Chris and Dan Share Independent Spoils in Donington Drama

Published on September 3, 2025

Donington Park GP delivered a weekend of highs, lows, and plenty of drama for Restart Racing, as the team came away with a clean sweep of all three Independent victories. Chris Smiley opened the day with an Independent win in race one, while Dan Lloyd battled through the chaos to take back-to-back Independent wins in races two and three.

The Grand Prix layout at Donington is a favourite among fans and drivers alike, and as summer drew to a close the weather played its part once again. Saturday began dry for practice before a sudden downpour moments before qualifying left teams gambling on tyre choice. Chris thrived in the tricky conditions, guiding his Hyundai i30N through the wet Q3 session to secure 4th on the grid, his second-best qualifying result of the season. Dan was also quick in the dry, but a late call on tyre strategy in Q2 left him 10th. Both drivers were then promoted a place when rival Mikey Doble was excluded, giving Chris 3rd and Dan 9th for Sunday’s opener.

The first race of the day started brightly. Chris made a lightning start from the second row and immediately challenged for the lead before settling into third. He fought hard with the three Napa Fords, losing out to Dan Rowbottom at the Melbourne Hairpin before coming under pressure from Ash Sutton and Dan Cammish. Despite slipping to 9th after a bruising scrap that included being forced onto the grass at Goddards, Chris still secured the Independents’ win, strengthening his title challenge. Dan, on the slower hard tyre, was caught in the midfield shuffle and brought the car home 14th.

Both cars were competitive all weekend and mixing it with the front of the field. Photograph: JEP

Race two was one of the most chaotic of the season. Chris made a superb start on the softs, climbing to 8th before a safety car was called after Senna Proctor spun into the BMW of Charles Rainford. As the race restarted, Chris surged to 5th after more cars went off at Redgate, while Dan launched into the top ten, briefly climbing as high as 6th before being shuffled back. Both cars were running strongly until heavy rain at McLeans sent half the field sliding off, which brought out the safety car. Chris crossed the line 4th with what looked like another Independent’s win, but a post-race disqualification for a ride height infringement handed the victory to Dan instead, elevating him to 10th overall and sealing his first Independent success of the day.

The final race saw Dan line up 10th and Chris relegated to the very back in 22nd. Dan once again delivered, fighting his way through to 8th at the flag despite being knocked around in the midfield, and securing his second consecutive Independents’ win. Chris charged up to 15th before a puncture forced a late pit stop, dropping him to 21st at the flag, though he still salvaged points in his pursuit of the Independents crown.

It was a bruising weekend that could have delivered more for Chris, but the team still leaves Donington Park with a clean sweep of the Independents’ races, vital championship points, and both drivers right in the mix as the season heads towards its final two rounds.

DRIVER QUOTES:

Chris Smiley said:

“So that’s Donington Park GP done and dusted. Qualifying yesterday was really strong, starting race one from P3. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have the pace in that first race to move forward, felt like we were slightly down on power, but we still came away with the Independent win. Race two started well, I kept my nose clean while the chaos unfolded and crossed the line 4th overall with another Independent win. Sadly, the car was just under the ride height limit, so we were excluded, which put us to the back for race three. With the penalty boost and starting on the hard tyre, I was fighting through and up to about 15th with a few laps to go, but then picked up a puncture. We got it changed and still managed to classify to grab some points for the Independents, but it wasn’t the day we were hoping for. Still, we’ll regroup and I’m looking forward to Silverstone in a few weeks’ time.”

Despite his 9th Independent win of the season, it was a disappointing raceday for Chris, who slipped to 3rd in the Independent Drivers Championship. Photograph: JEP

Dan Lloyd said:

“Right, so that’s Donington Park done, what a mental day, a really tough weekend. We came away with two Independent wins, one of them not the way I’d want to take it with my teammate getting thrown out, but we’ll take the points. The last race was a proper battle, got knocked about a couple of times, but managed to bring it home in P8 with another Independent win, which is mega for the championship. Honestly, just happy to be in one piece after the chaos in the wet second race. Two rounds left now and it’s all to play for. Big thanks to the team for all their hard work.”