Mixed fortunes for Restart Racing at Croft

Published on August 10, 2025

Restart Racing showed flashes of pace at Croft for Round 6 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, but engine issues and race incidents meant the results did not reflect the team’s potential.

The weekend marked the championship’s only visit to Yorkshire and the first round since the summer break. Chris Smiley arrived leading the Independents’ Drivers’ standings, while the team topped the Independent Teams’ Championship. Dan Lloyd came into the event looking to impress at his home circuit in front of strong local support.

Croft turned into a weekend of ‘what could have been’ after both drivers ran into issues. Photograph: JEP

Qualifying brought a mixed outcome. Smiley had his best lap in Q1 deleted for track limits and was classified 14th. Lloyd progressed to Q3 and secured his best starting position of the season in 6th, despite overheating issues in the closing stages.

Race 1 took place on a dry track after heavy rain earlier in the day. Smiley’s race ended on the opening lap after contact from Gordon Shedden. Lloyd managed his engine problem to secure the Independents’ victory and 9th overall.

In Race 2, Smiley was in contention for the Independents’ win before giving a position back after contact, finishing 13th. Lloyd’s straight-line pace was limited by the ongoing engine issue, and he crossed the line 15th.

Race 3 ended early for both drivers. Lloyd was unable to take the start due to the worsening engine problem. Smiley was caught in an unavoidable incident when Dan Cammish slid off the track into Daryl De Leon, who was then pushed into the Restart car, forcing retirement.

Smiley now sits second in the Independents’ Drivers’ standings, with Lloyd moving up to third. The team continues to lead the Independent Teams’ Championship and is fourth overall in the Teams’ standings.

Driver Quotes

Chris Smiley: “Qualifying was frustrating after having my best lap deleted for track limits, which meant I didn’t progress past Q1. Starting further back was always going to make race day harder, but we knew the pace was in the car. Race 1 was over before it really began after getting turned around by Gordon Shedden, which was gutting. In Race 2 we had great speed, and I thought we were on for the Independents’ win, but I had to give a position back after a bit of contact, so we had to settle for 13th. Race 3 was probably the most unlucky incident I’ve been involved in – Cammish went off and slid into Daryl De Leon, which then bounced into me. It’s disappointing because we were quick all day but never got the chance to capitalise. We’ll regroup and come out fighting at Knockhill.”

Chris showed strong pace all weekend, but a case of being at the wrong place and the wrong time on two occasions on race day resulted in two DNF’s. Photograph: JEP

Dan Lloyd: “Overall, it’s been a really disappointing weekend due to the engine issues we’ve been nursing since qualifying. To go from my best qualifying of the year at my home circuit to just trying to make the engine survive on race day was tough. I’m happy we salvaged an Independents’ win in Race 1, and the team did a great job to keep the car going for that, but the problem kept getting worse. We struggled badly in a straight line, and ultimately, we had to make the call to sit out Race 3. It’s frustrating because we came into the weekend expecting to be really strong, but some things are out of your control. We’ll take the positives and look ahead to Knockhill.”