Speedworks Toyota have revealed Ronan Pearson as their first signing announcement for the 2025 BTCC season, with the Fife based racer aiming to add to his debut victory from Brands Hatch last season.

The former Mini JCW race winner faced a baptism of fire with an, at times, difficult debut BTCC season in 2023 with Excelr8 in the Hyundai i30 N. Remaining with the team in 2024 Pearson picked up his first BTCC win on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. His exit after seven rounds came as a surprise with reports of a difficult disentanglement from the team.

Speedworks have been quiet over the winter period as the other three manufacturer teams, or in the case of NAPA/Alliance, carried over previous driver signings. The squad is expected to once again run Rob Huff with the two other TBL slots still open to speculation.

In a statement released by Speedworks, Pearson was quoted: “When an opportunity to join a manufacturer-backed team presents itself, you have to give it proper consideration and I feel really proud to be representing the world’s number one car brand on the biggest stage in British motorsport – it’s a dream for any young driver. Toyota’s input on the technical side is immensely valuable, and you only have to look at what Speedworks has accomplished in the series over the years to appreciate the level of experience inside the team; that kind of knowledge plays a big part in success in the BTCC, and it’s incredible to have access to so much expertise.”

Speedworks placed two drivers in the top 10 last season with Josh Cook sixth and Rob Huff ninth. Aiden Moffat and Andrew Watson faced tough seasons in the LKQ and Toyota Gazoo sides of the team respectively, but the set up of the team has proved to be attractive to Pearson.

“Speedworks has always been a close-knit, family-run team at heart, and their passion and drive to win mean a lot to me – that’s the main reason why we do this, after all,” he added. “Everybody in the team is pushing in the same direction and very hungry to succeed. I’ve got some really good people around me, and the fact that both Christian [Dick] and Danny [Buxton – Speedworks’ Head of Motorsport] are former racers themselves makes a huge difference, because they genuinely ‘get it’.

“Driving the Corolla for the first time really backed up my decision. I felt at home pretty much straightaway and settled in really quickly. I think that showed in the lap times, even if they weren’t the main goal given it was a cold day in October, so that was a really positive start. Ultimately, I want to be in the BTCC for the long-term. What I’ve learned over the past couple of seasons – both on and off-track – has shaped me into the person and driver I am now, and I feel much more established in the championship and ready to grasp this opportunity with both hands. I really think we could be onto something here…”

Team Principal Christian Dick added: “We are fortunate to have worked with some of the very best drivers in the business during our time in the BTCC so far, and in Ronan, we strongly believe we have an extremely promising young talent and are confident we can help him to extract and exploit his full potential. Within the space of just two seasons, he has already made a significant impact in the championship and marked himself out as a star of the future. We have been keeping a close eye on his performances and – recognising his ability – once he became a free agent, we moved swiftly to bring him into the fold. Ronan was exceptional when he tested the Corolla – very quick indeed – but even more importantly, the energy and enthusiasm he brought with him put the whole team in an overwhelmingly positive mindset going into the winter rebuild. Everybody really picked up on the positive vibes, and we have no doubt that together, we can achieve some great things in the BTCC.”