The 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship got underway at Donington Park today, marking the debut of the all-new Saturday ‘Race to Pole’ format, with the team fighting hard across a dramatic opening day.
Following the weekend’s sole Free Practice session, a qualifying session that was split into two 15-minute groups, determined the grid for the inaugural ‘Race to Pole’, which would in turn set the starting order for Sunday’s opening race.
Chris qualified 11th, narrowly missing out on the top 10, while James lined up 18th after a really close session, having lost his final lap due to track limits.
Conditions remained largely dry despite a brief shower passing over the circuit ahead of the race, with bright but windy conditions throughout the day.
Smiley made a strong start and showed a strong early pace, but contact exiting the final chicane on the opening lap forced him across the grass and dropped him down the order. Further contact on the following lap at McLeans left him pretty much at the back of the field before beginning a recovery drive.
Dorlin capitalised on early incidents ahead, moving up to 14th after avoiding contact at Turn One on lap two. However, an issue with the tyre pressures made it difficult to keep pace across the race distance, leaving him in a tightly contested midfield battle.
As the race progressed, both drivers fought hard in a really competitive field. Smiley worked his way back through the field, passing Sam Osborne and engaging in a tight battle with Ricky Collard and Aron Taylor-Smith to the chequered flag.
Dorlin also recovered positions in the latter stages, making moves on the Napa Racing UK pair of Lewis Selby and Osborne to regain ground.
Despite the setbacks, both drivers brought the cars home in 15th and 16th respectively.
James said: “So that’s Saturday done, a bit of an up and down day for us. We struggled slightly with the rear end in qualifying and lost our final lap due to track limits, which didn’t help.
The qualifying race itself was exciting to say the least, there was a lot going on throughout. We just had the wrong tyre pressures, which made it a struggle for the entire race distance.
Tomorrow is where it really matters. We’re starting a bit further back than where we should be, but we’ve got three races to make amends and get some points on the board. We’ve learned a lot today, so the focus now is on tomorrow and moving forward.”
Chris said: “So that’s today done, our very first ‘Race to Pole’, and it definitely brings a different feel to the Saturday. We had the 40-minute Free Practice session first thing this morning, which is the only practice we get, followed by a 15-minute qualifying shootout that sets the grid for the qualifying race.
In my group, I qualified sixth, which put us P11 on the grid for the race. I’m a little bit frustrated with how it went, to be honest. I got a really good start and had a strong run out of Coppice on the opening lap, but unfortunately coming through the chicane I was hit on the exit and sent across the grass out of the final corner. Then on the next lap, I was taken off going into McLeans.
At one point I was virtually at the back, but I managed to fight my way back up to P15. It’s not a complete disaster, the car felt pretty racy, and I’m confident that tomorrow we can push ourselves into the top ten.”
The result sets the grid for Sunday’s opening race, with Smiley and Dorlin lining up 15th and 16th.
Whilst no points were scored on Saturday, both drivers showed strong race pace and recovery drives through the field, providing a solid platform heading into Sunday’s three races under the traditional BTCC format.