• DONINGTON RETURNS TO SCHEDULE
• THRUXTON AND SILVERSTONE INTERNATIONAL DROPPED
• BRITISH GT AND TRUCK RACING SLOTS CONFIRMED
• BARC REVEALED AS NEW ORGANISING BODY

By Mick Palmer

TCR UK have released their 2025 calendar, and it’s one that that delivers a pleasing schedule for teams and drivers.

The 2024 campaign was universally panned for two choices in particular for this term: the addition of Thruxton, and the lack of a Donington round. The former has been ditched, and the latter will appear twice.

The season kicks off with a visit to Donington on March 22/23 on the National layout before returning a few weeks later supporting British GT. The April 5/6 round takes place on the GP circuit. TCR UK in the TCT guise raced with the SRO run series for the first time in 2019 and has run sporadically with the championship in the years since. Donington has been sorely missed this year due to the geographical location of the track in the centre of the country. It’s a track that current teams will be relieved to see returning to the schedule

The chance to support a major championship means that the series will be placed in front of a large audience, and it will be a major factor over the off-season in attracting new entrants, and retaining current outfits. The final round of the year takes place alongside the British Truck Racing Championship with a November 1/2 slot for the traditional Brands Hatch end of season fireworks evening. Again, as a traditionally well supported event, TCR UK will benefit from even more exposure at another cornerstone meeting on the domestic calendar.

The main body of the 2025 season will feature most of the same circuits that appeared this season. Snetterton and Oulton Park which have both witnessed some decent crowds for TCR UK in recent seasons will once again feature. On the 300 layout of the Norfolk track the series will join British Trucks for the first of their two joint meetings. A one day July 5^th event at Oulton Park will follow the now traditional Saturday structure that has proved popular over the last few seasons.

The 2023 Croft round provided the best crowd at the North Yorkshire venue outside of a BTCC or Historic Festival for over a decade – the 2024 round struggled to bring in spectators due to very bad weather – but the racing starved North East track takes their round on June 14/15 as the series returns once again.

A single Silverstone round will feature for 2025. The International layout which hosts the 2024 finale in three weeks will not return, but the traditional Tin Top National track which has provided some real elbows out and door banging action over the years will be utilised on 17/18 May.

The calendar revamp – and move away from the BRSCC – are the first steps to rebuilding after a strong 2023 season for the championship. Some team members have been vocal about including Thruxton this year, due to the nature of the circuit requiring different tyres to the rest of the season, which was reflected by a low turnout this past weekend. Others have taken umbrage over the exclusion of Donington for both logistics and sponsor related reasons.

As with other forms of motorsport in the UK, a struggle to fill grids after a post-pandemic boom in racing has had an effect on TCR UK, BTCC and, with a few exceptions, national motor racing in general. A solid calendar and proper support from a new organising club (BARC) should rebuild confidence in a championship that has been forced into accepting a below par schedule, a series of controversial stewarding decisions and a lack of club promotion.

BARC will oversee the series for 2025 with Chief Executive Ben Taylor stating: “We are delighted to welcome TCR UK to the BARC family and look forward to working with Stewart (Lines) and the team to grow the championship further. BARC has a well-deserved reputation for delivering premium race meetings for our customers and I am sure that the TCR UK grid will appreciate a new level of professionalism and enjoy better value for money for their series.”

Lines stated: “We are delighted to announce that we have joined forces with BARC for the 2025 season. The team at BARC showed a huge enthusiasm for the growth of TCR UK and with their platform, we are planning to move forward and deliver a really strong product for the UK market.”

The announcement of the 2025 schedule, which includes a break during August with plenty of time before the March kick off will allow for a strong recruitment period over the winter months. A number of drivers confirmed to Touring Car magazine this past weekend that they intend to remain in the series for 2025, while interest from drivers not present – as is reflected in the expected expanded entry for the Silverstone finale – is strong.

2025 TCR UK Calendar:

22/23 March – Donington Park National

5/6 April – Donington Park GP

17/18 May – Silverstone National

14/15 June – Croft

5 July – Oulton Park

13/14 September – Snetterton 300

1/2 November – Brands Hatch Indy