Restart Racing returned to the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit for race day (10 May) at the second event of the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, delivering a standout Jack Sears Trophy victory for James Dorlin.

Following a challenging Saturday under the new Saturday format, both Chris Smiley and Dorlin lined up for Sunday’s three races with work to do. Weather conditions added further dilemmas, with heavy cloud cover throughout the day and intermittent rain creating tricky, ever-changing track conditions.

Race 1 was run on the soft tyre for both, with light rain falling on the grid before intensifying as the race got underway. Smiley moved forward early and showed an impressive race pace once in clear air. A mid-race safety car reset the field, but the #22 continued to push, climbing into the top ten before making a decisive move on Aiden Moffat (LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing) at Druids and later passing Charles Rainford (WSR) to secure an eighth place finish, also claiming second in the Independents, narrowly missing out on victory by a few tenths of a second.

Dorlin also made early progress in the difficult conditions, working his way into the midfield battle and fighting hard in the tightly packed group. Despite an excursion late on, he recovered to finish 15th from 18th on the grid to secure a valuable championship point.

Race 2 again saw both drivers on the soft tyre, with conditions remaining unpredictable as further rain showers passed over the circuit. Smiley made a strong start and climbed as high as sixth before being caught out at Druids, where contact dropped him to the back of the field. Undeterred, he produced a determined recovery drive to fight back through the pack to finish 12th.

Dorlin’s race followed a similar trajectory. After dropping positions early on, the #123 began carving his way forward with a series of perfectly executed overtakes, moving into the top ten as the race progressed. A red flag brought the race to an early conclusion on Lap 22, with Dorlin classified in eighth.

For Race 3, both drivers had to switch to the medium tyre, with Dorlin starting from pole position following the reverse grid draw. From the start, he launched cleanly and defended strongly against the chasing pack, leading a British Touring Car Championship race for the first time in his career. Running on the medium tyre against rivals on the faster soft compound, Dorlin produced a composed and determined drive, holding off sustained pressure during the early stages from reigning champion Tom Ingram (Team VERTU) and four-time champion Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK). As the race unfolded, the tyre advantage of those around him began to show, but he continued to battle hard, ultimately finishing in eighth place and, crucially, taking the weekend’s Jack Sears Trophy victory.

Smiley’s race was once again compromised by contact at Druids, this time with the Ford Focus Titanium of Lewis Selby (NAPA Racing UK), resulting in an 18th-place finish and a disappointing end to the weekend.

James Dorlin, #132 Restart Racing, said: “So that’s a wrap for Brands Hatch. Saturday was tough with the engine failure, and we were literally starting from the back after qualifying. To come away with the Jack Sears Trophy win, and to have led a race in the British Touring Car Championship for the first time, I’m really, really happy.

It’s great to reward all the guys at Restart Racing for the effort they’ve put in. No one could’ve predicted the engine failure, but everyone dug deep, stayed focused, and now we’re here to reap the rewards.

So full credit to the whole team. Hopefully it’s the first of many, and we can push on for some overall results as well. Really happy, and now we’ll look to carry this momentum into Snetterton.”

Chris Smiley, #22 Restart Racing, said: “So that was an eventful race day at Brands Hatch. Race 1, we made a good bit of progress and finished eighth. We made quite a big change to the car from Saturday into the first race, and it definitely felt like a step in the right direction.

Race 2, we got a good start and were sitting sixth. It was a wet track on dry tyres, and unfortunately coming out of Druid, contact saw me off again. Not ideal, but we stuck in there and came from the back of the grid to finish 12th. It doesn’t sound like much, but after being in the wall at Druids, it was something to salvage.

Race 3, we started on the medium tyre and got away well. I was just starting to find a rhythm, but with the mediums we weren’t quite as quick as the cars around us on softs. We were sitting around 12th, 13th, and I think we would have held our own there, but unfortunately, we had contact at Druids again.

So yeah, one of those weekends where it feels like everything has gone against us, but weekends like this aren’t uncommon in this championship. We’ll regroup and go again at Snetterton in a few weeks’ time.”

The results see Restart Racing leave Brands Hatch with valuable championship points and some strong momentum, particularly in the Jack Sears Trophy standings, where Dorlin now leads. The focus now turns to Snetterton (23/24 May).