Callum Newsham Crowned 2026 TCR UK Champion at Brands Hatch

TCR UK Touring Car Championship – Rounds 15, 16 & 17
Brands Hatch Indy – 31st October & 1st November 2026

Callum Newsham was crowned TCR UK champion in front of a huge crowd at the Brands Hatch season finale last weekend (31 October-1 November).

The JH Racing driver took his Hyundai Elantra N to two victories from three races across the event to beat rivals Max Hall and Max Hart to the crown.

Qualifying

Callum Newsham jumped title rival Max Hart in the championship standings by securing a potentially crucial six points as he topped the qualifying times for the sixth time in seven race weekends.

Newsham earned pole position for Round 15 of the championship as his JH Racing-run Hyundai went a tenth of second faster than the Honda Civic Type R of third title contender Max Hall (Hall’s Racing) around the 1.2-mile Indy circuit. But although Hall was second fastest, he would have to start the weekend’s opening race from seventh on the grid due to a penalty carried over from the previous round.

The same pair also topped the order on second fastest times, used to determine the grid for Sunday’s Round 17, but in reverse order. So it would be Hall on pole position for the season finale, with Newsham alongside.

Third fastest overall was Harry Bloor (DT Racing Developments Honda Civic), whose primary focus was on sealing the Tom Walker Trophy for the top driver without a podium finish to their name prior to 2026.

Bloor, just under half a second down on Newsham’s pace, would be promoted to join Newsham on the front row of the grid for the weekend’s first race. Next up was Brad Hutchison (Capture Motorsport with MPHR CUPRA Leon VZ), just over a tenth further back after being unable to improve his pace in the second half of the session.

Rod McGovern (Power Maxed Racing CUPRA Leon VZ), already champion of the Goodyear Diamond Award for drivers aged 40 and over, was fifth fastest, just 0.03s slower than Hutchison. The top six was completed by Bloor’s main TWT rival Jenson O’Neill-Going (Power Maxed Racing Honda Civic).

Pre-weekend points leader Hart’s title hopes were dealt a massive blow when the engine seized aboard his Vannin Motorsport-run Audi RS3 LMS. Not only was the Irishman unable to set a qualifying time, the failure would keep him out of Saturday afternoon’s first race.

BRANDS HATCH INDY QUALIFYING RESULT

Round 15 – Race Report

Newsham safely converted pole position into the lead of the weekend’s first race as Bloor’s startline Achilles heel struck once again. This time he went early, incurring a 10s penalty, and further penalised himself by hesitating when he realised his mistake and dropped down the order.

Hutchison slotted into second while a good start from O’Neill-Going jumped him to third from Row 3.

Fourth-placed McGovern immediately had the Hondas of Hall and Bloor looming large in his mirrors and it was that trio that provided the early action. As Hall dived past McGovern into Paddock Hill Bend at the start of lap two, Bloor tried to follow through. The Anglo-Spaniard’s Honda tagged McGovern’s CUPRA and sent it into a slide, the Irishman doing well to avoid a spin into the gravel.

Hall then went about chasing down the leading trio and he set fastest lap as he closed up to O’Neill-Going, who was hampered by understeer on his similar car. Hall challenged around the outside of Druids hairpin, giving him the inside line for Graham Hill Bend and he completed the move into Surtees on lap seven of an eventual 18.

But his fellow teenager wasn’t done. O’Neill-Going squeezed to the inside through Clearways and Clark Curve, and the pair ran side by side through the fearsome Paddock Hill Bend. Light contact at Druids put Hall wide and the chasing Bloor pounced to pass both in one move.

Bloor then reeled in Hutchison and made his move for second on the road. Aware of Bloor’s time penalty to come, the Yorkshireman put up little resistance when Bloor dived to the inside at Clearways.

Hall despatched O’Neill-Going for fourth at Druids one lap after their previous contact and reeled in Hutchison over the next few tours. But the 19-year-old’s pace had potentially been aided by going beyond the track limits on multiple occasions and he was slapped with 15s worth of penalties, effectively ending any hopes of a podium finish.

Hall had just caught Hutchison when McGovern’s car went straight on at Druids, bringing out a safety car. It had the potential to have a significant impact on the race as dominant race leader Newsham – who had been driving serenely into the distance – suddenly saw his 6.5s lead wiped out.

But, with less than three minutes remaining on the clock and little chance of a resumption, red flags came out to end the race early. So Newsham took an untroubled fourth win of the season, and suddenly found himself with a hefty 45-point lead over Hart.

Hutchison was promoted back to second by Bloor’s penalty but the red-flag countback meant the safety car did not affect the gaps on the road, sparing Bloor any further demotion. Hall’s penalties dropped him behind O’Neill-Going to fifth.

McGovern’s non-finish meant that Goodyear Diamond Award honours went to Russell Joyce (JH Racing Audi) in sixth overall, ahead of Barry-John McHenry (Vannin Motorsport Audi).

BRANDS HATCH INDY ROUND FIFTEEN RESULT

Round 16 – Race Report

Sunday morning’s race was the reversed-grid encounter, which promoted McHenry and Joyce to the front row of the grid although both were soon shuffled down the order by the quicker runners.

