Smiley gets new Civic Type R for Oulton Park TCR UK rounds
Defending TCR UK Touring Car champions Restart Racing have secured the ninth example of the new generation Honda Civic Type R for tomorrow’s double-header at Oulton Park.
The team had been running a research and development mule of the same car for the first two race weekends of the competition at Snetterton and Croft which yielded just one podium finish for lead driver, Chris Smiley.
Run in collaboration with the car’s builder JAS Motorsport, the TCR FL5 version of the Japanese hatch made its global race debut in the hands of Smiley who, despite experiencing early teething problems with it, still feels it can land him a second consecutive title.
“We have been running-in the new Honda Civic Type R test car for the first two meetings of TCR UK at Snetterton and Croft, and we have now taken delivery of the race car that we will be using for the rest of the season,” said the 31-year-old from Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland.
Smiley made his foray into the TCR UK Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park last season and wasted little time chalking up a first win. The start of the current campaign has proven less fruitful, with one podium followed by two DNFs owing to an accident and an electrical issue, and a ninth-place finish in the reversed grid race at Croft last time out.
“It is time to get our championship started this weekend,” said Smiley. “Oulton Park is where the Championship started for us last year – we secured pole for race one and went on to secure the victory on our first time out – so I have a lot of good memories from there.
“It will be a very different weekend this time around, however, with Free Practice, qualifying and racing all taking place on Saturday, so those teams that can quickly adapt to get the most out of their car will do well.
“I am confident that with the help of my Restart Racing team, I should be able to do a good job; it has been a very good track for Honda in the past, so I am really looking forward to it,” he added.
Qualifying at the Cheshire circuit takes place on Saturday from 10.35am to 11.05am, followed by two, 25-minute races at 1.20pm and 4.15pm respectively.
TCR UK TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP: OULTON PARK - TOP 10
1. CHRIS SMILEY - HONDA CIVIC TYPE R (RESTART RACING)
2. BRADLEY KENT - HYUNDAI VELOSTER N (ESSEX & KENT MOTORSPORT)
3. JAC CONSTABLE AUDI RS3 (ROB BOSTON RACING)
4. DAN KIRBY CUPRA LEON (ZEST RACECAR ENGINEERING)
5. CALLUM NEWSHAM HYUNDAI i30 N (JH RACING)
6. BRAD HUTCHISON AUDI RS3 (BOND IT WITH MPHR)
7. SCOTT SUMPTON HONDA CIVIC TYPE R (RESTART RACING)
8. MATTHEW WILSON CUPRA LEON (JWB MOTORSPORT)
9. STEVE GALES CUPRA LEON (MPHR)
10. BRUCE WINFIELD HYUNDAI i30 N (AREA MOTORSPORT)
