Senna Proctor will make his return to the British Touring Car Championship earlier than originally planned this weekend at Thruxton, as he takes over the Hyundai previously raced by Michael Crees and Ryan Bensley.
Before the season, the EXCELR8 Motorsport-run team had announced Proctor as one of its drivers for the second half of the season, with Crees competing in the first five events.
However, Crees has only managed two rounds – at Donington Park and Brands Hatch – before his car was taken over by Ryan Bensley at Snetterton, and now Proctor from Thruxton onwards.
Proctor, 26, made his BTCC début in 2017 with Power Maxed Racing, claiming his first win the year after. He raced through to 2021, bar one meeting, and took a victory at Oulton Park that same year with BTC Racing, before stepping away from the championship for the past three years.
However, returning to the championship remained a goal for Proctor, and his return has now been brought forward to the fourth event of 2025 in an “expanded” deal which suggests he will remain in the seat for the rest of the season.
Proctor will race in the same car he competed in 2020, when he was part of the then-young EXCELR8 team in their second season in the BTCC.
“I’m delighted to be back on the BTCC grid this weekend and can’t wait to get going at Thruxton,” said Proctor.
“There’s no doubting the fact that it’s a challenging circuit on which to make my return to the series, but it’s one where I’ve had some good results in the past – including my last outing back in 2021 when I finished on the podium!
“As I said when my deal with the team was announced, this season is all about playing the long game and looking to the future as I work towards a full-time return to the grid in 2026 – but I still want to be able to challenge towards the front and fighting for some strong results.
“This will be the first time I’ve tasted the new three-part qualifying format which promises to be interesting but having seen how well the car has performed in the opening rounds, I’m just really excited about the prospect of getting back behind the wheel.
“Three solid performances at Thruxton this weekend would be a good way to kick things off.”
Team Owner Justina Williams is pleased that Proctor’s addition now means all four drivers are proven race-winners in the BTCC.
“Thruxton is the only circuit on the BTCC calendar where we have yet to make it onto the top step of the podium, and hopefully that is something we are able to to put right this season,” said Williams.
“We are going there in better form that ever before given the results across the opening three rounds, and I’m confident that we’ll be firmly in the fight for silverware.
“With Senna re-joining the line-up alongside Tom [Ingram], Tom [Chilton] and Adam [Morgan], we now have four proven race winners in the four cars and I’m looking forward to seeing them all pushing towards the sharp end.”