![Daryl DeLeon and Dick Bennetts, West Surrey Racing [WSR] and some trophies.](https://www.touringcars.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Daryl-DeLeon-WSR.jpg "Photo: WSR")
Daryl DeLeon will join West Surrey Racing for the 2025 British Touring Car Championship, as the 19-year-old prepares to embark on his third season in touring cars.
DeLeon joined the BTCC grid for the second half of the 2023 season with Team HARD, having switched to car racing from karting in 2021, showing flashes of promise including a best finish of 12th in the season finale.
He moved to Un-Limited Motorsport to continue in a CUPRA for the 2024 season, regularly challenging for top ten finishes.
DeLeon notably improved in the second half of the year, when he became a regular threat to the top ten, culminating in a career-best finish of seventh in the final meeting of the year at Brands Hatch.
The Anglo-Filipino racer will become WSR’s youngest driver since Tom Onslow-Cole made his BTCC début in 2007.
It marks a return to rear-wheel drive machinery for DeLeon, who previously competed in the Radical SR1 Cup in 2021 and lifted the title in 2022.
He won multiple times in Radical SR3s in 2023, whilst also lifting the British Endurance Championship title in a Porsche 991 Cup car before turning his attention to touring cars.
“It’s a dream come true to join WSR and to be with the best team in the BTCC after only one full season in touring cars. I still can’t quite believe it,” said DeLeon, who will test the BMW 330i M Sport for the first time in the New Year.
“I’m excited to return to a rear-wheel drive car as that’s been my background pre-BTCC and the BMW is clearly a mega machine as it proved by winning the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships in 2024.
“The first aim will be to score a podium finish and I’ll also be trying to win the Jack Sears Trophy across the season.
“I think both are realistic targets and I’ll be working hard with the team to raise my performance level to where it needs to be for a team like WSR.”
WSR Team Principal Dick Bennetts expects that a return to rear-wheel drive racing will benefit DeLeon.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Daryl to WSR for the 2025 season,” added Bennetts. “He’s impressed us with what he’s achieved in challenging circumstances across the year.
“He has a lot of the raw potential and determination that we’ve seen in a number of young drivers that have gone on to achieve great things in our cars and beyond.
“Given his background racing rear-wheel drive cars he should have little trouble getting used to our race-winning BMW. We look forward to helping him develop and move towards the front of the grid.”