The British Touring Car Championship heads to its finale at Brands Hatch GP, with both Independents’ titles available for teams and drivers to claim.
Currently, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing are in a convincing position on both tables.
Mikey Doble leads the Independents’ Trophy with 373 points to his name, with three-time outright Drivers’ Champion Gordon Shedden behind on 348.
Charles Rainford, Aiden Moffat, and Daryl De Leon are also in the hunt, but Doble’s strong season void of any non-finishes props him up comfortably at the head of the pack.
It is a similar story team-wide for the LKQ division of Power Maxed Racing, with their total of 458 points putting them ahead of Laser Tools with MB Motorsport on 425 and WSR on 424.
Had Power Maxed been able to include their Steel Seal-sponsored outfit in that total, their lead would be unconquerable. Having run a chunk of the season as a one-car outfit, Dexter Patterson’s Jack Sears Trophy-winning efforts have seen his team notch 344 points, with Nick Halstead also contributing after stepping in from Knockhill onwards.
Last year’s victors, Restart Racing, have not had as enjoyable of a time in 2026, though consistent with Team VERTU’s drop in form racing the Hyundai i30N Fastback. Sitting just ahead of the Patterson-led PMR outfit on 358 points, the battle at Brands will be to avoid finishing bottom of the pack.
Mikey Doble in pole position to claim Independents’ Trophy at Brands Hatch
Doble’s season started sensationally with a victory in his brand-new Audi A3 Saloon at Donington Park’s Race 1, before a podium in the second weekend of the season at Brands Hatch Indy.
While outright results would taper from the burst out of the blocks, Doble’s consistency saw him continue to score well throughout the season. Most notably, Doble is yet to suffer a non-finish in a Sunday race, something that could prove to be key in any celebrations by the close of Brands’ Race 3.
Recent performances have also seen improvement for the Audi, with a lights-to-flag victory in Croft’s Race 3 and a first Race to Pole victory and Sunday podium at Silverstone National.
Holding a 25-point advantage heading into the opening throws of the finale, Doble will be confident that he can fend off the chasing pack.
Though, closest is Shedden, who certainly holds experience in late-season title battles. In two of Shedden’s three title-winning seasons, a pair of podiums at Brands Hatch propelled him to the top step.
And, combined with any unexpected misfortune for Doble, class podiums are what the Scot requires in order to overturn the gap. As, even with Doble finishing P16 and P17 to close out Silverstone, Shedden only gained eight points through the weekend.
Even if the season does not end with the Independents’ Trophy, Shedden can still be proud of what he has put up in his first season at the striking Laser Tools with MB Motorsport outfit.
A particular highlight of that would be his Race 3 victory at Snetterton, where Shedden showed wily defence to defy a charging Ash Sutton.
Though, just three points behind Shedden sits Rainford on 345, who has enjoyed marked improvement in his second season in the series.
2026 has seen the WSR man score two outright victories and four in class, while recent form has also pushed aside a tough mid-season patch. Also going in his favour is WSR’s form around Brands’ GP loop, with Rainford holding the qualifying lap record through a 2025 effort.
And it very well could be a Power Maxed double with victory in the Independent Teams’
Both Doble and Moffat have taken outright wins in 2026 and excelled in what has been a great season for the Audi-running squad.
Even off-track, all has gone swimmingly, with the team able to introduce a fourth car – Halstead’s return – and launch the Power Maxed Junior category as a BTCC support series for 2027.
It would take a sensational weekend from the challengers to spoil what appears to be a firm crowning weekend for Power Maxed Racing, just one season after the factory fire that threatened the team’s existence.
But, MB Motorsport and WSR will look to attack PMR’s 458-point standing – both sitting on 425 and 424 points respectively.
Árón Taylor-Smith took a spectacular victory around the Indy configuration back towards the start of the season, with the Speedworks-run Corolla always managing to show strong form around the calendar’s technical tracks.
However, the most likely contender appears to be WSR – owing to the BMW’s rear-wheel-drive reaping rewards around Brands in the past.
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