch in early October. Each of those ten race meetings includes three action-packed BTCC races and a busy package of support race to provide fans with maximum entertainment and astonishing entertainment - with a day trackside being comparable price wise to an afternoon watching a rugby or football match.
27 - 28 Apr
11 - 12 May
25 - 26 May
08 - 09 Jun
22 - 23 Jun
27 - 28 Jul
10 - 11 Aug
24 - 25 Aug
21 - 22 Sep
05 - 06 Oct
Vansdirect has enjoyed strong visible representation as a key sponsor of EXCELR8 Motorsport for multiple years and has now backed both the team and driver Tom Ingram to two drivers’ titles, achieved in 2023 and 2025.
When it comes to meeting your commercial vehicle needs, Vansdirect are the experts - working efficiently and quickly to source the perfect vehicle and get you behind the wheel.
Every second counts in the world of business, and we’ll ensure you’re on the road as soon as possible.
In that respect, the team are on top of their game, checking the minutest of details and leaving no stone unturned in the ongoing quest for success.
On the road and the racetrack, it’s the perfect partnership.
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