Daniel Lloyd brought the curtain down on his 2025 season in fine style after successfully securing the Independents’ Trophy title during the final weekend of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season.
Huddersfield racer Daniel went into the weekend having moved to the top of the standings at Silverstone, where he powered his Restart Racing-run Hyundai i30 Fastback N to his first overall victory since the 2022 season finale.
One of three drivers who could realistically still take the Indy title, Daniel knew what was required across the weekend and he qualified 15th on the grid for the opening race – just behind team-mate Chris Smiley but ahead of the Cupra of Mikey Doble.
Electing to bolt on the soft tyre for the opening race of the weekend, Daniel took full advantage of the strategy call with a storming drive through the field – vaulting up into the top ten on the opening lap.
Putting cars between himself and his Independents’ Trophy rivals in the process, Daniel ultimately took the flag in eighth overall but first in class to extend his lead at the top.
Race two would prove to be more of a challenge as hard racing in the midfield pack saw Daniel pick up damage to his Hyundai, hampering his chances of adding another Independents’ class victory.
Instead, he focused on making sure he brought his car to the finish third in class, with the title battle tightening up ahead of the finale.
Well aware of what was required in terms of the points, Daniel duly stayed out of trouble despite Doble doing his best to try and back up the Yorkshireman in the hope of forcing a mistake.
Daniel was ultimately able to cruise to the finish of the race as the fifth best Independent driver which was more than enough to secure his first BTCC title win.
“It all feels a bit surreal, to be honest and I think that is partly because the Independents’ Championship hasn’t really been my main focus this season,” he said.
“We were on the back foot early on in the season and from that point on, it was a case of just keeping my head down and using the support I had from my partners and my fans to just push on and do my own thing.
“The win at Silverstone meant that suddenly we were in a position to have a go this weekend and whilst I’m delighted to win the title, I’m also glad it’s all over because it’s been a really stressful weekend. Race one was really good but race two was one of the hardest of my life because damage to the car meant the handling was all over the place and it wanted to kill me every time I got to a corner!
“Staying out and scoring points for third gave me some leeway for race three which was horrible in terms of just trying to stay out of trouble and bring the car home.
“This is a title that we’ve really had to fight for and I think it’s the most rewarding of my career so far. A lot of people on the outside look at these cars and think they are the same as the EXCELR8 ones that have won the overall title but you have to remember that they are new to the team and we’ve had various teething issues to deal with as we’ve worked to learn them.
“To win the Independents’ title for the team in only its second season in the series is brilliant and having at one stage this year wondered if this would be my final campaign in the BTCC, I’ve now got a title to try and defend in 2026 – so the hard work starts now to make sure we’re there on the grid.”
