Restart Racing has confirmed that James Dorlin will join the team for the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season, taking the wheel of the Hyundai i30 Fastback N previously driven by Independent Drivers’ Champion Dan Lloyd.
The move brings one of the championship’s promising young drivers into the reigning Independent Teams’ champions.
Dorlin will drive the #132 entry as Restart Racing looks to build on its most successful BTCC campaign to date.
The 26-year-old impressed during the 2025 season, delivering multiple appearances in the Q3 qualifying shootout and securing four top ten finishes before his campaign was unfortunately cut short.
Away from touring cars, he has also enjoyed success in GT competition, winning the 2022 British GT Silver-Am Championship and the 2020 Porsche Sprint Challenge GB title.
A former McLaren Development Driver, Dorlin has built a reputation as a quick and adaptable racer across multiple disciplines.
He now joins a Restart Racing team that has quickly established itself as one of the BTCC’s leading independent outfits following its title-winning 2025 season.
Dorlin will get his first opportunity behind the wheel of the Hyundai i30 Fastback N during the official BTCC pre-season test at Croft on March 24th and 25th.
James Dorlin said:
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to join Restart Racing for the 2026 season, especially off the back of the success they had last year.
After the disappointment of having to cut my season short in 2025, a lot of effort has gone into making sure I’m back on the grid and ready to fight properly this time around.
I think we’ve got a really competitive package at Restart and a great group of people behind the team, so I’m looking forward to getting in the car at Croft and seeing what we can do.
Thanks to Pete, Chris and everyone involved in making this possible.”
Pete Jones, Team Principal of Restart Racing, said:
“James showed last year that he has real pace in the BTCC. Now he has the car and the team around him to show what he can do.
Dan did a fantastic job for us last season, and now we’re excited to give James the opportunity to build on that.
We’re really pleased to have him join the team, and I’m looking forward to seeing him out in the car at Croft.”
Restart Racing will again field two Hyundai i30 Fastback N machines powered by Swindon powertrains in the 2026 championship as the team looks to build on the momentum of its Independent title-winning 2025 campaign.