Chris Smiley looks back on a 2025 British Touring Car Championship season that delivered front-running pace and strong early results, ultimately just coming up short to teammate Daniel Lloyd for the Independent Drivers’ title.
For the first time since his return to the championship, the Northern-Irishman was reunited with the Hyundai i30N package, finding himself firmly in the mix for overall top-ten honours and Independents’ success.
“Yeah, it was a year of two halves,” Smiley reflected. “The second half of the year was still good, but we lost points early in six races where we didn’t score at all.
“With low ride height issues, being excluded at Thruxton, technical problems at Snetterton and Oulton Park. You add up the points we lost in those races and it would’ve put us somewhere in the top five overall. The Independents’ would’ve been pretty straightforward, really.
“We kind of gave it away with all the silly things that went on, and the other guys just mopped up when we made those mistakes.”
The frustration is sharpened by just how strong Smiley and the car had been across the year, with results and raw pace underlining how quickly he, the team and the new package had come together.
“If you look at the first half of the year, before Thruxton, I was sitting high up,” he said. “From there on, the luck just didn’t go our way, but the speed was always there.
“I broke the lap record three or four times in FP2 this year. All the right ingredients were there. It was just a case of things that were out of my control not falling our way.”
The #22 believes the foundations laid during the season can provide encouragement for him in the future, particularly given the lack of preparation of the year prior.
“I’ve been in the championship for at least ten seasons now, so it’s not a lack of experience,” he explained. “With the car being so last-minute last year, we did very little testing, so to come out of the blocks the way we did was impressive.
“We know the overall speed is there. Now it’s just about focusing on the fine details and ironing out the little annoyances.”
The introduction of the new Saturday Qualifying Race is another change Smiley believes could create fresh opportunities, particularly for drivers who can hit the ground running early in the weekend.
“I don’t think it changes everything, but it definitely creates more opportunity,” he said. “Last year, qualifying was brutal; you could be quick enough for pole, make a mistake in Q1, and suddenly you’re starting 17th.
“Now you’ve got to make sure the car is absolutely right for FP1 because you’re effectively qualifying from the very start of the weekend. You don’t have time to build into it anymore.”
“Being consistently in the top ten is where you need to be in this championship now,” he added. “That’s how you put a title challenge together; scoring points in every race, every weekend.”
As for targets, Smiley’s ambitions remain firmly focused on climbing the overall order. “My aim is to finish as high as possible in the main championship,” he said. “I’d love to be in the top five overall, and obviously the Independents’ as well.
“You can’t predict wins or poles at this point, the field’s too close for that, but the goal is to put a clean, consistent season together and make the most of every opportunity.”
With renewed motivation, lessons learned and excitement building as the new season approaches, the BTCC race winner is clear on one thing: the hunger to compete remains as strong as ever.
“You get to the end of the year and think it’s nice to have a break,” he said. “Then Christmas passes and suddenly you’re excited to get back in the car, to see everyone again.
“With all the changes in the championship, new teams, new cars and drivers moving around, there’s opportunity early in the season. The focus now is just being as fit and as ready as possible when it all starts again.”
