Now equipped with the latest eleventh generation Civic Type R, Chris will be battling to retain his crown. The season got underway last weekend with Chris scoring a podium on what was effectively the car’s shakedown meeting.
The relationship with Cranswick is an important one to Chris. As well as working with them to promote the quality food brand and its sustainability goals, they’ll also work together to support a charity that’s important to them both, Race Against Dementia.
The charity was founded by Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, and it finances scientific research with the goal of finding a breakthrough in the cure or prevention of dementia.
The TCR UK championship got underway last weekend at Snetterton, and will conclude at Brands Hatch in October after seven race weekends, this year headlining at the UK’s top race tracks over a seven-month campaign.
“I’m delighted to be working with Cranswick Country Foods again. They were an important part of my programme last year, and are a fantastic brand to be associated with.
“I’ll be working with them to support the local community this year near their Ballymena site, working on fundraising activities for the local schools and college.
“It’s also great to be working with Cranswick and working to support a very important charity together, Race Against Dementia. We raised a lot for their vital research projects last year, and will be looking to do even more this year alongside our racing programme in TCR UK.”
Tony Demaine, Site Director at Cranswick Country Foods, said:
“We’re proud to be supporting Chris again for another year in the TCR UK championship. Working together last year reaped fantastic rewards with Chris winning the drivers’ championship first time out, and I know he and the team have even higher ambitions this year with the new car.
“Chris also is a very important brand ambassador for Cranswick Country Foods. We’ll continue to work together to support community initiatives here near the Ballymena site, which are extremely important to us.
“I’m also very thankful for the work Chris does to fundraise for Race Against Dementia, a charity which is very close to my heart.
“We’re really looking forward to another very exciting season working with Chris and Restart Racing in 2023.”
Images
Photo credit Phil Laughton Photography.
About
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 by manufacturers such as Honda, TVR, BMW, Chevrolet, Vauxhall, Porsche, Hyundai and Volkswagen in the BTCC, GT3 sports car series, and Hot Rods.
In 2022, our Essex-based professional team competed in the hard-fought TCR UK Touring Car Championship with Chris Smiley at the wheel, pitted against a total of 16 other teams. Having collected our race car from Honda’s specialist preparation company in Italy only days before the start of the season, Chris went on to secure pole position and win the first race at Oulton Park, and would go on to win the championship at Snetterton at the final round.
It turned out to be a great season of racing at some of the UK’s premier circuits, culminating in the team being chosen to represent the UK at the prestigious FIA Motorsport Games at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, where Chris Smiley finished in eighth position against competitors from around the world.
Launched in 2018, the TCR UK championship is one of the UK’s most exciting new categories. Utilising the highly-successful TCR technical regulations, of which more than 1,000 cars have been built, the TCR UK championship is going from strength-to-strength, with free-to-air online broadcasting, manufacturer-supported customer racing programmes, and most of all, thrilling, door-to-door, classic touring car racing.
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