GT ace Dorlin claims final BTCC Toyota seat for 2025

British Touring Car Championship debutant James Dorlin is the final driver of the Speedworks Motorsport-run Toyota Gazoo Racing UK squad in 2025.

The 25-year-old Yorkshireman is switching across from the GT ranks to race one of the Corolla GR Sports alongside three-time champion Gordon Shedden, Irish veteran Aron Taylor-Smith and highly rated Scot Ronan Pearson.
 
Dorlin won the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB in 2020 before moving into GT3 competition and he claimed British GT's Silver-Am title in 2022 alongside Alex Malykhin.
 
The move into touring cars has been a work in progress between Dorlin and the head of motorsport at Speedworks, Danny Buxton, who, as former chief of McLaren customer racing, recruited the then-teenager in 2019 for its young driver system.
 
That came after a spell in the BTCC support series Renault Clio Cup UK, in which Dorlin finished as championship runner-up in 2018.

“It feels like this has been a long time coming,” said Dorlin, who is expected to get his first taste of the Toyota this week when the Speedworks squadron breaks cover at a Snetterton test.

#91 Allied Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R: Alex Malykhin, James Dorlin, Benjamin Barker

Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

“The BTCC has always been something I’ve aspired to and, back when I was racing in the Clio Cup, the natural progression was to go into touring cars, but then I got the opportunity to join the McLaren Young Driver Programme, which was obviously something I couldn’t pass up.

“That sent me down the sportscar route instead and put my BTCC ambitions on the backburner for a while, so it’s great to finally get the chance to join the championship – and with a manufacturer-backed team, too. It really doesn’t get much better than that!

“Danny and I have always had a good relationship and, when he asked me what my plans were for 2025, I told him I wanted to go racing again properly – over the past couple of seasons, I’ve not really had much seat time aside from the odd outing here and there.

“When he subsequently presented me with an opportunity to join Speedworks and Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, I immediately knew I needed to pull out all the stops to make it happen.

“Realistically, it’s going to be a huge challenge and I have a lot to take on board. The BTCC is a very different proposition to GT racing and a different kind of beast to tame, but that flat-out push and no-holds-barred battle from the moment the lights go out to the moment the chequered flag falls is something I’ve really missed since stepping away from the TOCA package.”

Speedworks team principal Christian Dick added: “James comes highly recommended by Danny, who worked closely with him at McLaren and has a keen eye for spotting genuine talent, and his career CV speaks for itself.

James Dorlin, Speedworks Motorsport

Photo by: Speedworks Motorsport

“Having never driven a touring car before, he knows he will need to get quickly up to speed – particularly given the hectic and unique nature of BTCC race weekends – but he is absolutely the real deal and I am very confident he will soon develop into a leading contender.”

Huff steps down from BTCC after just one season back

With an all-new line-up at Speedworks for the second year in succession, that means the 2012 World Touring Car champion Rob Huff is departing the BTCC after just one season back.

In his first full-time BTCC campaign since 2004, Huff claimed ninth in the standings last year, with two race wins.
 
“I made the decision probably eight weeks ago that I wasn’t going to go back,” the 45-year-old told Autosport.
 
“I’ve got lots of exciting things on the go – things are ramping up with Fewkes Sport Management [where Huff became a director a year ago], which is great, and I’ve got my Motorsport Coffee business, supplying to teams and hospitality, which is taking up a lot of my time.
 
“And racing-wise, this is probably one of the busiest years I’ve ever had. It’s a bit daunting not to be racing full-time in any touring car championship for the first time in over 20 years, but my historic stuff and other bits and bobs are taking over.”

Rob Huff, Speedworks Motorsport Toyota

Photo by: Speedworks Motorsport

Apart from his racing with regular historics partner Richard Meins, Huff this month broke the Time Attack lap record at Sicilian circuit Racalmuto in a 1000bhp Mitsubishi Evo. He has also been testing Bentley and Audi R8 LMP1 machinery on behalf of Motor Racing Legends supremo Shaun Lynn and his son Max at Paul Ricard.
 
Huff also anticipates returning to modern touring car competition for the season-closing TCR World Tour rounds at Zhuzhou and Macau, where he holds the race wins record on 11.
 
“It was not an easy decision to leave the BTCC,” he said, “but modern motorsport is getting more and more challenging, and the historic world is more and more thriving.”