Restart Racing driver Scott Sumpton to be a part of the JAS Motorsport Driver Development Programme

Apr 21, 2023Restart Racing

Scott Sumpton will be supported by Honda race car builders JAS Motorsport in an official capacity in 2023, as the 18-year-old has been signed up to the Italian touring car outfit’s high-profile Driver Development Programme.

Scott will be one of a select five drivers on the programme this year, which aims to nurture new racing talent with access to the best engineers, facilities and training. The programme’s end goal being to help develop drivers’ on and off-track skills necessary for global touring car and sports car competition.

Driver coaching is provided by JAS Motorsport official driver, and former Honda factory driver Néstor Girolami, who will also be driving one the new Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCRs in this year’s TCR World Tour. The Argentinian is a former runner-up in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup, and a two-time champion in the very competitive TC 2000 championship in Argentina.

Scott’s programme began this year in the TCR UK championship at Snetterton, where he’s racing a JAS Motorsport-built Honda Civic Type R TCR for the first time, with strong support from commercial partners Exswift, 727 Truck Parts, and Click Waste.

Scott Sumpton, #27 Restart Racing Honda Civic Type R FK7 TCR

“I’m thrilled to join the JAS Motorsport Driver Development Programme as I never dreamed I could be a part of a scheme like this. I attended the FIA Motorsport Games last November to support Restart Racing and was able to see first-hand how much somebody like [DDP graduate] Jack Young has benefitted from being a part of it.

“To be able to learn from the engineers, the management and from one of the world’s best touring car drivers in Néstor Girolami is hugely exciting and I intend to make the very most of this opportunity.”

Images

Scott Sumpton Restart Racing TCR UK 2023

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.

TCR UK

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.