Podium Highs and a Wild Ride at Oulton Park for Restart Racing

Published on June 23, 2025

Oulton Park delivered a weekend of extremes for Restart Racing; a career-best qualifying, a breakthrough podium, and a storming comeback drive, all ended by mechanical issues and a dramatic crash. But through it all, the team fought on to keep and their place at the top of the Independent standings at the half way point of the season.

Saturday’s qualifying session couldn’t have started stronger. Chris Smiley put in a sensational lap to grab 2nd, equalling his career-best in the BTCC and securing Restart Racing’s highest-ever grid slot. The car was quick out of the box, and the team delivered when it mattered. Dan Lloyd was also flying in Q1, but a broken exhaust bracket led to a ride height failure and post-session exclusion. A brutal blow after one of the strongest starts to a weekend all season.

Chris put the Hyundai i30 on the front row of the grid to give the team its best qualifying result to date. Photograph: JEP

Race 1 showcased everything the team is about. Chris slipped to fourth in the opening laps but held his nerve, kept the pressure on, and capitalised late in the race to move back into third. That result marked the team’s first-ever overall podium in the BTCC, a huge milestone in just our second season and another win in the Independents’ class.

From the very back of the grid, Dan delivered arguably his best drive since joining the team. He gained 12 places in 16 laps, pulling off brave, clinical overtakes and charging up to 12th by the chequered flag, all while keeping his nose clean in the mid-pack chaos.

With Chris forced to run the hard tyre in Race 2, it was always going to be tough. Despite a strong start, he quickly fell through the field, struggling for grip in a race where nearly every hard tyre runner went backwards. Dan made another electric launch into the top ten, but a high-speed crash at Clay Hill ended his race early. Thankfully, the car survived without major damage, a huge relief for the team heading into Race 3.

Dan provided much of the entertainment on Sunday, twice coming from the back to the grid to the fringes of the top 10. Photgraph: JEP

The final race was a gamble from lights out. Rain before the start forced teams onto wets, but the track dried quickly towards the end of the race. Chris didn’t even make it to the end of the first lap, sidelined by a repeat alternator failure, his second of the season. Meanwhile, Dan again went into overdrive. Up to 11th within a few laps, but a lock-up at the hairpin dropped him to the back again, before he reset and charged forward once again. He crossed the line 14th, which later became 13th and another Independents’ win after Dexter Patterson’s car failed post-race checks.

It wasn’t a weekend without its frustrations, but it proved this team can bounce back from anything in the pursuit of the Independent crowns.

Driver Quotes

Chris Smiley: “So that’s Oulton Park done and dusted, it’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the season, time’s flown by.

Today started well. I finished 3rd in race one this morning, the team’s first overall podium, and my first in a little while, so that was a really positive way to kick things off.

In race two, we had to run the hard tyre because of the podium finish in race one, and it was just really tough to make it work. Pretty much everyone who ran the hard tyre struggled, apart from Ingram, so it was one of those races where we just had to get through it.

I was really looking forward to race three, we were back on the soft tyre, and there were a lot of hard tyre runners ahead of us, so I genuinely think we had a shot at getting back into the top five. But unfortunately, it started to rain, and we had an alternator issue on the car that put us out on the first lap.

I’m just relieved the car isn’t damaged and we can reset with a clear focus for the second half of the season. The goal now is to keep pushing for the Independents’ title and, hopefully, chase down an overall race win too.”

Chris tasted more champagne this season after delivering the team’s first overall podium in race 1. Photograph: JEP

Dan Lloyd: “It’s just been a mental day.

We had really strong pace. Race one was mega, coming through to 12th, that’s the first time I’ve really done that kind of drive in touring cars, and it was a great feeling.

In race two, the pace was good again, but I got caught up in an incident and ended up in a huge crash into the barriers, which I was absolutely devastated about. The relief came later when we found out the car was okay and there wasn’t too much damage, that was a massive weight off my shoulders.

Then in race three, we started on wets from the very back of the grid and came through to 11th. I made a mistake locking up over the bump into the hairpin, which dropped me back to last, but I fought back again and possibly even took the Independents’ win, depending on Patterson’s ride height.

So yeah, just an absolutely crazy day. I don’t really know what to think. I’m happy we’re in one piece, but it definitely could’ve been a hell of a lot better.”