About Us
Restart Racing has prepared, raced, and won at some of the most famous race circuits in the world. The team has built up a wealth of experience in the motorsport industry and made it its business to consistently build and run race-winning cars.
Over the years, the team has run cars from manufacturers including Honda, TVR, BMW, Chevrolet, Vauxhall, Porsche, Hyundai and CUPRA across the BTCC, GT3 sports car racing and Hot Rods.
In 2022, our Essex-based professional team competed in the fiercely contested TCR UK Touring Car Championship with Chris Smiley behind the wheel, competing against 16 other teams. Having collected our race car from Honda’s specialist preparation company in Italy only days before the season began, Chris secured pole position and victory in the opening race at Oulton Park. He went on to win the championship at the final round at Snetterton.
The successful season also resulted in the team being selected to represent the UK at the prestigious FIA Motorsport Games at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, where Chris finished eighth against competitors from around the world.
In 2025, during only our second season in the British Touring Car Championship, Restart Racing enjoyed a landmark campaign. Dan Lloyd secured the Independent Drivers’ Championship after delivering the team’s first outright BTCC victory at Silverstone, while his results alongside Chris Smiley also helped Restart Racing claim the Independent Teams’ Championship.
Chris Smiley
Chris Smiley began his circuit racing career in 2007 in the Ginetta Junior Championship. He made a name for himself in the Scottish MINI Cooper Cup in 2010 and 2011, winning races and earning the title of Young Driver of the Year. In 2012, Smiley moved to the MINI Challenge Great Britain, where he placed third in the JCW category before clinching the class crown in 2013 with nine victories and 14 podiums.
In 2014, Smiley competed in the Volkswagen Scirocco-R Cup Germany, finishing fourth overall. He joined the BTCC in 2016 with TLC Racing, driving a Toyota Avensis, and later moved to BTC Norlin Racing in 2017. With Norlin, he achieved consistent points finishes and won his first BTCC race in 2018 at Rockingham driving a Honda Civic Type R. He continued with BTC Racing in 2019, driving the new FK8-generation Honda Civic Type Rs.
In 2020, Smiley joined EXCELR8, piloting a Hyundai i30N and securing several top-ten finishes. He continued with the team in 2021, aiming to build on his successful debut season. In 2022, Smiley joined Restart Racing in the TCR UK Championship. Despite a last-minute entry, he excelled, winning the first race at Oulton Park and ultimately securing the TCR UK Championship title.
Smiley’s success continued as he was selected to represent the UK in the FIA Motorsport Games at Paul Ricard in 2022. Embracing the opportunity, he performed well against international competitors. In 2023, Restart Racing competed with the brand-new Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR, marking another exciting chapter in Smiley’s career.
In 2024, Chris had made his return to the UK premier motorsport series, the British Touring Car Championship where he is drove a Cupra Leon. For 2025, Chris remains with the team and is reunited with the Hyundai i30N.
Daniel Lloyd
Dan Lloyd, from Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, began his motorsport journey in karting before stepping into car racing in the 2008 Ginetta Junior Championship. He made an immediate impression with three victories during his debut season, before moving into the Renault Clio Cup and winning the 2009 Renault Clio Winter Cup.
Lloyd made his British Touring Car Championship debut at Croft in 2010, aged just 18, recording an impressive best finish of seventh. He then competed in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup, finishing third in the 2011 standings with two victories, before moving into the Porsche Carrera Cup GB. In 2012, he became the first Porsche Scholar to win a race during his rookie season and followed that with ten podium finishes on his way to fourth in the 2013 championship.
After gaining further experience in the Blancpain Sprint and Endurance Series, British GT and international GT competition, Lloyd returned his focus to touring cars. He raced in the TCR International Series in 2017 before dominating the inaugural TCR UK Championship in 2018, securing the title with eight race victories. That same year, he claimed his first outright BTCC win at Croft with BTC Norlin Racing.
Lloyd returned to the BTCC full-time in 2021 and enjoyed his strongest overall championship campaign the following season with EXCELR8 Motorsport. Driving the Hyundai i30 Fastback N, he claimed a memorable double victory at Croft and another win at Brands Hatch, finishing tenth in the Drivers’ Championship.
In 2025, Lloyd joined Restart Racing and played a central role in the team’s breakthrough campaign. He delivered the squad’s first outright BTCC victory at Silverstone before securing the Independent Drivers’ Championship, while also helping Restart Racing win the Independent Teams’ title alongside Chris Smiley. After initially stepping away from competition at the end of the season, Lloyd returned to Restart Racing for the final four events of the 2026 campaign, reuniting with Smiley in the Hyundai i30 Fastback N.
