British Touring Car Championship veteran Adam Morgan has joined Excelr8 Motorsport for his 14th season in the series in 2025.
The 36-year-old Lancastrian is making the move back to front-wheel-drive machinery with Excelr8’s Hyundai i30 N Fastback after four seasons in the rear-driven BMW 3 Series.
Morgan scored eight of his 11 BTCC race wins to date with the Mercedes A-Class built and run by his family Ciceley Motorsport team.
Ciceley then acquired two BMWs from West Surrey Racing for 2021, before its machines – and Morgan – were absorbed into WSR in 2023.
While Morgan won three races in the BMW with Ciceley, he never matched his season best of seventh in the championship with the Mercedes in 2013, 2015 and 2018.
“I think that’s really the reason behind it,” Morgan told Autosport of the return to front-wheel-drive weaponry.
“I’ve had a good four years in rear-wheel drive – and with the best rear-wheel-drive team in the paddock.
“There are many different factors involved, but the short answer is I want to have some more success in front-wheel drive.
“As I get closer to the end of my career, it’s a really good box for me to tick to go to the best front-wheel-drive team in the paddock.”
With 2022 champion Tom Ingram and Morgan’s 2021 Ciceley BMW team-mate Tom Chilton already on board for next season, that means the first three of Excelr8’s four drivers confirmed for the coming campaign have amassed over 1200 BTCC starts between them.
“I don’t want to go in there and try and reinvent the wheel,” added Morgan, who said he does not expect to hit the track in the Hyundai until a shakedown before the first official BTCC pre-season test.
“The two Toms are incredibly fast – Tom Chilton has been my team-mate, and I’ve got Tom Ingram there as an absolute benchmark.
“I know them both really well and I’m very excited.
“The main thing for me in 2025 is that I want to go out there to fight for race wins and battle at the front.
“I’m not here to make up the numbers, but at the same time I also want to have fun and enjoy my racing.”
Excelr8 owner Justina Williams said: “This is a deal that I’m sure will catch some people by surprise, but when we saw the opportunity was there to bring him into our line-up, it was one we had to take.
“Adam’s record through the years is very impressive and putting him alongside Tom Ingram and Tom Chilton means we have three drivers in place who we know are capable of winning races and fighting right at the front of the grid in what promises to be another hugely competitive season.”
The identity of the fourth Excelr8 driver remains far from settled, with Williams admitting recently to Autosport that she is pushing hard for the team’s three-time Mini Challenge champion and recent BTCC debutant Dan Zelos to graduate into a full-time seat.
Meanwhile, Restart Racing, which recently confirmed that it will switch to Hyundais as an Excelr8 customer for 2025, has announced that Chris Smiley will stay on for 2025.
That comes as little surprise, since Smiley has been key to the team’s establishment from winning the TCR UK title in 2022 to moving into the BTCC this season with Cupra Leons.
