BTCC: Who could fill the remaining seats for 2025?

With the season edging closer, thirteen different seats are still available out of the 24 TBL’s announced by the BTCC earlier in the winter break, but who is rumoured to end up taking those final seats?

Colin Turkington

In what seems like the most likely driver team pairing just waiting to be announced, long time BMW driver and four-time BTCC champion Turkington seems likely to be the final piece of the BMW driver line-up joining Aiden Moffat as the second LKQ Euro Car Parts entry. Turkington has been an integral part of the BMW outfit since 2017 while also having stints with WSR in 2003, 2004, 2006 to 2009 and 2013 to 2014. The long history with BMW and WSR easily makes him look all but certain to resign with them, considering he won all four championships with them. Last season Turkington managed to claim fourth in the standings going into the final round mathematically still in the championship fight. He ended the season tied on points with Cammish, but he had five wins to Cammish’s one win in Donighton Park meaning Turkington claimed fourth on countback.

Josh Cook

Cook is one of the drivers with the most links to different teams with him racing with LKQ Euro Car Parts last season when the team was with Toyota as part of the manufacturer entry. But with the team moving to BMW with teammate Aiden Moffat switching with the team, it seems unlikely that Cook would secure the final BMW seat with Turkington yet to sign. However, Cook has other links with potential to stay with Toyota and join the now four-car-strong Speedworks team to keep some sort of continuity for 2025. Cook had a solid season with Toyota in 2024 remaining in the title fight throughout the season ending up sixth in the standings mathematically still in the championship hunt at the final race weekend at Brands Hatch.

Another option for Josh in 2025 would see him leave Toyota and return back to a rejoining One Motorsport after they took a year out in 2024 meaning that Cook could return to the Independent championship. It is unknown if the team would return to using their Honda Civic’s that they ran in 2023 or if they are going to use another manufacturer. But it is probable that they will return with the Civic in 2025.

Daniel Lloyd

After a year away from the BTCC where he would race in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB in 2024, Daniel Lloyd looks like the most likely candidate to put pen to paper with Restart Racing and become the second driver for the team and join Chris Smiley as the team makes the switch to Hyundai I30’s for the 2025 season. Lloyd raced in the Hyundai in 2022 as part of the manufacturer entry where he claimed three out of his four race victories. Clearly having speed with the car in his first and only season in the Hyundai means he would be a solid driver to have in your team in an attempt to take the Independent Championships away from Power Maxed Racing.

Dan Zelos

With one Hyundai / Team Vertu seat still available, Dan Zelos seems like the obvious candidate for the seat as he showed excellent speed and consistency in his first outing in the car last season where he raced in the final nine races of the season while claiming the Mini JCW Championship throughout the year claiming six wins and five second places in the sixteen races he competed in that season.  Zelos took two eight place finishes in the 2024 BTCC season and finishing in the points on all nine occasions. He is certainly a driver to build towards the front as he shows time and time again a lot of promise.

Daniel Rowbottom

After a decent 2024 where he claimed two podiums, Rowbottom is looking to remain at the NAPA Racing UK team for a third season as the team will most likely keep an unchanged lineup. The two-time race winner and 2021 Jack Sears Trophy winner is a strong candidate to bring home points and the occasional podium as he has helped the NAPA team to get two of their teams’ championships.

Sam Osbourne

Osbourne is another driver who looks likely to stick with the NAPA Racing UK team to complete the four-driver lineup. Osbourne had been racing in the Ford Focus ST for the last four seasons, two of them being with NAPA where he claimed his first and only podium. He has consistently brought points home for the team and has seen some improvement year on year and NAPA does not look like they are going to drop him from the team for the upcoming season.

With over half the grid yet to be determined and much of the grid already mixed up, 2025 could see a lot of faces in different cars compared to 2024.