Chris Smiley led home Restart Racing teammate James Dorlin in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Free Practice session at Thruxton, as the Hyundai duo made good use of the Goodyear medium tyre compound.

The BTCC’s official and longtime tyre supplier – Goodyear – has brought its medium compound to the fastest circuit in the country for the first time in its history, with the abrasive and high-speed nature of the layout ordinarily requiring the hardest compound.

The Qualifying Race and three Sunday races will all take place with the traditional hard tyre in use, but teams have been given the opportunity in practice – and for ten minutes during qualifying later today – to run the faster rubber.

It was Restart Racing that benefitted in particular as it showed the tyre to be potentially around three tenths faster than the chasing pack.

Smiley pipped Dorlin by just 0.093s while championship leader Ash Sutton was next in the order in the new-for-2026 Ford Focus Titanium.

Another new model – Audi A3 Saloon – was fourth as Donington Park race winner Mikey Doble produced a good lap in the #88 LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing machine.

Thruxton specialist Josh Cook followed in the Speedworks Corolla Racing Toyota, as the Bath driver looks to add to his ten victories so far here in Hampshire.

Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK), Tom Ingram (Team VERTU), Adam Morgan (Cataclean Plato Racing) and Gordon Shedden (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport) completed the top ten positions.

There was a notable absentee from the lineup with NAPA Racing UK’s Sam Osborne being taken ill on the eve of the weekend. He is being replaced by multiple race winner Senna Proctor, who will race the Ford Focus Titanium under his traditional #18.

Lewis Gilbert (WSR) made his BTCC debut during the session while series returnee Ryan Bensley completed his maiden run with Speedworks Corolla Racing.

As a reminder following the mid-summer break, the finishing order of Free Practice is now split into two groups, odd-finishing-numbers (Group 1) and even-finishing-numbers (Group 2), for a 15-minute qualifying session to set their fastest times.

The group with the fastest qualifying time will occupy the odd-numbered grid positions for the Qualifying Race, ordered by their respective qualifying times. The other group will occupy the even-numbered grid positions, also ordered by qualifying times.

15 minutes after the qualifying session for Group 2 has concluded, the standard grid procedure for a race start begins, and the pit lane opens. The finishing order of the shorter ten-lap ‘Race to Pole’ will determine the grid for the first of Sunday’s traditional trio of races.

Half-points are awarded for the Qualifying Race. There are no bonus points for leading a lap, the fastest lap, or for pole position for the Qualifying Race, whereas the bonus points for leading a lap and the fastest lap are still available on Sunday.

Qualifying and the Qualifying Race can be found LIVE on the ITV Sport YouTube Channel worldwide from 13:50 later today.

Chris Smiley, Restart Racing, said:

James Dorlin, Restart Racing, said:

Free Practice – Thruxton – Final Classification: