The British Touring Automobile Championship heads to its finale at Manufacturers Hatch GP, with each Independents’ titles obtainable for groups and drivers to assert.
Presently, LKQ Euro Automobile Elements with Energy Maxed Racing are in a convincing place on each tables.
Mikey Doble leads the Independents’ Trophy with 373 factors to his identify, with three-time outright Drivers’ Champion Gordon Shedden behind on 348.
Charles Rainford, Aiden Moffat, and Daryl De Leon are additionally within the hunt, however Doble’s robust season void of any non-finishes props him up comfortably on the head of the pack.
It’s a comparable story team-wide for the LKQ division of Energy Maxed Racing, with their whole of 458 factors placing them forward of Laser Instruments with MB Motorsport on 425 and WSR on 424.
Had Energy Maxed been in a position to embody their Metal Seal-sponsored outfit in that whole, their lead can be unconquerable. Having run a piece of the season as a one-car outfit, Dexter Patterson’s Jack Sears Trophy-winning efforts have seen his workforce notch 344 factors, with Nick Halstead additionally contributing after stepping in from Knockhill onwards.
Final 12 months’s victors, Restart Racing, haven’t had as gratifying of a time in 2026, although in step with Group VERTU’s drop in type racing the Hyundai i30N Fastback. Sitting simply forward of the Patterson-led PMR outfit on 358 factors, the battle at Manufacturers will likely be to keep away from ending backside of the pack.
Mikey Doble in pole place to assert Independents’ Trophy at Manufacturers Hatch
Doble’s season began sensationally with a victory in his brand-new Audi A3 Saloon at Donington Park’s Race 1, earlier than a podium within the second weekend of the season at Manufacturers Hatch Indy.
Whereas outright outcomes would taper from the burst out of the blocks, Doble’s consistency noticed him proceed to attain effectively all through the season. Most notably, Doble is but to undergo a non-finish in a Sunday race, one thing that would show to be key in any celebrations by the shut of Manufacturers’ Race 3.
Latest performances have additionally seen enchancment for the Audi, with a lights-to-flag victory in Croft’s Race 3 and a primary Race to Pole victory and Sunday podium at Silverstone Nationwide.
Holding a 25-point benefit heading into the opening throws of the finale, Doble will likely be assured that he can fend off the chasing pack.
Although, closest is Shedden, who actually holds expertise in late-season title battles. In two of Shedden’s three title-winning seasons, a pair of podiums at Manufacturers Hatch propelled him to the highest step.
And, mixed with any surprising misfortune for Doble, class podiums are what the Scot requires with a purpose to overturn the hole. As, even with Doble ending P16 and P17 to shut out Silverstone, Shedden solely gained eight factors via the weekend.
Even when the season doesn’t finish with the Independents’ Trophy, Shedden can nonetheless be happy with what he has put up in his first season on the putting Laser Instruments with MB Motorsport outfit.
A selected spotlight of that might be his Race 3 victory at Snetterton, the place Shedden confirmed wily defence to defy a charging Ash Sutton.
Although, simply three factors behind Shedden sits Rainford on 345, who has loved marked enchancment in his second season within the collection.
2026 has seen the WSR man rating two outright victories and 4 at school, whereas current type has additionally pushed apart a tricky mid-season patch. Additionally getting in his favour is WSR’s type round Manufacturers’ GP loop, with Rainford holding the qualifying lap report via a 2025 effort.
And it very effectively could possibly be a Energy Maxed double with victory within the Unbiased Groups’
Each Doble and Moffat have taken outright wins in 2026 and excelled in what has been an ideal season for the Audi-running squad.
Even off-track, all has gone swimmingly, with the workforce in a position to introduce a fourth automobile – Halstead’s return – and launch the Energy Maxed Junior class as a BTCC assist collection for 2027.
It might take a sensational weekend from the challengers to spoil what seems to be a agency crowning weekend for Energy Maxed Racing, only one season after the manufacturing facility fireplace that threatened the workforce’s existence.
However, MB Motorsport and WSR will look to assault PMR’s 458-point standing – each sitting on 425 and 424 factors respectively.
Árón Taylor-Smith took a spectacular victory across the Indy configuration again in direction of the beginning of the season, with the Speedworks-run Corolla all the time managing to indicate robust type across the calendar’s technical tracks.
Nonetheless, the almost definitely contender seems to be WSR – owing to the BMW’s rear-wheel-drive reaping rewards round Manufacturers prior to now.
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