British Touring Car Championship – Round 1

BTCC at Donington Park on a glorious sunny April day is hard to beat for the motorsport fan. I and a sizeable crowd turned out for Sunday’s race day to experience the final day of the opening race weekend of the 2026 BTCC season.

On Saturday, the inaugural 2026 qualifying race took place, replacing the long-standing ‘Quick Six’ qualifying shootout with a new 15-minute sprint qualifying race that reshapes the entire race weekend. Tom Ingram finished first but received a 5-second penalty for lining up out of position at the start. Plato Racing’s Dan Rowbottom moved up to pole position for Sunday’s first race, while Ingram would start race 1 from P2.

BTCC Round 1

Drama gripped the British Touring Car Championship throughout the day as Tom Ingram initially took the opening race victory—only for it to be stripped away. Post-race checks revealed a significant overboost issue, leading officials to disqualify the reigning champion from the final classification.

Mikey Doble was elevated to P1 claiming his first win of the year in his new Power Maxed Racing Audi S3. Ash Sutton followed in second after delivering a masterclass drive. Contact with Tom Ingram during Saturday’s sprint qualifying race left Sutton in the gravel and 21st on the grid for race 1. Sutton battled his way through the field from dead last on the grid, and Charles Rainford joined him on the podium by securing third.

BTCC Round 2

The rest of the day delivered two more thrilling races, with NAPA Racing UK securing a 1–2 finish in Race 2 as Ash Sutton and Dan Cammish crossed the line in first and second respectively. Tom Ingram’s troubles continued when a car issue forced him to retire, leaving him with another point-less finish and starting Race 3 from the back of the grid. 

The new Laser Tools Racing Toyota Corolla claimed its first podium of the year in P3. Gordon Shedden once again demonstrating his enduring class. For the second race, I was seated at the final chicane, where the close-quarters, side-by-side action could truly be appreciated.

BTCC Round 3

The final race of the day is notoriously the most chaotic due to the reverse-grid format. Returning driver Ricky Collard would start from pole position after last competing in the British Touring Car Championship in 2023. However, it was Ash Sutton who once again emerged victorious, followed by Tom Ingram, who produced an epic drive from 21st on the grid, with Ricky Collard completing the podium in third.

Mini Challenge JCW

The opening Mini Challenge JCW Championship race quickly descended into chaos, with penalties handed out after aggressive, elbows-out battles—particularly into Turn 1. Despite the disorder, reigning champion Tom Ovenden held firm to take the win, while Max Edmundson and Charlie Hand completed the podium.

Race 2 took a dramatic turn when Charlie Hand and Archie Johnson collided at high speed on the main straight, forcing officials to deploy the red flag and bring out emergency crews. Once racing resumed, Tom Ovenden controlled the restart and powered to another victory, with Max Edmundson close behind and Sam Gornall taking third.

Porsche Sprint Challenge

The first Porsche Sprint Challenge race saw Joe Marshall 1st and Joshua Rodgers 2nd. Oliver Cottam took the final podium spot. However, it was the second race of the day in the afternoon where most of the action came from.

From my position at the final chicane I witnessed Lydia Walmsley and James Seale collide together taking one another into the tyre barrier. The eventual winners of race 2 were Joe Marshall once again in 1st with Oliver Cottam taking 2nd now with Joshua Rodgers in 3rd.

Porsche Carrera Cup

The Carrera Cup championship saw Callum Vosin take the win after passing Will Jenkins, who started on pole, and then Max Coates completed the podium. Oliver Jackson then won the second race of the day for them which followed another consistent drive by Will Jenkins by finishing 2nd again and then Callum Vosin finished 3rd.

British F4

The first race of the day for the British Formula 4 grid was highly disrupted, with multiple safety cars caused by drivers running off track and several on-track incidents. Many of these occurred at Turn 1, where I was positioned for the race.

After a stop-start contest, the chequered flag finally fell, with Ethan Lennon taking the win, followed by Lewis Wherrellin second and Scott Kin Lindblom in third.

The final race in the afternoon delivered more drama, with plenty of incidents throughout. This time, it was Joseph Smith who crossed the line first, ahead of Ethan Jeff-Hall, while Scott Kin Lindblom secured another podium finish in third.

BTCC Championship Standings

As the BTCC championship leaves Donington Park, Sutton emerges as the early Drivers’ Championship leader, with NAPA Racing UK heading both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ standings. Moffat leads the Independents’, highlighting a strong showing for Power Maxed Racing across the board.

Crucially, the weekend confirmed that the new-generation cars are immediately competitive, with wins for Ford, Audi, and Mercedes machinery signalling a balanced and exciting era for the BTCC.

With the next round set for Brands Hatch on 9–10 May, teams will now regroup and refine their packages. If Donington Park is any indication, the 2026 season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and unpredictable in recent years.

---

Thanks to Jak Walker and Daniel Burns for the images used in this report. You can find out more about these photographer via the links below. Explore all our previous British Touring Car Championship reports through the British Touring Car link.