Chris Smiley and Restart Racing Team Manager Ben Taylor are one of many that has spoken to the BTCC Media Team at Autosport International as all eyes look ahead to the 2025 season.
After an arrival back into the series in 2024 for Smiley, the squad will now also reunite with a car the Northern Irishman last drove in 2021. The Hyundai i30N is a machine the Carrickfergus-born driver raced in one season of BTCC action with a highest finish of fourth-place. Since then that car has gone on to win the Drivers' title with Tom Ingram plus win many bouts in the UK's premier motorsport series.
Chris Smiley, #222 Restart Racing said "It's an exciting year ahead for us, we're really really looking forward to 2025. I think we've really stepped up our game with the cars and all the facilities that we've changed ourselves along with upgrading our team too.
"We're getting two of the the Hyundai cars and the Swindon engines so it is really good for us, really good for the team and obviously I've driven one before but didn't have the the new engine that the car has now. The team and I have now got a competitive car now which which I'm quite happy about.
"Coming back into the championship as the first new team, I think in five or six years, we were with a car that, you know, maybe wasn't always the most competitive one is the fairest way to put it. I think we did improve it.
"There's a few times last year where our actual results doesn't actually really reflect our pace, Snetterton being one of them. We were in seventh and the bloody passenger door opened. That ruined Snetterton for us. We qualified seventh at Croft, we had an issue with the hybrid battery. That really, really ruined Croft for us as well. Silverstone we had a couple of top ten positions. Unfortunately the weather just sort of ruined that day on us.
"With us gaining the new car now and gaining some new staff and we've got a new workshop, I just think it gives us a very good platform to work from and I think it gives me a lot of confidence before the start of the season to have a genuine chance.
"We can't really afford another learning year. We're looking to try and get a little bit of pre-season testing and try and go into the start of the season with a vision of running in the top ten. The latter half of the year, challenging for podiums or a race win, that's really what we're doing. I've done it before and I want to do it again, and that's where we're aiming for."
Ben Taylor, Team Manager of Restart Racing said "A few big changes here over the winter. Obviously, taking on the Hyundai's from EXCELR8 [Motorsport]. We just want to get them built and get them out on the track now.
"We've got a relationship with EXCELR8 from the past with chris obviously having driven there. I've worked with Anthony and Justina and the conversation just came up. The package is right for us, the engine package is right for us and obviously, it is competitive.
"We like a front wheel drive car and we want to battle for independent wins and championships. So to do that we need the best kit we can get and we think that's it. We feel a lot more prepared and obviously coming back with the Hyundai and the Swindon engine is key for that. If he goes into this year with some confidence we can pull a result out of him. He deserves one really he's worked hard at it, we all have and he's capable of it for sure.
"We're racing against a few teams here that have won the independents in the past, so we've really got to aim to do that, win."
