Dan Lloyd is set for a BTCC return after a season away from the category after signing to race with Restart Racing.

The four-time race winner will return to competing in a new Hyundai i30, the same Excelr8 designed machine to the one which he took three victories with in 2022.

“I’m absolutely buzzing to be back on the BTCC grid with Restart Racing,” Lloyd said of the move to the second year BTCC outfit. “The last 12 months have been a rollercoaster – I’ve had to fight harder than ever to get back to this point, but that’s only made me hungrier.”

Lloyd has pushed publicly to raise the funds in a final push to grab a seat that Restart wanted him to take alongside his 2018 BTC Racing teammate Chris Smiley.

The Restart seat was one that garnered interest from the moment the team announced the switch to the i30. Managing Director Pete Jones told Touring Car Magazine in December that he received a number of enquiries about the opening but was clear from the start that the preferred option would be Lloyd, with a plan stretching beyond the season-to-season route most teams take.

“When Pete contacted me about the seat and the investment in the car, I knew exactly where I wanted to be,” Lloyd added. “I know what the Hyundai is capable of, and with the team’s commitment to the best package possible, I’m confident we can be right in the mix this season. I’ve got Tom Hunt lined up as my engineer, he ran me in the Cupra and has a fantastic pedigree from his time with Team Dynamics, so having that familiarity and experience alongside me is another big positive. I can’t wait to get to work and see what we can achieve together.”

There will be an expectation to take overall wins, but the independents crown for drivers currently looks like it could become an intra team battle. The driver pairing took a win apiece in 2018 at BTC, but outside of the team the expectation will be to trump that given the quality of the drivers and the squad behind the machines.

“He’s a proven winner, has experience with this car, and his determination to fight his way back onto the grid says everything about the competitor he is,” Jones said of his new signing. “With Dan and Chris leading the charge, we’re confident that we have a line-up capable of pushing for podiums and delivering strong results.”

Additionally, former Restart racer Scott Sumpton confirmed yesterday that he will be abset from the 2025 BTCC grid.