BTCC 2025: Drama, Downpours and Dominance

Oulton Park delivered an exciting fifth round of the 2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), combining high-stakes strategy, unpredictable weather, and career-defining performances. With three races packed full of tension, overtakes, and sheer racing grit, the Cheshire circuit once again lived up to its reputation as one of the crown jewels of the BTCC calendar.

It was also an emotional weekend for the BTCC, as Steve Rider, the face of the championship across four decades, retired. He had an incredible career spanning 50 years in and around sport, fans know him best for his motorsport broadcasting. Happy retirement Steve!

Qualifying

Saturday's qualifying session saw Tom Ingram return to the top of the time sheets with a blistering lap in the closing minutes. The Team VERTU Hyundai driver put together an astonishing lap to put him ahead of Chris Smiley for pole position by 0.473 seconds. Ingram's car looked well-balanced and hooked up through Oulton Park’s technical middle sector, giving him a crucial advantage for race one. 

Behind them, Dan Cammish and Ash Sutton locked out the second row for NAPA Racing UK, setting up an all-star front four for Sunday’s opener. Changeable conditions throughout the session tested every team’s ability to adapt, with several big names, including Jake Hill, caught out by track evolution and in a challenging group, were left to fight their way forward come race day.

Race 1: Ingram Sets the Pace

Ingram kicked off the weekend in style with a commanding lights-to-flag victory in race one. Starting from pole position, Ingram nailed the start and controlled the pace expertly through the 18-lap opener. Despite a mid-race safety car compressing the field, he stayed cool under pressure, executing a flawless restart to keep rivals at bay.

There was drama before the start as newcomer Finn Leslie stopped on the hill before his grid position and wasn’t able to get the car started. After being pushed into the pit lane he was able to get out later but it caused an aborted start, meaning all the drivers would need to reset and continue to focus under the change.

With lights out Ingram got away but with Smiley bogged down on the start, Cammish took advantage and was past him by turn one with Sutton getting past through Cascades (turn two). The pack didn’t get far though with a safety car called on lap two due to an incident between Stephen Jelly and Sam Osborne at hairpin. Both cars managed to get going again but the barrier needed to be repaired.

After the restart there were plenty of battles all the way through the pack. Max Hall picked up damage and had to retire, Daryl DeLeon looked for a gap on the inside of Árón Taylor-Smith which was closing, the Toyota spun and hit the other BMW of Aiden Moffat but all cars managed to keep going. Even third place was under contention all the way to the line.

Cammish held on to second place while Sutton made a strategic late-race move to finish fourth, playing the long game with tyre wear and championship points in mind. Chris Smiley claimed a hard-earned podium for Restart Racing.

Race 2: Sutton displays dominance

Another dominant race two performance for Sutton who had taken advantage of the system by finishing fourth and starting on the soft tyres. 

Sutton took off for a lightning start, similar to Thruxton, taking advantage of the soft tyres he was on for finishing fourth. He passed both Smiley and Cammish before Cascades and was hunting down Ingram. Just one lap later, Sutton made a move up the inside of the hairpin, making it stick and opening the door for Ingram’s teammate Adam Morgan into third.

There were plenty of battles to watch but the safety car was deployed on lap four when Dan Lloyd dipped a wheel on the grass and ended up crashing into the barrier just before Druids. Lloyd was ok but the barrier took a while to repair.

After the restart Hill was on a charge, making up places to bring him back into the top five. It was a different story for Cammish who started on hard tyres and was dropping positions to those around him on the soft tyres which don’t take as long to warm up. 

Ingram managed to hold off the advances of Hill, securing fourth, while his teammates Tom Chilton and Morgan took a step on the podium. But the win belonged to Sutton who dominated once he took the lead and was able to fend off anyone who threatened to overtake.

Race 3: Shedden returns to the top

As the heavens opened before race three, teams were forced into last-minute tyre decisions, but it was declared a wet race. Gordon Shedden reminded the paddock why he's a three-time champion, storming to his 53rd career BTCC win. Starting from reverse-grid pole on a damp but drying circuit, Shedden controlled the race from the front, expertly judging braking zones and corner exits as conditions gradually improved.

In the opening stages, Josh Cook and Hill were fighting off Rowbottom which allowed Shedden to get away at the front. Hill made it past Cook but, in an effort to defend, Cook out-braked himself and ended up in the gravel in the final corner. He did manage to get going again, but he never fully recovered from this early incident. Cammish and Sutton pushed to gain places while battling each other and Senna Proctor. There was very little contact but Sutton did make it past down at the hairpin and then charged for the top three who were closing up on each other.

A safety car was deployed which only added to the pressure for Shedden, but he was able to hold on at the restart. Rowbottom looked for a move on Hill into turn one but couldn’t hang on and let Sutton through into third. But Sutton would have to wait to get past Hill, Chilton hit the back of Mikey Doble at the chicane, Chilton’s bonnet blew up while Doble ended up in the barrier, bringing the safety car back out after one lap.

With four laps to go, Sutton made the move on Hill when the BMW went wide and chased hard and reduced the gap to less than a second in the closing laps, but Shedden held firm. Rowbottom made it a double podium for NAPA with a composed drive to third, while Ingram salvaged fourth after an early off-track excursion at Lodge Corner. Proctor rounded out the top five with an impressive drive.

However, race three was also one of attrition. Multiple incidents saw seven drivers retire, including Chris Smiley, Josh Cook, and Tom Chilton. One of the more daring moments came from Dexter Patterson, who rolled the dice on a soft-tyre strategy late in the race. His bold gamble paid off with the fastest lap and a respectable twelfth-place finish.

Championship picture: Sutton takes control

After another solid weekend, Sutton now leads the Drivers' Championship, edging ahead of Tom Ingram by a narrow margin. Sutton’s consistency across all three races, including a podium in race three, proved decisive. Ingram remains a close second, while Shedden’s race three win puts him firmly back in the conversation.

As we are at the midpoint of the season, it’s clear this year’s title fight is wide open. With wet-weather wins, strategic gambles, and driver brilliance all on display at Oulton Park, the 2025 BTCC continues to deliver in every sense.

Time for the summer break

The BTCC takes a month off now so teams and drivers can have a well deserved break before heading to Croft in early August. Can Sutton extend his lead? Will Ingram respond? And could Shedden continue his resurgence? One thing’s for sure, with the way this season’s unfolding, you won’t want to miss a moment.

Make sure to keep up to date on our social media channels and our blog, or visit our stand if you are going to the circuit. If you are heading out on your summer break, make sure you take all the essentials and be prepared with a Free Vehicle Health Check at your local Kwik Fit Centre today.