You might not expect a mental health charity to team up with a motorsport team — but that’s exactly what we’ve done. And we couldn’t be more excited to tell you why.
The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) is the UK’s biggest motorsport series, with huge crowds, iconic tracks like Silverstone and Brands Hatch, and millions tuning in on ITV. It’s fast, it’s full-on — and now it’s helping us shine a light on something that often goes unspoken in that world: mental health.
We’ve teamed up with Excelr8 Motorsport for the 2025 BTCC season. Their team boss, Justina Williams, was inspired by Youth Talk’s mission to support young people with their mental health. She saw a chance to start important conversations in a high-pressure environment where emotional wellbeing is often pushed to the side.
“Mental health should be a year-round priority,” Justina told us. “Racing is about teamwork, communication and resilience – skills that are just as vital off the track as they are on it.”
Together, we’re helping to tell people about the work of the charity and challenge the stigma around mental health — bringing our message to racetracks across the country, in front of tens of thousands of fans.
As part of the partnership, our logo is now proudly worn by Excelr8’s grid ambassadors — and here’s the best bit: they’re young people from our local community, including our amazing Youth Panel. It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them: getting behind the scenes at race weekends, standing on the grid, and soaking up the atmosphere and adrenaline.
These ambassadors play a key role — marking where each driver lines up, then standing proud in front of the cars as the teams make final preparations. It’s a moment of responsibility, pride, and excitement they’ll never forget.
This partnership has already opened new doors:
- Over 40,000 fans have seen Youth Talk front and centre at race events
- Our logo has appeared during live ITV coverage, putting us on screens across the UK
- Young people have been directly involved in the action
- We’re reaching new audiences: families, motorsport fans, businesses, and young people helping to make them more aware about mental health and the work of Youth Talk.
We also want to give a heartfelt thank you to Brian Robson Coachworks and Visionary Accounting, whose generous support made this partnership possible.
Catch Youth Talk on ITV4!
See if you can spot us on the screen throughout the season — tune in and help us spread the word:
- Sunday 3rd August – Croft
- Sunday 17th August – Knockhill
- Sunday 31st August – Donington Park
- Sunday 21st September – Silverstone
- Sunday 5th October – Brands Hatch
Want to get involved? Support Simon’s Track Walks!
Our Community Fundraiser, Simon Bates, is walking every single BTCC track before each race — that’s over 21 miles of racing tarmac, including 104 corners and plenty of hills!
He’s doing it to raise money for Youth Talk and help us reach even more young people who need mental health support.
You can sponsor Simon here. Every donation makes a real difference — helping us to change lives by providing free, confidential counselling to 13–25 year olds in the St Albans area.
Look out for Youth Talk on the grid… and help us drive change.
Unplugging today – to protect tomorrow
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