Chris Smiley

When you get the exclusive 😎 #BTCC

Hands up if you went to Race Retro this weekend 🙋‍♂️ @chrissmiley22, Pete Jones and our Team Manager Colin had a great time at the event which had so many iconic cars from years gone by. Thank you for the invite @RaceRetro_! #WeAreRestart #RestartRacing #RaceRetro

📰 “We know the overall speed was there”: Smiley looks back on a rollercoaster 2025 season The Northern Irishman reflects on a season full of challenges, reviewing his pace in FP2, qualifying performances, and more! 👉 Read the full interview: btcc.net/we-know-the-ov… #BTCC

📰 Clean sweep for Restart Racing at Donington Park "We came away with two Independent wins... Two rounds left now and it’s all to play for. Big thanks to the team for all their hard work!" - Dan Lloyd Click for more on the Independents’ leaders: btcc.net/clean-sweep-fo… #BTCC

That's Autosport International done and dusted for another year.  Only a small presence from us with @ChrisSmiley22 taking centre stage on Friday, but what did everyone make of this year's show?  #WeAreRestart #RestartRacing #ASI25

Merry Christmas Everyone🎅 and a big thanks to all who helped and supported me this year. Its been one of the toughest seasons I’ve ever had but we’re very excited for 2024 🎅🏆

Carrickfergus' @ChrisSmiley22 is relishing his return to the British Touring Car Championship ✍️ @JournoJason belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/motor-sp…

Read more ⬇ bbc.co.uk/sport/motorspo…

Guess who's back... 👀 Chris Smiley will return to the British Touring Car Championship in 2024 with Restart Racing 🏆

#BTCC News: Chris Smiley returns to the BTCC with Restart Racing - touringcars.net/2023/12/chris-…

@ChrisSmiley22 @restartracing22 @BTCC @18bentaylor Fantastic news!

Plenty of developments in the @BTCC world today, including the return of @ChrisSmiley22 and the arrival of Restart Racing 🤩

Great to see @ChrisSmiley22 back on the BTCC grid for 2024, with series newcomers Restart Racing 😎

**BREAKING** @ChrisSmiley22 returns to the @BTCC with @restartracing22 Bert & Ben Taylor's outfit have secured 2 TBLs and 2 @CUPRA Leons for the 2024 season. Great to see Chris & the team back next year, congratulations to all involved. #btcc #BREAKING #Restart #cupra

@BTCC It's great to be here!

We’re Back ❤️

📰 Breaking News Chris Smiley returns to the BTCC with Restart Racing See 👉 btcc.net/2023/12/15/chr… #BTCC

Chris Smiley will return to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship in 2024 after two years away, with the fan favourite back on the grid with a new team to the championship, Restart Racing, making its BTCC debut. Restart Racing has acquired two TBLs (racing licences) and two CUPRA Leons to make the jump back into the top-flight touring car series, in which Smiley has 162 race starts to his name, with five podiums including a victory at Rockingham in 2018 while racing with the forerunner to his current team, run by experienced team owner Bert Taylor.

While out of the BTCC, Smiley has kept busy, winning the burgeoning TCR UK Touring Car Championship in 2022, as well as representing the United Kingdom and Motorsport UK at the second running of the FIA Motorsport Games at Le Castellet in November last year.

Restart Racing will effectively be new to the BTCC, but only in name. Team principal Ben Taylor has worked with Chris during his previous tenure in the BTCC, and returns as his engineer for the new campaign with the competitive CUPRA Leon, with podiums as the target for the new season. 2024 will be Chris’ first time competing with the championship’s new Hybrid Energy Management system from Cosworth, which after a two-year bedding-in period, will feature an increased power output for 2024, adding a strategic dynamic to the typical hard racing which the BTCC is famous for.

Restart Racing, based in Grays, Essex, is new to the BTCC, and is heading into its third year of competition. The team has run Chris to title success in the TCR UK championship, and adds the BTCC to an expanded portfolio of programmes in 2024.

The 2024 BTCC season features a ten-round calendar, with races at iconic UK venues including Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Thruxton, Croft, Snetterton, Oulton Park, and Knockhill.

The team will confirm the driver of its second CUPRA Leon within the next few weeks. Chris Smiley said: “I’m really excited about returning to the BTCC, and coming with Restart Racing and a new CUPRA. It was the right time to take a break, as it also now the right time to come back in. To be back and to bring Restart Racing with me and to launch this new project is a real thrill. We know the championship is the right place to be. It’s also an exceptionally tough series, so we’re under no illusions. This is a long term project to build up this race team and push our way towards the front.

“The BTCC is where my heart is and where I want to race, and with the CUPRA we’ve acquired and which we’ve already started working on, we’ll have a great base from which to compete with, and hopefully score some surprises against the manufacturer teams. I can’t wait to get started.” Ben Taylor, team principal, said: “It’s great to be back in the BTCC next year as we look to expand Restart Racing and become an established team competing in all types of touring car racing around the world.

“The BTCC is world-famous as one of the most competitive, toughest, and exciting racing series in the world, so there’s no question that’s where a team like Restart Racing should be. We’ve cut our teeth winning the TCR UK championship right out of the gate, and now it’s on to seeing what we can do in the BTCC, with some new rules since Chris and I were last there, and a new car, but a lot of it is the same, and we know what we need to do to get some good results. We’re relishing the challenge, and we’re really looking forward to the start of the season ahead.”

A few pretty shots from our last round at Donington Park, as we get ready for our last TCR UK race of the season at Brands Hatch this weekend. Wish Chris and Scott luck as we take on the Indy circuit and fight to end the year on a high! #TCRUK #TCRSeries #FirstResponseFinance