The British Touring Car Championship stalwart will bring his storied career to a close after the Brands Hatch GP weekend.
Chilton has been one of modern tin-top racing’s most well-recognised faces since his BTCC debut in 2002, at the time being the series’ youngest ever driver.
Including a blistering debut that saw him take P3 at Brands Hatch, Chilton boasts 560 starts, 19 wins, and 73 podiums across two stints: 2002-2011, 2017-2026. Most notably, he claimed the Independents’ Trophy in 2010.
He also raced in the World Touring Car Championship from 2012 to 2017, notching seven victories, 22 podiums, and another Independent Drivers’ crown in 2017. Upon his return to the BTCC in 2017, Chilton would continue to rack up an eclectic list of teams and motors, ultimately steering the Excelr8-run Team VERTU Hyundai i30N Fastback from 2022 to his exit in 2026.
2026 has been no slight year for the veteran, with a commanding victory in Knockhill’s Race 3 the highlight.
Three more podiums added to his tally, dotted around the campaign at Snetterton, Croft, and Silverstone.
However, his team have often struggled at the hands of their Swindon Powertrains motor this year. So much so, in fact, that Chilton would switch to the TOCA-supplied M-Sport engine for the final two rounds of the season, wanting to end on a high after a suffering weekend at Donington Park.
And, with one more weekend of racing ahead of him, Chilton still could claim a fairytale final victory before Race 3’s chequered flag on Sunday draws his career to a close.
It’s no secret that I absolutely love Brands Hatch as my home circuit, and the full Grand Prix layout provides a real challenge as a driver as there is no margin for error.
“Going into the weekend on the back of a positive performance at Silverstone, I’m feeling optimistic about my chances and feel confident that we can be in the mix towards the front,” Chilton said.
“My BTCC career started on the Brands Hatch GP circuit back in 2002 with a podium finish, so having made the decision to bring my time in the series to an end, it feels appropriate that my final race will be at the same circuit.
“There are so many fantastic memories from my time in the series, from that debut podium finish in the Vauxhall through to my time with Arena Motorsport in the Honda and Ford, and then the last decade since returning from the World Touring Car Championship.”
“I’m hopeful that this weekend, I can bring the curtain down on my BTCC journey with another podium finish – hopefully with a trip to the top step!”
Discussion about this post