Nicolas Hamilton has landed his biggest drive yet by signing with reigning champion Excelr8 Motorsport for the 2026 British Touring Car Championship campaign.
Excelr8 clinched a second drivers’ title with Tom Ingram last year and also sealed the manufacturers’ crown using a squad of Hyundai i30 Fastback Ns.
Ingram will stay with the Midlands outfit in 2026 alongside race winner Tom Chilton and Hamilton, who is still in search of that maiden victory after making his debut in 2015.
But he’s never really had the machinery to contend at the front and has a best BTCC race result of sixth, meaning he is also eligible for the Jack Sears Trophy in 2026.
This’ll be the seventh time he has contested a campaign from the opening round, his second since taking a sabbatical in 2024, and his first aboard a Hyundai following a recent Snetterton test.
The 34-year-old, who has 160 race starts, said: “I am incredibly proud to be joining such a strong outfit in Team VERTU and Excelr8 for this season as throughout my career, I have struggled for funding and budget, which meant I found myself in less competitive equipment.
#28 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N: Nicolas Hamilton
“Thanks to my 2026 partners and the team’s long-standing partner Draper Tools, I can now step into a more competitive package and that is a really special and exciting moment for me.
“I have worked harder than ever over the winter to build my strength and fitness to improve my disability and I will be giving absolutely everything I can to be as competitive as possible.”
Hamilton races with a specially-modified car due to his cerebral palsy, which makes him the only driver to have competed in the BTCC since it was formed in 1958.
Team owner Justina Williams said: “We are delighted to welcome Nicolas into our team for the 2026 season and to have him at the wheel of our Draper Tools car.
“The way Nicolas has battled against the odds to achieve his dream of competing on track despite his disability is well documented, and he is an inspiration to many for the way he has never given up on that dream.
“We feel we can give Nicolas the tools to really show what he can do this season and are looking forward to working with him to reach his goals during the year ahead, one of which is to stand on the BTCC podium with the team. We’ll be working hard with him to make that happen!”
The 2026 campaign begins at Donington Park on 18-19 April and will spread across 10 race weekends, ending with Brands Hatch on 10-11 October.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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