A fine start by O’Neill-Going took him from fourth to first within two corners, chased by McGovern who had made an even better launch from Row 4. Hall was third and Hutchison took fourth as an understandably circumspect Newsham found himself boxed in and unwilling to take too many risks.

Sterling work from the Vannin Motorsport crew, who fetched a spare engine from their Cheshire base overnight, meant Hart was able to join the fray from the back of the grid. The erstwhile points leader took advantage of Newsham’s caution to charge around the outside of Graham Hill Bend and snatch fifth position on the second lap.

Hart then dived past Hutchison for fourth at Paddock Hill Bend half a lap later before gradually closing up to Hall over the next few laps. Hall himself was putting pressure on second-placed McGovern and he squeezed inside to take the place shortly before half-distance. Hart then immediately pounced to dive past his fellow Irishman for third at Druids.

With Hall’s car getting increasingly ragged, and running wide on more than one occasion, Hart was able to engineer an opening at Clearways to take second position a couple of laps later. His next target was race leader O’Neill-Going who had opened a 2s advantage out front.

Overnight setup changes had improved the handling on O’Neill-Going’s Honda but a suspected steering rack problem meant it still wasn’t in perfect working order and contributed to its tyres dropping off in the closing stages.

With five laps remaining, Hart made his move. He cut back on the exit of Druids and held the outside line through Graham Hill Bend and Surtees, completing the manoeuvre into Clearways. Hall followed past shortly afterwards and kept up the pressure until the chequered flag.

But Hart held off his former team-mate to take only his second win of the season as both drivers kept their championship hopes, however slim, alive for the final race of the season.

Behind them, Bloor had also been climbing through the field. He passed Newsham for sixth at Surtees, then repeated the move on Hutchison a lap later. Bloor eventually found a way past McGovern into Clearways at around three-quarters distance then latched onto O’Neill-Going. The DTR car elbowed past at Surtees with a couple of laps remaining but the clerk of the course deemed the move to be unfair and reversed their positions after the flag.

So O’Neill-Going completed the podium ahead of his TWT rival, with McGovern the GDA winner in fifth. It took Newsham half the race to find a way past Hutchison but, once released, he set the fastest lap – earning a potentially crucial additional point – en route to sixth at the flag.

Hutchison had to settle for seventh, ahead of Joyce and McHenry.

BRANDS HATCH INDY ROUND SIXTEEN RESULT

Round 17 – Race Report

Hart’s win had reduced Newsham’s points lead to 27 going into the season finale, with Hall a further six adrift. The two Maxes would be giving it their all, but Newsham remained a firm favourite – fifth position would guarantee him the title regardless of where his rivals finished.

The odds on Newsham lifting his first TCR UK title shortened even further as soon as the lights went out on the starting gantry. As Hall making a tardy getaway, the Scot seized his opportunity to grab the lead.

The race was soon brought under caution after contact between McGovern and O’Neill-Going on Cooper Straight sent McGovern’s car into the barriers. Both toured in to retire, McGovern as a direct result of the damage sustained and O’Neill-Going after electrical problems sapped his car of power. Meanwhile Bloor had already spun after a brush with Joyce.

When the action got back under way, Newsham led from Hall and Hutchison. Hart had already climbed from the back to fourth but had also been hit with a 10s penalty for his mechanics still working on the grid after the one-minute board had been shown.

Hall continued to apply pressure on Newsham for the rest of the race but was unable to find a way past the leader. So Newsham recorded another win, his fifth of the season, and, more significantly, secured the TCR UK Touring Car Championship crown.

Second place for Hall also lifted him to second in the final standings. Hutchison was third, which left him fourth in the points for a second consecutive year. He was passed by Hart in the race but the Vannin Audi was forced to pit as a loose turbo hose clip was costing it boost pressure.

In an attritional race, Hart rejoined to finish sixth, behind GDA category winner Joyce, who recorded his best-ever overall finish in fourth, and McHenry.

BRANDS HATCH INDY ROUND SEVENTEEN RESULT

Driver quotes

Rounds 15 & 17 race winner and TCR UK champion, Callum Newsham

“I had to work for that, didn’t I? I’m so happy.

“I came so close last year. This year’s not been easy, I can’t lie. He [Max Hall] put me under a hell of a lot of pressure in that last race but I really wanted to win it and become champion as a winner.

“There’s so many good drivers on this grid and to beat them, I couldn’t be happier.”

Round 16 winner, Max Hart

“I just drove as if it was my last race ever and it paid off. I tried to be as clean as I could, I think I was as clean as I could be. I’m delighted with that win.

“I just knew I had to get past [Max Hall] as quick as I could to try to catch Jenson [O’Neill-Going]. At one stage I thought I was never going to catch Jenson but my lap times seemed to be consistent enough and the tyre was able to last as long as I could get it to.

“[After] how tough this week’s been, to reward Vannin Motorsport, who spent all day yesterday and all last night fitting an engine and gearbox, and to Luke Sargeant who lent me the engine, it’s a reward for them.”

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS AFTER BRANDS HATCH INDY FINALE RESULTS

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.