Restart Racing will expand its programme next year, entering the TCR Europe series with its rising star driver Scott Sumpton in 2024.
The 2022 TCR UK drivers’ championship-winning squad will enter at least one Honda Civic Type R FL5 TCR in the leading European tin-top series in 2024, following a sensational year with 18-year-old Sumpton proving himself in the TCR UK championship this year as a future talent.
Sumpton, who is part of the Honda Civic TCR builder JAS Motorsport’s Driver Development Programme, has received expert coaching from the touring car specialists, as well as support and guidance from Restart Racing and team principal Ben Taylor, also overseen by experienced team owner Bert Taylor. As a result, Scott has become a consistent front runner in the championship, finishing 12th in the drivers’ standings of the highly-competitive UK series.
The team has experience of racing in Europe before, running the United Kingdom entry in the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games for Chris Smiley, and the young squad is looking to expand its horizons in 2024 by entering the TCR Europe series, with other programmes also in its plan and soon to be revealed, including continuing to be a front running team in TCR UK..
The team is also open to running additional cars in TCR Europe for drivers who want to compete with the impressive new Civic FL5 in the series, in which the car is already winning races.
“I’m really looking forward to competing in the TCR Europe series next season. I’ve had a fantastic year this year with Restart Racing and JAS Motorsport, and racing in the highly-competitive European series is definitely the next step in my development. I’m thrilled to get the opportunity to race against some world-class drivers, and compete on some fantastic circuits, all while gathering more experience and fighting for podiums and race wins.
“I’ve had a terrific time in the TCR UK championship for the last two years and I’ve learned a lot. I also say goodbye to my FK7 Civic, which has been an amazing car, but I can’t wait to be racing the new FL5 Civic, which is now a fast and proven race-winner and should be the perfect car in which to make my European debut.”
“We’re really excited about the opportunity ahead to race in the TCR Europe series next year with Scott. Our TCR programme has been an exciting challenge for us, with winning the 2022 TCR UK championship in our first season a fantastic achievement. We followed that up with our development programme this year with Scott, working with him to become a regular front-runner in the series. We believe the TCR Europe series will provide an excellent opportunity for both Scott and us to grow as an operation. We’re also aiming for this to just be the start, with the plan to run more cars in the series and elsewhere next year.”
“We’re very pleased to see Scott moving up to TCR Europe next year and moving up from a national programme to challenge himself at a continental level. The JAS Motorsport Driver Development Programme aims to give young drivers all the tools they need to become professional racers and Scott has made fantastic progress in his first year with the DDP in both his on and off-track performance. Together with Restart Racing, who not only won a major TCR title in their first year as a Civic Type R TCR customer team, but also gave the FL5 model its world debut this year, we are sure they have everything they need to put a strong campaign together.”
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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 Europe series is a major regional competition for touring cars, often considered to be the final step before competing at world level. Former champions include Mikel Azcona, Tom Coronel, and Josh Files – all have which have raced in the TCR World Tour.
The series enjoys live broadcasting on YouTube, and races at some of the most iconic race circuits on the continent, previously including tracks such as Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Barcelona, and Paul Ricard.
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