Evans Halshaw PMR close out 2024 BTCC season with title treble

Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing closed out its most successful ever season in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch this past weekend (5-6 October) as they were crowned 2024 Independent Teams’, Independent Drivers’ and Jack Sears Trophy champions.

Travelling to the legendary Kent venue having provisionally wrapped up all three titles at the previous round, the Vauxhall Astra outfit underlined its front-running credentials with stellar performances from both Árón Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble.

The driving force behind the squad’s title treble, Taylor-Smith and Doble scored a combined 27 Independent wins over the course of the season to help clinch a maiden Teams’ Championship, with Taylor-Smith responsible for 20 of them as he claimed the Drivers’ crown for the first time.

Taylor-Smith’s season to remember also included his highest-ever finish in the overall Drivers’ Championship and he concluded the year as the only person on the grid to have completed every racing lap in 2024.

On the other side of the garage, Doble’s sophomore season in the UK’s premier motorsport series proved to be a smash-hit as he laid claim to the prestigious Jack Sears Trophy after securing class honours in six of the ten race meetings.

Doble’s triumph meant that the Worcestershire-based squad have now lifted the coveted title on four separate occasions - which is more than any other team in the history of the championship. 

Qualifying for the finale on Saturday afternoon saw both drivers maintain their recent run of front-running form as they both snared top ten starting positions for race one, with Taylor-Smith leading the line in fifth while Doble was seventh.

Race one saw both drivers narrowly avoid getting caught up in an incident at Druids on the opening tour; in fact once the dust had settled they found themselves as some of the main beneficiaries of the chaos with Doble moving up to third.

On the soft tyre and with nothing to lose, the 25-year-old valiantly battled with the BMWs of Jake Hill and Colin Turkington although he soon could do nothing to stop the charging Tom Ingram from demoting him to fourth in the latter stages. 

Further back, Taylor-Smith opted for a different strategy to run the slightly slower medium compound tyre, managing to hold on and clinch sixth place at the chequered flag.

Unfortunately a spark plug issue would cost Doble a chance of fighting for outright honours in race two as he spent much of the contest in the pit lane. Taylor-Smith meanwhile battled his way to his final Independents’ win of the year.

With each driver starting at opposite ends of the grid for the final race of the season, the stage was set for an unmissable showdown and Doble produced one of the drive of his season as he carved his way up the order to break into the top ten and claim one final Independents’ win.

Árón Taylor-Smith: “I’m absolutely over the moon with what we’ve achieved this year! At the start of the season you have these goals and ambitions in your head but you never quite know how attainable they are, purely because the BTCC is just so competitive.

“But to achieve pretty much everything I wanted, in the manner in which we’ve done it too, is beyond my wildest dreams. I’m so proud of what this team has achieved; they’re the best in the business and this is as much about them as it is about me.

“We’ve taken the car to another level this year and shown that we can fight at the front on a regular basis. This has been my best-ever season in the championship and it’s only going to spur me on to see what we can do next year!”

Mikey Doble: “It’s hard to believe that the season is now over but to be standing here with this amazing piece of silverware and knowing that I am officially the Jack Sears Trophy champion is really special.

“At the start of the year this was the target and we’ve not only just achieved it but have done so in style. Having that moment on the Champions’ Podium is something I will never forget and I’m just so happy that I’ve done what I set out to do. 

“Huge credit and thanks has to go to every single member of the Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing team because they’ve been incredible all year. Without them - as well as my partners, family and friends - I’d not be standing here as a champion."

Martin Broadhurst, Team Manager: “To be standing here having won three BTCC titles is a real testament to the talent and desire that every single member of this team possesses. It has been a brilliant season and it’s been a privilege to be involved. 

“Coming into the season we knew that the work that we had carried out over the off-season would translate into strong results and that’s exactly what has happened. Both Árón and Mikey have been fantastic all season and they’re worthy winners of their individual honours too.”

Adam Weaver, Team Principal: “It truly has been a season that will live long in the memory. We’ve enjoyed our fair share of success down the years in the BTCC but what we’ve achieved this season arguably trumps everything - to walk away with three different titles is some effort.

“Of course it would have been nice to come away with that long overdue race win - and I think it might have been on had it stayed dry for race three - but we can’t be disappointed at all. We’ve been fast at every single round and now have quite the silverware collection.

“I’ve got to say a massive thank you to every single member of the team, all of our fantastic sponsors and partners and of course the fans for their incredible support this year - without them none of this will have been possible.”