Photo: EXCELR8

Noah Young to make historic BTCC debut with EXCELR8 in 2027

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EXCELR8 Motorsport have confirmed that Noah Young will form part of its driver line-up for the 2027 British Touring Car Championship season, with the teenager set to become the youngest person ever to contest a full campaign in the series.

Signing a two-year deal with the title-winning squad, Young will be 16 years and 11 months old when he makes his debut at Donington Park next April; with no other driver having started a full-season at a younger age.

Over the past two seasons, the British racer has been a regular fixture in the Ginetta Junior Championship – where he has gone on to tally a number of front-running results.

During that time, Young has benefitted from being under the tutelage of former BTCC racer Bobby Thompson and two-time champion Tom Ingram, with the latter lining up alongside him on the grid next year.

EXCELR8 have outlined that Young’s rookie campaign in 2027 will be viewed as a season in which he can learn the ropes before seeking to move further up the grid in 2028.

“Ginetta Juniors has been a brilliant place for me to learn over the last two seasons, with close racing and battles for the podium positions from the first lap of a race to the last,” said Young.

“I have been able to learn a huge amount about racing in a series that is hard but fair, and now I have an unbelievable opportunity to make the move into the most high-profile series in UK motorsport with one of the very best teams on the grid.

“I’m under no illusions that this is a big step up for me and that there are going to be plenty of challenges ahead, but I’m ready to tackle them head on and I cannot wait.

“Getting behind the wheel of the car for the first time at Donington was an amazing experience in itself, and it promises to be a busy winter preparing for my first race in the spring.

“I have to say a huge thank you to EXCELR8 and Team VERTU for backing me to make this move, and to CarMats.co.uk and the rest of my sponsors for getting me onto the grid.”

Young sampled the team’s Hyundai i30 Fastback in testing at Donington Park this week and is set for more outings ahead of Christmas, before ramping things up on-track in the New Year.