Tom Chilton extends BTCC deal with EXCELR8 into 2026

Tom Chilton will remain with EXCELR8 Motorsport in the British Touring Car Championship heading into 2026 after extending his agreement with the Hyundai squad for a fifth successive season.

The 40-year-old played a critical role in helping with team lift the coveted BTCC Manufacturer-Constructors’ title for the first time this past season and the experienced racer is now set to help lead their title defence next year.

The 2026 campaign will be Chilton’s 20th season in the UK’s premier motorsport series, with his only time away from the category coming from 2012 through to 2016 when he took on the challenge of racing in the World Touring Car Championship.

Joining EXCELR8 in 2022, Chilton has since made a total of 118 starts for the team, scoring four wins and a further ten podium finishes. Crucially, Chilton heads into next season coming off the back of one of his strongest campaigns to-date – having finished seventh overall in 2025.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have extended my stay with EXCELR8 and Team VERTU as there is nowhere else in the paddock I would rather be,” said Chilton.

“Considering how long it is since I first joined the BTCC grid, I can honestly say that I’ve never had as much fun as I did this year and that is a reflection of how strong the team is.

“From top to bottom, every single person was focused on pushing for the very best results, which was reflected in the fact that we came away from 2025 with two of the three titles to our name.

“Having signed up for another season, my goal is clear and that is to challenge for the overall title as winning the BTCC title is everyone on the grid goes racing.

“Considering how strong our package was this season, I’m hugely excited to see what 2026 holds when we have further refinements to make to the car and it’s going to seem like a long winter waiting to get down to business for round one!”