The long winter wait is over as TCR UK kicks off its eighth season at Donington Park this weekend (22-23 March). Always a favourite with drivers and fans alike, the East Midlands venue returns to the calendar after a year’s absence and will play host to the opening salvos of the 2025 season.
There is much to look forward to as the journey towards crowning a new champion begins with six marques and eight different models of TCR Touring Cars represented on the highly competitive grid. Five drivers on the entry list already have race wins to their names and it is those five who appear to start as favourites heading into the opening race weekend.
Last year’s championship runner-up, Brad Hutchison, will be looking to get his season off to the best possible start as he bids to go one better in 2025. Entering his fourth year in TCR UK, Hutchison will look to build on the experience gained last season with his CUPRA Leon Competicion TCR run by family squad Bond It With MPH Racing.
It was at Donington 18 months ago that Hutchison thought he had broken his TCR UK duck, only to be denied by a marginal rideheight infringement. He has since gone on to win three times, including the final round of last year, establishing himself among the championship frontrunners.
Like Hutchison, Callum Newsham goes into the new season in familiar surroundings as he continues at the wheel of his Hyundai i30 N TCR run by JH Racing. Newsham took more wins and more pole positions than anyone last year, but a few too many non-finishes proved costly. If man and machine can add a bit more consistency to their repertoire, the Scottish-born racer could prove tough to beat.
At one stage last year, the TCR UK title appeared to be heading to Essex in the hands of Adam Shepherd, only for a wretched run of mechanical maladies to derail his challenge. Shepherd took four wins in the opening eight races of 2024 despite very little testing aboard his ex-Jenson Brickley CUPRA.
He will be looking to recapture that kind of form this weekend at a circuit where he won in both 2022 and 2023, with his CUPRA now run by Capture Motorsport.
One of the revelations of the 2024 season was Steve Laidlaw, who finished seventh in the standings despite missing the opening rounds and jumping between three different cars in six weekends.
The Dubai-based businessman, who is also eligible for the Goodyear Diamond Award, took his maiden win at Thruxton last September before switching to upgraded machinery for the final round of the season. It is that CUPRA Leon VZ TCR that Steve will campaign in his first full season this year, alongside son Sam’s example, both run by Area Motorsport.
Joining them in the Area Motorsport camp, but driving a Hyundai i30 N TCR, is one-time Civic Cup champion Alistair Camp. The Derby racer has proven his speed in his handful of TCR UK outings over the past two years, including winning at Donington in 2023. Now, the local man looks ready to take the next step while still keeping his hand in by leading the line for Area in the Civic Cup.
Making a welcome return to the championship this year is Power Maxed Racing, whose three-car squad features drivers at opposite ends of the experience spectrum. Sixteen-year-old Fiesta Junior graduate Finn Leslie is an exciting young talent who will be looking to ruffle a few feathers among the established frontrunners from the off.
Fellow teen Harry Bloor is set to continue in the karting scene while making his debut in cars. The pair will both drive Hyundai i30 N TCRs as part of TCR UK’s Junior Touring Car Programme. The PMR trio is completed by Jeff Alden who will pilot an Audi RS3 LMS SEQ TCR. Alden’s focus will be on the Goodyear Diamond Award and the Gen 1 Cup for older machinery.
Like PMR and Area, Capture Motorsport will also field three cars this weekend. Alongside Shepherd, team principal Will Beech has upgraded his machinery to a CUPRA Leon Competiticion TCR. Greg Saunders will drive a similar car as he makes his TCR UK debut, having previously driven an older-spec example for the same squad in club-level categories.
Joining Newsham at James Hone’s JH Racing outfit is experienced Irish racer Rod McGovern. With multiple tin-tops titles in his homeland, McGovern has undoubted pedigree to draw upon as he samples one of Britain’s leading circuits for the first time. McGovern is also eligible for the Goodyear Diamond Award for drivers aged 40 and over.
Another likely frontrunner in the Goodyear Diamond Award classification – if not overall – is Stewart Lines. The series supremo returned to the driver’s seat last year, switching between different cars. This year he has one of the most exciting machines on the grid at his disposal in the Lynk & Co 03 TCR. The international pacesetting car won on its TCR UK debut last year but did not appear regularly.
It will be fascinating to see how Lines takes to the car which is now being run for Maximum Motorsport by Ben Sharpe Racing. BSR will also field a CUPRA Leon Competiticion TCR for experienced racer Mark Smith under his Richmond Fire banner. Smith has stepped up from his older CUPRA machinery and will be targeting the Goodyear Diamond Award.
Two single-car squads complete the field. The inspirational Cedric Bloch, who drives his Audi RS3 with hand controls, returns for a first full season with Simon Green Motorsport. Bloch’s car is eligible for the Gen 1 Cup but the former motorcycle racer wants to mix it with the newer cars too.
Also in the Gen 1 Cup is series returnee George Jaxon. Back after a spell racing Porsches, Jaxon will pilot a Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR – similar to the car that took the inaugural TCR UK title – run by the DW Racing team of his friend and TCR UK race winner Darelle Wilson.
Track action begins with qualifying at 1000hrs on Saturday morning, ahead of the opening race of the 2025 season just after lunch, at 1415hrs. Two further races take place on Sunday. The reversed-grid contest is scheduled to start at 1035hrs before the action concludes with a further race at 1445hrs.
For those unable to make it to Donington, all the action will be streamed live – with expert commentary and analysis – on TCR UK’s YouTube channel.
You can purchase tickets for the first event of the 2025 season at Donington on the National circuit from their website: https://www.donington-park.co.uk/2025/march/tcr-uk-touring-car-weekend
To find out more about the TCR UK Touring Car Championship visit https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/ for more information and how to get involved.
To learn more about the 2025 TCR UK Touring Car Championship Calendar events, visit https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/2025-calendar/ for more information.
Stay tuned for news and updates regarding the 2025 season via our website and social media channels:
Website – https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/ ️️️️
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/tcrukseries
Twitter – https://twitter.com/TCRUKOfficial
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Threads – https://www.threads.net/@tcr_uk_series
YouTube – ️️️️https://www.youtube.com/@tcrukseries
TikTok – ️️️️https://www.tiktok.com/@tcrukofficial
Useful information:
DONINGTON PARK NATIONAL TIMETABLE
DONINGTON PARK NATIONAL ENTRY LIST
