Senna Proctor will make an early return to the BTCC this weekend with Excelr8 as the team heads to Thruxton with its most competitive lineup since entering the championship in 2019.

Race winner Proctor – who raced the exact same chassis 2020 that he has been allocated for this weekend – jumps into the seat two rounds earlier than the planned replacement of Michael Crees at Croft for the second half of the season.

“I’m delighted to be back on the BTCC grid this weekend and can’t wait to get going at Thruxton,” Proctor stated. “There’s no doubting the fact that it’s a challenging circuit on which to make my return to the series, but it’s one where I’ve had some good results in the past – including my last outing back in 2021 when I finished on the podium!

“As I said when my deal with the team was announced, this season is all about playing the long game and looking to the future as I work towards a full-time return to the grid in 2026 – but I still want to be able to challenge towards the front and fighting for some strong results. This will be the first time I’ve tasted the new three-part qualifying format which promises to be interesting, but having seen how well the car has performed in the opening rounds, I’m just really excited about the prospect of getting back behind the wheel. Three solid performances at Thruxton this weekend would be a good way to kick things off.”

Crees was initially slated to race the first half of the season with the team and did put in some decent performances without taking part in any testing before the season started. TCR UK racer Ryan Bensley filled in at Snetterton as budget restraints stymied a return to the series for Crees.

Proctor, who replaced Crees at BTC Racing (Now One Motorsport) in 2021 has not raced in the championship since the end of that campaign. Having previously won with Power Maxed in 2018, he took his second career win at Oulton Park in that 2021 season.