Yorkshire's Dan Lloyd back behind the wheel as Restart Racing eyes home glory at Croft
Restart Racing has confirmed that reigning BTCC Independent Drivers' Champion Dan Lloyd is returning to full-time competition for the remainder of the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season. For fans across the region, the timing couldn't be better, as the series rolls into North Yorkshire's Croft Circuit next month for what could be a defining weekend in this year's title fight.
Lloyd steps back into the Hyundai i30N Fastback this weekend at Donington Park (August 22/23), taking over from fellow Yorkshireman James Dorlin. Restart Racing says the change was made by mutual agreement, and Lloyd, never one to dodge a straight answer, was quick to acknowledge the difficulty of the situation for the man he replaces.
"First of all, I want to say that I know this is a difficult situation for James," Lloyd said. "I've been in that position myself before in my career and I know how tough it can be. He's a very talented driver and a great guy, and I genuinely wish him all the best for whatever comes next."
For Lloyd, though, it's a homecoming in every sense. It was in this same Hyundai, under team boss Smiley, that he delivered Restart Racing's first-ever outright BTCC win at Silverstone last year, before going on to lift the Independent Drivers' Championship, a breakthrough campaign that put the small squad firmly on the touring car map. He stepped out of the cockpit at the end of 2025 but never really left the paddock, staying on in an advisory capacity through this season's race weekends.
"I'm absolutely buzzing to be coming back," the Huddersfield racer added. "Restart Racing feels like home to me, and what we achieved together last year was something I'll never forget. To win the team's first outright BTCC race and then finish the year as Independent Champion was incredibly special. I've stayed really close to the team this season, working with everyone at the race weekends, so I've never really felt like I've been away from it. That makes coming back into the car feel very natural."
After this weekend's Donington Park races, all roads lead to Croft.
Lloyd's return drops him straight into a championship battle building towards a genuine North Yorkshire showdown on September 5 & 6 at Croft Circuit. For it is also the home track of one of the sport's most popular characters, Leeds-born Dan Cammish, a multiple BTCC race-winner, who arrives in the form of his life.
While reigning four-time champion Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK – Ford) leads the standings ahead of the defending champion, Team VERTU's Tom Ingram, Cammish sits close behind in third place in the sister NAPA Racing UK Ford - and it's the Leeds ace who will have the Croft crowd firmly behind him. A big weekend on home soil wouldn't just lift Cammish into the top two, it would tighten NAPA Racing UK's grip on the Teams' title into the bargain.
With only two BTCC race meetings of the season to follow after Croft, Lloyd freshly back in the fight to sharpen Restart Racing's own campaign and Cammish gunning for end of season championship glory, the Yorkshiremen's home event promises to be one of the highlights of the BTCC year.
BTCC returns to Donnington this weekend.