The British Truck Racing Championship closed out a spectacular 2025 season in style at Brands Hatch this past weekend (November 1-2) as Ryan Smith and Jake Evans charged to title glory.
On what proved to be a thrilling finale in front of a sellout crowd at the Kent venue, the super-sized series brought the curtain down on one of its most competitive ever campaigns in blockbuster fashion.
Division 1 saw history made as Smith capped off a decade of dominance in the championship by clinching a record-equalling tenth title, an accolade that therefore sees him draw level with Stuart Oliver on the all-time winners’ list.
Over in Division 2, Evans and Callum Eason took their battle for supremacy down to the very final race however it was Evans that ultimately emerged victorious to cap off a sensational debut season.
Smith’s Perfect Ten
One of the biggest question marks going into the final event of the season was whether Ryan Smith could retain his stronghold on Division 1 for a remarkable tenth consecutive year. The short answer was yes, of course he could.
Arriving at Brands Hatch with a healthy advantage at the top of the standings, the Daimler Freightliner driver wasted no time in laying down his marker to his title protagonists by snaring pole position in what was a damp qualifying.
The elation of clinching top spot however was quickly extinguished as following the session, officials deemed that Smith had overtaken when yellow flags were being waved. The punishment therefore was a three-place grid drop for race one.
Smith’s demise opened the door for David Jenkins – one of four drivers that held a mathematical chance of overhauling the series leader – to step forth and dominate proceedings in race one, beating Smith and Oliver with relative ease.
Race two would unfortunately be somewhat of a non-affair. As the lights went out, Adam Bint pinched Michael Oliver against the pit wall and the resulting impact caused substantial damage to Oliver’s MAN and a large portion of the pit entry gate, forcing officials to abandon the contest.
Returning to action on Sunday, Smith’s pursuit of the prize that he has held close for the best part of a decade began with a tenacious drive in race three.
Nathan Smith – who was debuting in place of his father David at DS Racing – made headlines as he produced a wheel-perfect drive to triumph. Opening up a sizeable lead early on, the second-generation driver had to soak up late pressure from his namesake to claim a popular maiden win.
That second place for champion-in-waiting Smith put him on the cusp of glory and in the penultimate contest, he sealed the deal. Starting from pole position, the Mansfield racer streaked clear of the opposition to win and with it, clinch a tenth crown.
Behind Smith, Jenkins made sure he finished strong with a drive to second place while 333 Motorsport’s Neil Yates matched his best-ever result in the championship by completing the podium in third place.
With the title sewn up, the final race of the season saw a number of leading lights in the fight to sign off their seasons on a high and following a captivating back and forth battle, that honour went the way of 333 Motorsport’s Steven Powell.
Having endured a rollercoaster campaign, the home hero made the most of his front-row start to streak clear of the chasing Michael Oliver and the newly-crowned champion to score his only win of the year.
Evans conquers Division 2
While Division 1 saw a definitive ending, high drama ended up playing out in the battle for Division 2 honours over the course of the weekend.
Jake Evans and Callum Eason entered the series finale tied on points, although Evans’ superior win record meant that he held the slight advantage on count back.
Eason emerged as the driver to beat for much of the weekend though as he out-scored Evans in the opening three races that were run, two of which he triumphed overall in while guest entrant Willem Breedijk scooped honours in the other.
Teeing up a tantalising title showdown, Eason held an eight-point advantage over Evans going into the final race but drama soon played out as on lap two, Eason made contact with the back of Evans through Clearways, which ultimately left the latter beached in the gravel.
With Evans’ stricken machine needing to be recovered, the red flag was thrown. It didn’t end there though as during the stoppage, officials deemed that Eason needed to enter the pit lane on the restart due to his rear bumper bar having been detached in the aforementioned incident.
As per the regulations, Evans was permitted to take the restart and with Eason having a new bumper bar fitted to his MAN TG, everything was in the balance. After a number of laps, Eason was able to rejoin the fray and take the chequered flag, albeit several laps down on the leaders.
That then led to the question of who was champion. Both drivers had made it to the finish but with Eason being deemed to have not completed the required 80%, he was ultimately not classified in the result.
That therefore swung the pendulum back towards Evans who closed out his rookie campaign as the Division 2 champion.
To view the full classification of results from all British Truck Racing Championship sessions at Brands Hatch, CLICK HERE.
All races from the final event of the season are available to view on the British Truck Racing Championship YouTube channel HERE.
The British Truck Racing Championship will return in 2026 with the opening round of the season taking place at Brands Hatch on April 4-5.