The 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (commonly abbreviated as BTCC) will be a motor racing championship for production-based touring cars held across England and Scotland. The championship will feature a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded amateur drivers competing in highly modified versions of family cars which are sold to the general public and conform to the technical regulations for the championship. The 2026 season will be the 69th British Touring Car Championship season, the 16th season for cars conforming to the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) technical specification.
This is the second season using 100% renewable fuels, with the hybrid boost being removed and being replaced with turbo boost. While the amount of power boost stayed the same the weight will be reduced by 55 kg (121 lb). In another change to the 2026 season will introduce qualifying races for all cars on the Saturday afternoon of each race weekend.[1][2]
Teams and drivers
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Entering/re-entering BTCC
Changed teams
Both Árón Taylor-Smith and Gordon Shedden moved from Toyota Gazoo Racing to Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport.[6][7]
Leaving BTCC
Jake Hill announced prior to Brands Hatch that he would leave Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport and the BTCC entirely.[13]
Nick Halstead left the BTCC after competing with Power Maxed Racing in 2025.[14]
Daniel Lloyd announced he will be taking a sabbatical from the BTCC after a 2025 campaign with Restart Racing.[15]
Team changes
Jason Plato entered 2 Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon cars for his team, with the support of RML, creating Plato Racing Team RML.[9]
Power Maxed Racing dropped the Cupra Leon, which they ran for the last 4 rounds of 2025, for the Audi S3 Saloon along with expanding to 3 cars for the first time since 2022.[8][12]
Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport expanded their field to 2 cars and switched from the BMW 330i to a pair of Toyota Corolla.[5]
Race calendar
The 2026 calendar was announced on 2 May 2025.[16]
| Round | Circuit | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | Donington Park (National Circuit, Leicestershire) |
18–19 April |
| R2 | |||
| R3 | |||
| 2 | R4 | Brands Hatch (Indy Circuit, Kent) |
9–10 May |
| R5 | |||
| R6 | |||
| 3 | R7 | Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit (300 Circuit, Norfolk) |
23–24 May |
| R8 | |||
| R9 | |||
| 4 | R10 | Oulton Park (Island Circuit, Cheshire) |
6–7 June |
| R11 | |||
| R12 | |||
| 5 | R13 | Thruxton Circuit (Hampshire) |
25–26 July |
| R14 | |||
| R15 | |||
| 6 | R16 | Knockhill Racing Circuit (Fife) |
8–9 August |
| R17 | |||
| R18 | |||
| 7 | R19 | Donington Park (Grand Prix Circuit, Leicestershire) |
22–23 August |
| R20 | |||
| R21 | |||
| 8 | R22 | Croft Circuit (North Yorkshire) |
5–6 September |
| R23 | |||
| R24 | |||
| 9 | R25 | Silverstone Circuit (National Circuit, Northamptonshire) |
26–27 September |
| R26 | |||
| R27 | |||
| 10 | R28 | Brands Hatch (Grand Prix Circuit, Kent) |
10–11 October |
| R29 | |||
| R30 | |||
References
- ^ "BTCC introduces Qualifying race from 2026". btcc.net. 24 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ "BTCC Qualifying Race regulations ratified". btcc.net. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
- ^ "Tom Chilton extends BTCC deal with EXCELR8 into 2026". TouringCarTimes. 29 October 2025. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ "Tom Ingram confirms continuation with Team Vertu for 2026". Instagram. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport launch two-car programme for 2026 season". btcc.net. 23 November 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Laser Tools Racing With MB Motorsport Welcomes Árón Taylor-Smith For 2026 Season • BTCC". 2025-11-25. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
- ^ a b "Three-time BTCC Champion Gordon Shedden Joins Laser Tools Racing With MB Motorsport For 2026". btcc.net. 27 November 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Plato Racing confirmed for 2026 season as BTCC announces TBL list". TouringCarTimes. 4 December 2025. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Plato Racing confirms expected RML tie-up". TouringCarTimes. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ "Plato Racing brings Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon to BTCC grid". TouringCarTimes. 8 January 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "One Motorsport to miss remainder of the season as focus switches to 2026". TouringCarTimes. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Power Maxed Racing to run Audi S3 Saloons from 2026". TouringCarTimes. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ^ "Jake Hill To Depart Laser Tools Racing With MB Motorsport And The BTCC • BTCC". 2025-09-24. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
- ^ "Nick Halstead Departs BTCC with a Special Fan Tribute". Power Maxed Racing. 2025-10-08. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
- ^ "Lloyd Sabbatical". TouringCars.Net. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "TOCA announces 2026 BTCC calendar". btcc.net. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
External links
- Official website
- TouringCarTimes
