The 2025 TCR UK championship gets underway at Donington Park this weekend, with the series set to have a new champion due to reigning champion Carl Boardley’s absence.
The series gets underway with a return to Donington Park for the first time since 2023, featuring a field of 16 cars.
As in previous seasons, the CUPRA and Hyundai entry dominates the field, with no fewer than five each of the Hyundai i30 N TCR cars and the CUPRA Leon Competición TCR cars.
Father-and-son duo Steve and Sam Laidlaw are the only entrants to bring a truly new car to the field, entering a pair of the very latest CUPRA Leon VZ TCR models run by Area Motorsport.
In fact, the intent of the Laidlaws has been made loud and clear, as the duo are the only drivers in the field to have already taken part in some racing of their 2025 cars when they entered the TCR Spain Preseason races in Valencia back in February, scoring a brace of podium results each.
At the top of the entry, whilst double champion Boardley is not returning for a third crack of the whip, two of his closest challengers for last year’s title will be on the grid.
26-year-old Bradley Hutchison will once again line up in a CUPRA Leon Competición, having finished the 2024 season as runner-up after missing out on the title by 20 points.
Young Scot Callum Newsham once again enters in a Hyundai i30 N TCR, and after claiming more wins (six) than any other driver in 2024, will be keen to mount another title challenge, having fallen short last year by 60 points due to non-finishes in four of the final seven races of the season.
Adam Shepherd would likely have been a contender for last year’s title as well, had the 32-year-old not suffered from a spate of fuel pressure problems at the end of the season.
Shepherd will continue in a CUPRA in 2025, switching to Capture Motorsport as he looks to build upon the four victories he obtained in the first half of the 2024 season.
Another previous race winner committing to a full season (for the first time) in 2025 is Alistair Camp. The 33-year-old made one-off appearances in 2023 and 2024, winning at Donington in only his second event, and will once again race in a Hyundai.
Will Beech steps up from the Gen 1 Cup to a newer CUPRA Leon Competición model for 2025, aiming to build on a solid début season last year which saw him finish regularly inside the top ten.
The Gen 1 Cup will itself consist of three returning drivers in 2025, with Cedrich Bloch, Jeffrey Alden and George Jaxon duking it out for the honour of best driver in older-generation TCR cars.
The series will feature four new faces this year. Three of those will be in Hyundai machinery, with Power Maxed Racing running cars for 17-year-old Harry Bloor and 16-year-old Finn Leslie as part of the Junior Touring Car programme, whilst JH Racing will run an i30 for experienced Irishman Rod McGovern. Gregory Saunders will also make his début, in a CUPRA Leon Competición run by Capture Motorsport.
Elder racers Mark Smith (59) and Stewart Lines (61) will also return in 2025, the former upgrading to a CUPRA Leon Competición. Series promoter Lines will be in a Maximum Motorsport-run Lynk & Co 03 for the opening round.
Although not on track this weekend, Ryan Bensley has also confirmed his participation in the series this year, albeit from the second event onwards. Bensley, who finally made his début in the 2024 season finale, will be in a Lynk & Co 03 car run by Motion Motorsport.
Track action gets underway with TCR UK qualifying at 10:00 GMT, followed by the opening race of the season at 14:15 GMT on Saturday afternoon.
Races two and three follow at 10:35 GMT and 14:45 GMT respectively on Sunday.
| Driver | No. | Team | Car |
 Cedric BLOCH |
12 | SGM Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR (Gen 1) |
| Jeffrey ALDEN |
19 | Power Maxed Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR (Gen 1) |
| George JAXON |
28 | DW Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR (Gen 1) |
 Rod MCGOVERN |
8 | JH Racing | Hyundai i30 N TCR |
| Harry BLOOR |
11 | Power Maxed Racing | Hyundai i30 N TCR |
| Callum NEWSHAM |
16 | JH Racing | Hyundai i30 N TCR |
| Bradley HUTCHISON |
17 | Bond It with MPH Racing | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR |
| Finn LESLIE |
26 | Power Maxed Racing | Hyundai i30 N TCR |
| Will BEECH |
27 | Capture Motorsport | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR |
| Gregory SAUNDERS |
34 | Capture Motorsport AMS Motorcycles | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR |
| Alistair CAMP |
45 | Area Motorsport | Hyundai i30 N TCR |
| Mark SMITH |
77 | BSR with Richmond Fire Motorsport | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR |
| Stewart LINES |
81 | Maximum Motorsport with BSR | Lynk & Co 03 TCR |
| Steve LAIDLAW |
100 | Area Motorsport | CUPRA Leon VZ TCR |
| Sam LAIDLAW |
101 | Area Motorsport | CUPRA Leon VZ TCR |
| Adam SHEPHERD |
117 | Capture Motorsport with Shepherd Motors | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR |