Three-time Mini Challenge champion Dan Zelos is still pushing hard to join the British Touring Car Championship grid full-time for 2025.
The 26-year-old finally got his BTCC break in August after clinching his third crown in the support series when Excelr8 Motorsport, the team with which he won all his Mini titles, promoted him to replace Ronan Pearson at Donington Park.
Zelos was then called up late for the penultimate round at Silverstone, where he starred by making the Quick Six qualifying shootout in wet conditions, and also for the final round at Brands Hatch.
By a statistical quirk, he scored the same points average of 49 per weekend as champion Mikey Doble in the Jack Sears Trophy, for those drivers who had not scored an overall BTCC podium on the road before the season.
Many BTCC pundits have suggested that Zelos is a star of the future and should be in a full-time seat, but he told Autosport: “We’re very much in a state of limbo at the moment, it feels like.
“We had a great end to the year – it was immense to finally get there to the BTCC, and it whets your appetite for more.
“But the budget jump for a full season is absolutely massive – to do the final three of 2024 I was able to make it happen with my partners, but 10 rounds is a completely different ballgame.
“I’ve had some positive conversations with current sponsors and potentially some new ones.”
With 2022 champion Tom Ingram and veteran Tom Chilton locked in at Excelr8 for 2025, that leaves two seats available at the team, but Zelos is not restricting his horizons to that squad.
His situation is complicated by the fact that his long-time backer, tyre manufacturer Davanti, cannot have its logos displayed in the BTCC because of the series’ relationship with control tyre supplier Goodyear.
“I’d love to continue my journey with Excelr8 and be alongside the two Toms, but we’re talking to a select few teams,” added Zelos.
“They’re teams that I might have a positive relationship with or have had positive discussions with other drivers about how well they’re doing.
“It’s really important that I make my BTCC dream a career, and take the right step to have the right team around me.
“Through those three weekends this year, I was always keeping a little bit in reserve because budget was tight and there was a short turnaround between events, so I know there’s more in me.
“I’d love to get back there, and challenging for the Jack Sears Trophy would definitely be on the cards.”
With Mini Challenge runner-up Max Hall already confirmed on the BTCC grid for 2025 after just one season in the top-tier JCW class, that would only make the absence of Zelos more noticeable.
As a fellow Excelr8 driver in Minis, Hall was coached by Zelos: “I know how fast he is. He’s like Max Verstappen – win it or bin it, but usually win it! I’d love to battle him for the Jack Sears…”
Excelr8’s other driver from 2024, Nick Halstead, has confirmed that he will not be remaining with the team for a third season, but in a social media post, he hinted that he could be on the grid again with a different team.
The team has also been linked heavily on the grapevine with 11-time BTCC race winner Adam Morgan in what would be a return to front-wheel drive for the first time since 2020 after four seasons in BMWs – two with his Ciceley Motorsport family team and two with West Surrey Racing.
