The British Truck Racing Championship, BTRC for short, is Great Britain’s most important national truck racing series. It is run by the British Truck Racing Association, BTRA for short, which was founded in 1984. Racing takes place in two separately scored classes, Divisions 1 and 2.
Truck racing came to Europe from the USA in the early 1980s and reached Great Britain in 1984. The first truck race at Donington Park is regarded as the starting point. The BTRA was founded in September 1984. In the early years the trucks were still close to their production models, with a roll cage, racing seat, better brakes and more powerful engines.
Division 1 is the top class, with the most sophisticated race trucks, often developed for the European Championship. Division 2 races on the same weekend but is scored separately. Its trucks are closer to production models and cheaper to run. It is not purely a class for beginners; experienced drivers compete there too.
Stuart Oliver won ten British titles and dominated around the turn of the millennium. He is still racing and competes in Division 1 in 2026 for his own team, Oliver Racing. He is also one of the directors of Truck Sport UK, which promotes the championship. Ryan Smith and his Freightliner took over from him as the defining figure: from 2016 to 2025 he won every Division 1 championship. In 2025 he took his tenth title in a row, equalling Oliver’s record.
The calendar includes a round at the 24 Heures Camions in Le Mans, where the British series races alongside the French Championship and the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. In 2026 this takes place on 26 and 27 September.
Seven events: Brands Hatch (4 and 5 April), Thruxton (16 and 17 May), Pembrey (20 and 21 June), Snetterton (11 and 12 July), Donington Park (8 and 9 August), Le Mans (26 and 27 September) and the finale on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit (31 October and 1 November). A weekend consists of warm-up, qualifying and several sprint races. The trucks weigh at least 5.5 tonnes and are limited to around 160 km/h (100 mph).
| Year | Division 1 champion | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ryan Smith (Freightliner) | Tenth title in a row, decided on 2 November at Brands Hatch. Division 2: Jake Evans, in his first season |
| 2024 | Ryan Smith (Freightliner) | Ninth title in a row, won all five races at the finale at Brands Hatch. Division 2: John Powell (DAF LF) |
| 2016 to 2023 | Ryan Smith | Eight titles in a row, the fourth of them in 2019 |
Division 1 titles, Division 2 where mentioned. We will add the list of earlier champions later. Sources: British Truck Racing Championship (btrc.co), Motorsport Vision (msv.com), BARC, Wikipedia on truck racing. Our own summary, as of 9 October 2026.
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