Restart Racing capped off a landmark Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season in style at Brands Hatch, securing both the Independent Teams’ and Independent Drivers’ Championships after a tense and hard-fought season-long battle. 

As covered last week, Dan Lloyd claimed the Indy Drivers’ crown while experienced teammate Chris Smiley was just five points behind in third place. 

Yorkshireman Lloyd claimed an outright triumph at Silverstone, whereas Smiley made most of his running earlier in the season – scoring a podium ahead of the mid-season break at Oulton Park.

In truth, whilst the Independent Drivers’ scrap proved to be dramatic, together both Lloyd and Smiley were simply too good for the opposition when it came to the Independent Teams’ title – with Restart Racing eventually pulling clear to win the trophy by more than 100 points.

The success underlined a year of major progress and resilience for the Norfolk-based team in only its second season in the BTCC.

Chris Smiley said: “The last four weekends have been really tough, with a few things that were out of my control letting us down. That’s racing, though. I’m really pleased for Dan, he’s had a great year, and to see him win the title is brilliant. It’s also fantastic for the team to have wrapped up the Independent Teams’ Championship. We’ve achieved a lot this season, and I’m proud of everyone involved. We gave it everything, and hopefully I’ll see you all again next year.”

Dan Lloyd said: “That’s the season all done and dusted, and we’re Independent Champions, which feels absolutely amazing. It’s been a real rollercoaster, the focus was just on collecting the points we needed, and we did exactly that. I’m over the moon. A massive thank you to the whole team. The boys have done a mega job all year. It’s such a special feeling to end the season like this.”