Daniel Lloyd will hope to secure three strong results this weekend when he makes his return to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park.
Huddersfield racer Daniel rejoins the grid this season after a year away having inked a deal with second-year outfit Restart Racing, with the multiple race winner having spent the 2024 campaign in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
Daniel’s deal with Restart Racing sees him back behind the wheel of a Hyundai i30 Fastback N, the same car he raced to three victories during the best season of his BTCC career to date back in 2022.
Pre-season testing has seen Daniel hit the track at both Croft and Donington Park, with the most recent outing at the annual BTCC media day having seen him run well inside the top ten until others bolted on fresh tyres late in the day.
However, a largely trouble-free day enabled Daniel to make plenty of progress with the car, which is different to the one he raced previously after a regulation change over the winter resulted in the removal of hybrid technology from the series.
That means the car is now running much lighter than it was previously, and requires various changes to set-ups that would previously have been the way to go.
Returning to the East Midlands circuit for the opening races of the campaign, Daniel will now look to build on the progress made during testing with the goal being three strong points scoring finishes to kick off his championship campaign.
“I’m feeling positive going into the opening weekend despite mixed fortunes in testing,” he said. “Croft was tough as we had various teething issues with the car but we made a lot of progress at Donington a few weeks ago, which was a big boost in confidence ahead of the serious business starting.
“I know there is more time to come from me as I get used to being back in a front-wheel drive touring car after a year in the Porsche, and as the team learns more about the Hyundai. With that in mind, it’s great that we already have a solid base to work from and are only going to get stronger as the season goes on.
“Three strong results this weekend would be a good place to start and I see no reason why we can’t be inside the top ten in what promises to be another strong field given what we saw in testing.”
Daniel will be cheered on trackside by guests from Autobrite, Posynergi and the Daniel Lloyd Members Club across the weekend, with live coverage of the action for those not in attendance on ITV4 and – in a new move for 2025 – on YouTube for those outside the UK.
Track action kicks off with two practice sessions on Saturday at 9:45 and 12:10 before qualifying at 15:10, which is live on YouTube. Sunday’s three races are then scheduled for 11:50, 14:35 and 17:25.
