TOM CHILTON

Tom Chilton joined the BTCC with Barwell Motorsport in 2002. At the time, he was the youngest driver ever to take to the grid at 17 years of age. He was quick right off the bat taking 15th overall and fifth in the Independents’ Championship. Arena Motorsport was his next destination, from 2003 to 2005. His first victory in the championship came in 2004 at Silverstone – making him the series’ youngest-ever winner. In 2005, he juggled his BTCC commitments with the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), meaning he missed six races but still finished fifth in the standings.

A return to Vauxhall followed in 2006 – this time with VX Racing. Chilton sped to a handful of podiums in 2006 and 2007 in the Astra and subsequently the new Vectra, but chose to move on for 2008 – back to Honda machinery at Team Halfords as team-mate to Gordon Shedden. A dominant victory at Brands Hatch marked his first since 2005 and ensured tenth spot in the points table.

For 2009, Chilton rejoined Arena Motorsport to pilot a brand new Ford Focus ST – but even significant in-season development could only yield 13th in the standings. A switch to LPG propulsion in 2010 produced four pole positions and the Independents’ Championship. In 2011, the team introduced the third-generation Ford Focus, with Chilton racing it to two victories and seventh in the Drivers’ Championship.

After five years in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Chilton returned to the BTCC with Power Maxed Racing in 2017 immediately scooping silverware in the Brands Hatch curtain-raiser. For 2018, he moved back to Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher’s Focus RS, performing consistently well on the way to third in the Drivers’ Championship.

He stayed with the Motorbase-backed team in 2019 and scored a sole victory at Croft.  

Chilton made the switch to BTC Racing and the Honda Civic Type R for the 2020 season, bagging three podiums and a top-ten finish in the overall standings.

In 2021, Chilton announced a move to Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport and ended a mixed campaign with a trio of top ten finishes.

At the dawn of the Hybrid Era, Chilton made the switch to Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com. Here, he tackled a tough campaign, with a smattering of retirements throughout the year curtailing his championship charge. He did however prove his strength, only finishing outside of points-paying positions on six occasions, and securing eight top-ten finishes.

The Surrey racer will be aiming to build on his 2022 performance as he sticks with the Suffolk-based outfit for the 2023 campaign.

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