The British Touring Car Championship reaches the halfway point in its 2025 campaign with a trip to Oulton Park in Cheshire. The circuit renowned for its changes in elevation, tricky corners and lack of runoff will be the next for BTCC drivers to conquer.
Pearson replaced by Leslie at Toyota
Toyota announced yesterday that Ronan Pearson would be stepping down from his race seat for this weekend at Oulton Park. The decision was made because of ‘commercial challenges’. Pearson did have to cut his 2024 campaign short for similar reasons but it does sound like the 23 year old could be back on the grid later on this season. Replacing him will be 17 year old Finn Leslie who has been a real talking point in the TCR championship so far this year. Leslie won the 2024 Fiesta Junior Championship and made the huge leap to the TCR championship this year where he sits fifth in the championship at the moment. Reportedly, Leslie did have a test in the Toyota Corolla on Wednesday but the teenager, who is still attending college, will have a lot to learn ahead of this weekend which just so happens to be Speedworks home race.
Sutton vs Ingram intensifies
Coming into this weekend, the fight for the drivers title has tightened up. Ash Sutton and Tom Ingram sit just nine points apart in what could be a crucial weekend in the context of the title race. Sutton didn’t have the rub of the green at Oulton last year, finishing two of the three races outside the points. Ingram undoubtedly has the most momentum heading into this weekend with three podiums and a first win of the season at Thruxton. Who will leave Oulton Park with the championship lead heading into the BTCC’s summer break.
Race one at Oulton Park in 2024 saw Ingram and Sutton collide, but Ingram went on to take the win
BMW battle for the Jack Sears Trophy
The battle for the Jack Sears Trophy is also proving to be one to watch. It’s the BMW duo of Darly Deleon and Charles Rainford who have claimed the top two spots so far. Deleon won the class at Thruxton, making it his second so far this season. He tied Rainford for wins as he had a troublesome weekend at Thruxton and dropped points to the teenager. The top two could start to run away with the title, as Ronan Pearson sits third in the standings but will miss this and potentially future rounds. Both of them made it clear at the start of the season that the Jack Sears Trophy was a priority, but only one can lead the class heading into the break.
Doble looking to bounce back after difficult Thruxton weekend
Mikey Doble had a torrid weekend at Thruxton with two retirements and a thirteenth place which saw him lose the lead of the independent drivers championship. Doble slipped all the way down to third place in the independent standings and will now be chasing after Josh Cook and Chris Smiley. The Surrey born driver has looked incredibly strong so far this season in his Vauxhall Astra, a car that also went well last time out at Oulton Park.
He claimed his maiden podium finish in race three at Oulton Park in 2024, battling with Jake Hill for the lead of the race but eventually having to settle for second. His teammate at the time Aron Taylor-Smith came home with two third place finishes that day, showing that the Astra is a strong package around the Cheshire circuit. With a couple of quick six appearances under his belt so far this season, Doble could definitely be one to watch this weekend as he aims to bounce back from his disastrous weekend at Thruxton.
A scorching weekened at Oulton Park promises plenty of action before the six week summer break.
Cover Image: Alfie Gendall
Track Map: BTCC