Reigning independent teams champion Restart Racing have added the final piece to their 2026 driver lineup in the form of 26 year old James Dorlin.
Dorlin joins Restart after reigning independent drivers champion Dan Lloyd announced his departure from the team back in January. The former British GT driver will be at the wheel of the Hyundai i30N alongside BTCC race winner Chris Smiley.
Dorlin competed in the championship last year with the Toyota Speedworks squad. His campaign was cut short as he missed the final three rounds of the season, being replaced by Josh Cook. Dorlin showed plenty of promise in his rookie season in the BTCC, achieving a best finish of seventh place at Thruxton in race one and two.
Restart Racing will need Dorlin to adjust to the Hyundai i30N fastback quickly as they will face fierce competition in the independent championships this season.
Hear from Dorlin and Pete Jones: Restart Racing Team Principal
James Dorlin, Restart Racing Driver said: “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to join Restart Racing for the 2026 season, especially off the back of the success they had last year. After the disappointment of having to cut my season short in 2025, a lot of effort has gone into making sure I’m back on the grid and ready to fight properly this time around.I think we’ve got a really competitive package at Restart and a great group of people behind the team, so I’m looking forward to getting in the car at Croft and seeing what we can do.”
Pete Jones, Team Principal of Restart Racing, said: “James showed last year that he has real pace in the BTCC. Now he has the car and the team around him to show what he can do.
Dorlin will be out on track with Restart Racing at Croft for the BTCC pre-season test in just 12 days.
