Fiesta star Buxton to complete 2025 BTCC season in Toyota

Early-season Ford Fiesta ST150 series leader Max Buxton is to complete the 2025 British Touring Car Championship season with the Speedworks Motorsport Toyota squad.

The 19-year-old Lancastrian will slot into the Corolla GR Sport with which Ronan Pearson contested the opening four rounds before commercial issues derailed his campaign. It is also the car reigning Fiesta Junior champion and TCR UK rookie Finn Leslie drove into the points on his BTCC debut weekend at Oulton Park last time out.

Buxton is the son of Speedworks head of racing Danny Buxton, the early 2000s Clio Cup champion who contested half of the 2003 BTCC season with a Vic Lee Racing-run Peugeot 307.

The plan had been for Max Buxton to complete a testing programme in late 2025 before stepping up to the BTCC in 2026, only for the opportunity to arise to make an early debut, which comes at next week’s Croft round on 2-3 August.

“The initial aim for 2025 was to fight for the Fiesta ST150 Challenge title while participating in some touring car tests, but when this unexpected chance presented itself, it was impossible to say no,” said Max Buxton.

“You learn so much more in a wheel-to-wheel environment than when you’re on-track on your own. Of the five circuits I’ll race at over the remainder of the season, Croft is the only one I know, so I’m keeping my expectations firmly in check but I’m hugely excited to get out there!”

Five weekends have been completed in BTCC this year, with Croft, Knockhill, Donington Park, Silverstone and Brands Hatch still to run.

Team boss Christian Dick said: “Aside from being Danny’s son, Max is one of the most exciting young drivers to emerge in recent seasons. He’s shown maturity, pace and racecraft beyond his years, and we strongly believe he has the potential to thrive in the cut-and-thrust of the BTCC.

“I must stress that given his comparative lack of experience and limited mileage in high-level touring car machinery, there are zero expectations for the forthcoming five race weekends.

“Rather than being thrown in at the deep end with the pressure to deliver results, Max’s mid-season entry has been strategically planned as a learning opportunity.”

This is just the second season of racing outright for Max Buxton, who has no karting experience under his belt.

“He pestered and pestered me to go racing, and we bought him some running shoes instead,” Buxton Sr told Autosport.

Max Buxton, TGR UK with IAA

Photo by: Toyota Racing

“Then at Christmas in 2023, after too many glasses of wine, I said, ‘OK, let’s start off in Fiestas like I did – it’s northern-based so that will work out well’.

“I had to explain to him what an apex was, but he was fast last year – he had a number of crashes but the important thing was the raw speed was good.

“He worked hard over the winter and until I pulled him out of the Fiestas he was leading the championship.”

Buxton got his first taste of the Toyota recently when he had a testing day at Snetterton alongside the West Surrey Racing BMW squad, and has since notched up two half-days at Pembrey.

“He’s done his test in a touring car to get his 300k,” explained Buxton Sr. “And having driven slicks for the first time I didn’t want to put him back on the treaded tyre [in Fiestas].”

Yorkshire teenager Leslie hoped to raise the budget to continue with Speedworks, at least for his home round at Croft, and remains very much part of the team’s plans.

“He was a great find and so good straight from the off,” said Buxton Sr. “To be scoring points on his debut at 17…he’s one for our future ranks for 2026.”