Restart Racing bounced back from a difficult previous outing at Donington Park with a competitive weekend at Croft in the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, securing three top-eight finishes across the event.

Both Chris Smiley (#22) and Daniel Lloyd (#123) showed encouraging pace throughout the weekend, with the pair fighting their way into the top ten during Saturday’s Race to Pole after losing their fastest qualifying laps to track limits. Smiley would go on to take the chequered flag in ninth, directly ahead of Lloyd in tenth, giving Restart Racing a positive starting point for Sunday’s three races.

Rain arrived around an hour before the opening contest, leaving teams facing a difficult tyre decision as conditions continued to change ahead of the start.

Lloyd committed to wet tyres from tenth on the grid, while Smiley stayed on the hard compound as many dry-tyre runners returned to the pits at the end of the formation lap.

The #22 was the only driver to start on the hard tyres and immediately struggled for grip as the rain intensified, dropping through the order during the opening laps. The #123 made stronger progress on the wet tyre, climbing to eighth on the opening lap and remaining in the battle around the lower reaches of the top ten.

Lloyd crossed the line ninth but was later handed a five-second penalty for track-limit infringements, dropping him to 13th in the final classification. Smiley finished 22nd after a race dictated by his tyre choice.

Both Restart Racing cars switched to the soft tyre for the second bout of the day, with Lloyd quickly making progress through the field and breaking into the top ten before turning his attention to Josh Cook (Speedworks Corolla Racing), who was running on the hard compound.

The pair battled for position at Tower Bend on lap 14, with the Huddersfield racer completing the move to climb to seventh as Cook was forced to retire following contact.

Smiley produced an equally impressive recovery further back, gaining four places on the opening lap. The #22 eventually climbed to 14th after passing Adam Morgan (CPRL) on the final lap, completing an eight-place recovery from the back of the grid.

Two-time BTCC champion James Thompson drew number ten in the reverse-grid draw, promoting Lloyd to fourth for the final race of the day. Smiley lined up 14th, with Lloyd on the hard tyre and his teammate running the soft compound.

A multi-car incident at turn one of lap one triggered an early Safety Car period. The #22 avoided the trouble to make immediate progress, while Lloyd settled into sixth.

When racing resumed, both Restart Racing drivers found themselves involved in close battles throughout the top ten.

The pair eventually battled together with Smiley taking the chequered flag in seventh and Lloyd directly behind in eighth, completing a double top-eight finish to round out a positive weekend for the team.

Dan Lloyd, #123 Restart Racing, said: “That’s the weekend finished at Croft, and it was much better than Donington. We made some massive improvements to the car, and it felt much more comfortable for me.

“We ran inside the top ten throughout the weekend and came away with seventh in race two. We were also running seventh in the final race before the penalty dropped us to eighth, while another penalty took us from ninth on the road to 13th in race one.

“The car felt mega. We are still struggling slightly with straight-line speed, as are the other Hyundais, so taking that into account, I think we did really well.

“There were some crazy races, but we kept the car in one piece. I’m happy with the progress we made and I’m looking forward to the final two events.”

Chris Smiley, #22 Restart Racing, said: “That’s another challenging weekend finished at Croft. The car felt okay throughout the weekend, and Saturday’s Race to Pole put both cars inside the top ten.

“As we left the grid for race one, it looked as though the circuit was going to dry. Unfortunately, it started raining again as the formation lap began and we were committed to the hard tyre. It was like driving on ice, and we were holding on in the hope of a Safety Car that never came.

“We started race two from 22nd and worked our way up to 14th, before finishing the final race in seventh. We have to stay positive because we showed that we could make progress and fight our way forward.

“It was a challenging weekend with the straight-line speed and the way some of the races played out. Silverstone is a circuit where the car has performed well before, so hopefully we can have a stronger weekend there.”

The championship now heads to Silverstone (26/27 September) for the penultimate event of the season, where Restart Racing secured its maiden outright BTCC victory in 2025.