The 2025 TCR UK Touring Car season reaches its climax this weekend with a title decider at the world-famous Brands Hatch (1-2 November).
After a season-long contest, it all comes down to a two-race shootout to decide whether Adam Shepherd or Callum Newsham will become the eighth TCR UK champion. But they won’t have things all their own way, with the biggest entry for two years set to provide thrilling door-to-door action.
Heading into the weekend, Capture Motorsport’s Adam Shepherd holds a 33-point lead in the standings, having won seven of 15 races to date. Five of those have come since switching to the latest CUPRA Leon VZ TCR midseason, as Shepherd seeks to banish his misfortune of previous years and finally put his hands on the TCR UK championship crown.
With 40 points on offer in each race, and a further six in qualifying, the title race is far from over. JH Racing man Callum Newsham has been snapping at Shepherd’s heels for most of the year, winning three races in his Hyundai i30 N TCR. That was upgraded to an Elantra N TCR last time out at Snetterton, only for the weekend to end in heartbreak after a heavy accident left Newsham with a substantial repair bill.
Newsham and the JH Racing crew have moved heaven and earth in their quest to make the grid this weekend, and the Hampshire-domiciled Scot would like nothing more than to reward the team’s efforts with success. The one silver lining of Newsham’s Norfolk nightmare is that he will carry no compensation weight this weekend, whereas rival Shepherd is burdened with the maximum 40kg.
An exciting addition to the field last time out was rising tin-top star Max Hall. The 18-year-old scored two podium finishes on debut and is back for more aboard the popular Ben Sharpe Racing-run Lynk & Co 03 TCR.
A second teen sensation joins the grid this weekend in the form of 16-year-old Jenson O’Neill-Going. Last year’s Fiesta Junior champion only turned 16 a couple of months ago and is making his debut in TCR UK as the championship’s youngest ever driver. Jenson will be at the wheel of Jamsport’s Subaru WRX Sti TCR, marking the fans’ favourite car’s return to action for the first time since 2022.
The grid is further boosted by returns to TCR UK for last year’s Gen 1 Cup champion Rick Kerry (JH Racing Hyundai i30 N TCR), inspirational paraplegic racer Cedric Bloch (Simon Green Motorsport Audi RS3 LMS TCR DSG) and series stalwart Darelle Wilson (DW Racing Vauxhall Astra TCR). Bloch is back after being sidelined since crashing at this season’s opening round, while backing from Trade Nation has aided Wilson’s return in his popular Astra.
Trade Nation of course are familiar backers of George Jaxon, who scored a breakthrough maiden win in impressive style last time out at Snetterton. The Londoner will be aiming to continue that form on home ground aboard his Vannin Motorsport-run CUPRA Leon VZ TCR.
The expanding Vannin squad also field a pair of Gen 2 Audi RS3 LMS TCR cars for Jordan Kerridge and Luke Sargeant, as well as a CUPRA Leon Competicion TCR for junior driver Harry Bloor.
Further CUPRA machinery comes from Adam Shepherd’s Capture Motorsport team-mates Will Beech and Greg Saunders, as well as Bond It with MPH Racing man Brad Hutchison. A pair of the newer VZ models are run for father-and-son duo Steve and Sam Laidlaw by Area Motorsport.
Technically, Sam Laidlaw remains in overall title contention. But with 78 points to make up on Shepherd, he would need a near-perfect score and for Shepherd and Newsham to both endure disastrous weekends. Realistically, both Laidlaws and Hutchison will simply be looking to end their seasons on a high note by adding to their win tallies.
As well as the overall honours, two more drivers’ titles will be decided this weekend. Mark Smith (CUPRA Leon Competicion TCR), who has moved over to Capture Motorsport, is the favourite for the Goodyear Diamond Award for drivers aged 40 and over. He holds a 44-point lead over Will Beech in the standings.
Jeff Alden (Matrix Motorsport with Power Maxed Racing Opel Astra TCR) will be looking to seal the Gen 1 Cup for older machinery. He leads Alex Jones (DW Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI) by a healthy 55-point margin going into the weekend.
This weekend’s on-track action begins with Qualifying at 1105hrs on Saturday (1 November) before the first race follows that afternoon at 1440hrs.
The Pit Lane Walkabout is back for the final weekend of the season, giving fans the chance to meet and greet the drivers during the lunch break on Saturday.
The season finale, which will of course be spiced up further by its reversed grid, takes place on Sunday afternoon (2 November) at 1500hrs. But don’t rush off afterwards – it’s followed by the massive fireworks display, It’s definitely one not to be missed.
We’d love you to watch the action from trackside. But if you can’t make it in person, a full live stream is available – with expert commentary and analysis – on TCR UK’s YouTube channel.
To learn more about the TCR UK Touring Car Championship, visit https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/ for more information and how to get involved.
For more information about the 2026 TCR UK Touring Car Championship, visit https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/2026-calendar/
Stay tuned for news and updates regarding the 2025 season finale 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
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Useful information
BRANDS HATCH INDY SATURDAY LIVESTREAM
BRANDS HATCH INDY SUNDAY LIVESTREAM
