Lewis Gilbert to complete BTCC season with WSR

West Surrey Racing has expanded its driver line-up for the remainder of the 2026 British Touring Car Championship season, with Scottish racer Lewis Gilbert joining the team.

Gilbert will compete alongside race winners Charles Rainford and Daryl De Leon at the multiple champions, starting at Thruxton next weekend.

Boasting an impressive resume throughout the karting ranks, the 22-year-old made his car racing debut this year in the highly competitive GB3 Championship, tallying a number of top ten finishes to-date.

“I’m thrilled to make my touring car debut with WSR and to join the BTCC – a series I’ve watched and loved for a long time,” said Gilbert. “I’m only half a season into my car-racing career and already fortunate to be in a position to move into the BTCC, which has been a long-term aim since I started karting.

“WSR are the most successful team ever in the BTCC and with all the championships they won in single-seaters before that and the experience they have, I know I’m in the best place possible.

“I definitely feel like I’m in at the deep end with the fastest circuit on the calendar – Thruxton – first, and then my home track at Knockhill, which couldn’t be more different, straight after. But with the knowledge around me at WSR, I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”

Dick Bennetts, WSR Team Principal, added: “We’re very pleased to welcome Lewis to WSR. Throughout our history we’ve developed a strong track record of working with young drivers and turning them into champions, whether it be Colin Turkington and Jake Hill in touring cars, or Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen in Formula 3.

“Lewis is the latest in a long line of such young talents and he makes the switch from single-seaters to touring cars with a huge amount of promise waiting to be untapped. He’s probably quite a new name to many BTCC supporters, but we think he’ll be a fast learner and definitely has the potential to surprise quite a few people during the second half of the year.”