Vertu Extends Successful EXCELR8 BTCC Partnership In New Multi-Year Deal
Vertu can today confirm that it has signed a new, multi-year deal with British Touring Car Championship front-runners EXCELR8 that will take effect from the start of the 2026 season.
Vertu, the fourth-largest automotive retailer in the UK, first joined forces with Droitwich-based EXCELR8 back in 2021, before taking up the role of title sponsor twelve months later through its Bristol Street Motors brand.
That coincided with EXCELR8’s rise to the pinnacle of the sport when it secured the 2022 championship title with Tom Ingram, who has since finished as runner-up in the standings for the past two seasons.
As part of a brand consolidation programme undertaken earlier this year, Bristol Street Motors – along with Macklin Motors – was rebranded as Vertu to create a unified network of 200 sales outlets across England and Scotland, with the team also being renamed to operate under the Team VERTU banner.
So far in 2025, Team VERTU has proven to be the class of the field in Britain’s premier racing series with Ingram, Tom Chilton, Adam Morgan and Senna Proctor combining to score 23 podium finishes from the first seven meetings of the season, including five race wins.
That leaves Ingram leading the championship standings with nine races remaining at Donington Park, Silverstone and Brands Hatch, whilst Team VERTU is well placed in the battle for the both the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles.
Success on track this season has been replicated off-track, with the partnership with EXCELR8 having played a key role in promoting the new-look Vertu brand to a huge audience both at events, where the Team VERTU stand has taken centre stage in the trade area, and also on TV, with every round of the BTCC having benefitted from live free-to-air coverage on ITV4.
Justina Williams, EXCELR8 Team Owner, said: "We are thrilled to have extended our relationship with Vertu into 2026 with this new multi-year deal, and it’s fantastic that we are in a position to announce the news before the current season has even been completed.
“Our partnership has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years, and it’s been particularly pleasing this season to see a ‘teal takeover’ in the paddock thanks to the sheer number of fans attending events in their Team VERTU kit.
“Vertu’s support in this being our strongest season in the BTCC so far can’t be underestimated as without them, we wouldn’t have been able to carry out the winter testing that has played a key part in us developing our car to be better than ever.
“With four cars now running consistently at the front of the field, we are in a fantastic position in the title race ahead of the final three rounds, and we look forward to chasing success alongside Vertu for the remainder of the year and beyond.”
Robert Forrester, Chief Executive of Vertu, said: “Our partnership with EXCELR8 in the British Touring Car Championship has been a huge success, particularly since we became title sponsors of the team back in 2022.
“It has allowed us to showcase our brand to a huge audience across the UK, and has been particularly important this year after our brand consolidation and the change to Team VERTU – with the success the team has enjoyed on track putting the Vertu name front and centre of a huge audience.
“The drive and desire to succeed has once again been evident with the results that the team has secured on track, and we look forward to continuing our BTCC journey, and challenging for plenty of silverware, together over the coming seasons.”
The partnership with EXCELR8 is one of a number of key relationships that Vertu has in place within the West Midlands region, alongside a strategic partnership with Birmingham City FC and a relationship with the famous Edgbaston cricket ground.