Restart Racing continued to build momentum and also achieved its first double-points finish in only its second outing in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship last time out at Brands Hatch.
The team had already scored its first points through Chris Smiley during the opening event at Donington Park, and the Northern Irishman did so again with 14th in the first race at Brands Hatch.
The best was arguably saved until last, however, as Smiley grabbed 13th with team-mate Scott Sumpton securing his first ever BTCC points finish with 14th.
Overall, it was another rewarding weekend for the team in the BTCC, which included its best finish to date. Next up is Snetterton this weekend (25/26 May) where the team will be looking to build again in search of its first silverware of the season.
Chris Smiley said: “From our point of view, I think it was another positive weekend with two-point scoring finishes in the opening and final races of the day.
“Unfortunately, we had a puncture in race 2 after some contact which was a massive shame. We had saved the faster, soft tyre for race 3 and without contact, I think we could have finished in 13th or 14th in race 2, and that would have given us a real opportunity of finishing in the top ten in the final race of the day.
“We are all looking forward to Snetterton. We will be using all three Goodyear compounds which should really mix up the field.”
Scott Sumpton said: “I managed to get my first ever BTCC points, so I’m chuffed with that. Race 1 went really well; we moved up two positions up to 16th. Race 2 was a little bit of a shame. We had a problem with the car, which meant we had to retire.
“This meant we had to come from the back in race 3. From 20th with the soft tyre on, we managed to carve our way through the pack, making a few good positions and it was good to make a few overtakes and get my first ever British Touring car points with 14th.
“I think as a team, we did really well and I think we scored highly in the Jack Sears as well, which is amazing. I’m looking forward to Snetterton and hopefully, we can get more points on the table.”
Ben Taylor, Team Principal, said: “We are making good steps with the car and I feel as though we are getting closer to the pack with every session, which is testament to everyone in the team who is working so hard to ensure we remain competitive in our debut season.
“We will take this onto Snetterton where we hope to keep learning, keep improving and take another step up the grid.”
