<p class="wp-block-paragraph">WSR resume the challenge for the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship with an expanded three-car line-up as the UK’s leading series returns from its summer break at Thruxton this weekend (25/26 July).<br> <br>Joining BTCC race winners Charles Rainford (#99) and Daryl De Leon (#2) for the rest of the season aboard a trio of BMW 330i M Sports will be Scottish newcomer Lewis Gilbert (#29), who is switching to touring car racing from single-seater racing.<br> <br>The 18-time title winners hold second place in the overall and Independent Teams’ championships after a fast and consistent start to the season, the highlights of which have been two victories for Rainford and two podiums for De Leon.<br> <br>The #99 car is fourth in the Drivers’ points table after victory at Oulton Park, which was the third of his BTCC career. The 28-year-old from Horsham now returns to a circuit where he was a race winner in Porsche Carrera Cup GB in 2023.<br> <br>Team-mate De Leon holds second place in the Independents’ standings – only five points behind the leader – and sixth in the overall championship.<br> <br>The Anglo-Filipino, who is based in Cambridgeshire, was the Jack Sears Trophy winner for the weekend at Thruxton last year as he surged towards securing the title later in the season.<br> <br>22-year-old Gilbert, from Dalry, North Ayrshire, has never raced at Thruxton and had his first taste of the BMW 3 Series BTCC car with a one-day test at Snetterton a week before the Hampshire event.<br> <br>The Scottish driver is a UK and European Champion in karting and is joining WSR half a season into his maiden season of car racing.<br> <br>In total, the team has won there nine times in the BTCC and significantly sealed BMW’s 100th series victory in 2017, as well as double wins with the 3 Series in 2019 and 2024.<br><br><strong>Charles Rainford, #99 driver, WSR, said: </strong>"The Summer break has come earlier than normal this year because of the World Cup, and our wins at Snetterton and Oulton Park feel like an awfully long time ago, but we’ve had a good chance to assess where we are and plan strategically for the rest of the season. Thruxton is unique in the BTCC because so much of it is high-speed and because we don’t have the variable of option tyres on race day. The BMW seems to have a mixed history at Thruxton, so it’s hard to know where we’ll shake out, but if we work to the very best of our ability, we should be somewhere in the mix."<br> <br><strong>Daryl De Leon, #2 driver, WSR, said:</strong> "The summer break’s been very busy, quick and brilliant! I'm just ready to get down to business now at Thruxton and to activate my yournameonabtcccar.com campaign. I’m sixth in the championship and second in the Independent Drivers’ points, so I’m going to continue pushing on to climb the standings. Thruxton is traditionally a front-wheel-drive track so we’ll definitely have to dig deep if we want the success with the BMW however, we know that’s what it will take so that will be our plan."<br> <br><strong>Lewis Gilbert, #29 driver, WSR, said:</strong> "Ever since I agreed to join WSR for the remaining six events of the year, I’ve been counting down the days to my debut. The BTCC is 100 per cent where I want to race and to finally be here, with a positive first test at Snetterton in the bag, feels great. Touring Cars is a totally new game for me so I know I have a lot to learn and I’m not setting any outlandish targets for the weekend, but having the experience of the WSR team around me is going to be a huge help. I can’t wait to get going at Thruxton."</p>