Tom Chilton continued his impressive 2025 British Touring Car Championship campaign with a standout performance at Croft — navigating mechanical misfortune and fierce competition to claim another podium and a vital haul of points for Team VERTU.
The North Yorkshire circuit, famously technical and notoriously unforgiving, has always been a stronghold for Chilton. It was here last season he set the BTCC lap record, and despite a dramatic setback in free practice, this year’s visit proved once again why he remains one of the most formidable drivers on the grid.
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“Free Practice 2 was a bit of a disaster, to be honest. I had a puncture going into Turn 1 on my second flying lap, and I was just a passenger. It destroyed the front end.”
That left the team scrambling to get the #3 Hyundai i30 Fastback N rebuilt in time for qualifying — a task they completed with just minutes to spare.
“The team got the car rebuilt just five minutes before qualifying — massive thanks to the Team VERTU crew for turning it around so quickly.”
Even with compromised brakes, Chilton delivered a stunning initial qualifying lap that briefly topped the times.
“I asked where I was on the times and they said, ‘You’re currently P1!’ I thought, I’m nearly dying on every corner and still P1 — that’s good!”
His provisional pole time — faster than his own lap record from last year — was ultimately disallowed for marginal track limits, forcing Chilton to go again.
“It was my seventh lap on the tyres and I just squeezed out a time that put me P4. I was over the moon with that.”
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Come race day, consistency and calm-headed racecraft were key. A fifth-place finish in Race One despite a scrappy opening lap and overheating engine set the tone.
“I was just happy I saved it. It took four or five laps for the engine to cool, and once it did, I got into a rhythm.”
Race Two was the standout — a measured and mature drive to second place, his fourth podium of the season.
“I was hoping to get another win at Croft, where I’ve had a few in the past. But Dan Rowbottom just had the legs on me — he was very aggressive early on, and I didn’t quite have enough to take the win this time.”
In the final race, running the hard tyre, Chilton again maximised what was available, finishing eighth and outperforming expectations on a compound that has troubled many this season.
“The hard tyre is, let’s say very challenging. All year I’ve usually been outside the top 10 on it. So to get P8 in Race 3, I was very happy with that.”
The cumulative results now see Chilton rise to joint-fifth in the overall championship standings, with the veteran racer eyeing further progression.
“We’ve moved from seventh to joint-fifth in the championship now, and I’ve got my eyes on fourth — that’s the next one up.”
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At 40, Chilton remains the most experienced driver on the BTCC grid — but also one of the hungriest. That blend of seasoned insight and relentless drive is what makes him not just a podium contender, but a trusted figurehead in the garage, paddock and boardroom alike.
And it’s that same trust and attention to detail that underpins his relationship with Birch.
Whether storing his race cars during the off-season or keeping road machinery in optimal condition between events, Chilton relies on the kind of premium service and climate-controlled professionalism that mirrors his standards on track.
For collectors, competitors or connoisseurs, the margins between preservation and degradation can be as fine as the kerbs at Croft — and at Birch, like Tom, performance is always precision-engineered.
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