BTCC: Ronan Pearson signs with Toyota Gazoo Racing

The former Hyundai driver has made the jump to the red and white Toyota outfit for 2025 season as the teams first driver announcement.

Pearson claimed his first race win in 2024 at the third round of Brands Hatch Indy and showed promising pace all season with decent results only in his second year in the BTCC.

He had an impressive testing outing in the Corolla at Donighton Park eventually leading to him signing with the team. The Scot is aiming to be a consistent front-runner and podium finisher in 2025 now having two seasons under his belt.

The Speedworks Motorsport run team aims higher for 2025 with their new signing as the development over the winter period of the Corolla has been heavily invested in over the break.

The Corolla has won 17 races and finished on the podium on 30 occasions since it's inception in the series in 2019. With 5 of the wins came last year, Toyota Gazoo Racing is continuing it's stride forward signing the young Pearson for 2025 who is one of the most highly regarded young drivers in the BTCC. He was a multi-time race winner and title contender in the Mini Challenge before joining the BTCC in 2023 where he took his first win at Brands Hatch that year.

After signing with the team, Pearson said: “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."

"At the same time, 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. 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 and Danny 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 Principle, Christian Dick, said: “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.”