Restart Racing returned to Donington Park for their second visit this season, contending with the longer Grand Prix loop under mixed weather conditions during the eighth round of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
During their second visit to Donington Park this season, the weather again played its part with variable conditions, including heavy rain during Saturday’s practice and a wet/dry qualifying session. The races took place on a mostly dry track, although brief showers added an element of jeopardy to race day however it never rained enough to use wet tyres. Chris Smiley started from 14th, while Scott Sumpton began from 20th.
In the opening race of the day, Chris made a solid start, quickly moving up from 14th to 11th by overtaking two works Hyundai’s and rivals Daryl DeLeon and Mikey Doble, who struggled at the start after getting involved in incidents. However, the race quickly became more challenging as Chris was overtaken by the recovering Tom Ingram at the Melbourne Hairpin and later by Aiden Moffat. Despite these setbacks, Chris remained competitive, managing to fend off Mikey Doble after a lengthy safety car interruption, finishing 13th and securing second in the independents category. Meanwhile, Scott Sumpton managed to finish 18th.
As race 2 began, light rain fell but was insufficient for wet tyres. Chris leveraged a strong start to move up from 13th to 11th, avoiding a spinning Dan Cammish on the exit of turn 1. Chris did a brilliant job to maintain his position and eventually move into the top 10 after taking 10th from Aron Taylor-Smith and then 9th from Moffat in the Toyota. Chris raced brilliantly to keep his position until a braking issue at Coppice caused him to slide wide, losing several places. He fought hard in the mid-pack but eventually finished 15th after losing ground to Andrew Watson on the final lap. Scott, showing slight improvement, ended the race in 16th.
Chris started the final race of the day 15th and initially made some progress. However, he received a five-second penalty for a start infringement and was later involved in an incident that damaged his car, forcing his retirement a few laps later. Scott, on the other hand, improved his pace throughout the race, dodging incidents and passed Rob Huff on the final lap to finish 14th and bring home two points on what was a challenging day for the team.
Chris commented: “It’s been a really tough day here at Donington Park. Race 1 this morning saw some good progress, and I managed to gain a few places, finishing in 13th. In Race 2, I had a great start, overtaking quite a few cars and was up to P9, in contention for an independent win. Unfortunately, we encountered a brake issue going into McLeans, causing me to lose the rear of the car. That led to a collision, and I ended up finishing around 14th or 15th. It was really disappointing, especially since we were on track for an independent win and a top ten finish, which would have set us up nicely for the reverse grid in Race 3.
Sadly, in Race 3, we started from 15th and were making some good progress. However, going down into the first hairpin at the Melbourne loop, another car took me out of the race entirely. It was an incredibly frustrating and disappointing end to the day.
We’ve got a bit of a longer break now before Silverstone in a few weeks, and we’re really aiming to finish the season strong. I believe we’re capable of achieving some great results, so I’m looking forward to Silverstone.”
Scott commented: “It was a tough day here at Donington for Round 8 of the British Touring Car Championship. Races 1 and 2 didn’t go as I had hoped. It was challenging—I’d make a small mistake, and the gap to the other cars would just widen, making it incredibly difficult to recover.
The pace was there, but it came too late in the races, which was frustrating. However, Race 3, often referred to as the ‘carnage race’ in British Touring Cars, was a different story. I got stuck in, made some good moves, and it was great to be battling with some of the faster drivers like Chilton, Rowbottom, and even Rob Huff.
I’m really pleased with how Race 3 turned out. Now, we just need to channel this aggression and determination as we head to Silverstone in about three weeks’ time.”
Ben Taylor, Team Principal, commented: “While we faced some tough moments this weekend, the team’s positive attitude and hard work were evident. Chris showed great resilience, particularly in the first two races which were highlights for us. These moments show our potential and ability to compete and with that, we can take confidence. As we head to Silverstone, we’re focused on finishing the season as strongly as we can.”
Restart Racing is now preparing for the upcoming and penultimate races of the season at Silverstone, the home of Motorsport.