Chris Smiley will return to the British Touring Car Championship in 2024, after Restart Racing acquired a pair of ex-Team HARD CUPRA Leon cars.
Smiley, 31, was a regular in the BTCC between 2016 and 2021, before joining TCR UK for the 2022 season, where he won the title at his first attempt.
The Northern Irishman had a more difficult season in TCR UK this year with a new Honda Civic, ending the season tenth overall.
After two years away from the BTCC, Smiley will now return to the series in which he has started 162 races and claimed one victory and six podium finishes.
Restart Racing, run by Ben Taylor, has also acquired two TOCA BTCC Licences (TBLs) and the announcement reunites Taylor and Smiley as engineer and driver in the BTCC where they have previous worked together.
The team will announce the driver for its second CUPRA in the coming weeks.
“I’m really excited about returning to the BTCC, and coming with Restart Racing and a new CUPRA,” said Smiley. “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 competing in the BTCC is important to the team, which also plans to race in TCR Europe next year.
“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,” added Taylor.
“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.”