Podium joy for Evans Halshaw PMR at Donington Park

Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing enjoyed a podium-filled return to Donington Park in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this past weekend (August 24-25) as Árón Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble charged to an impressive haul of silverware. 

Making the relatively short trip to the Leicestershire venue for the eighth meeting of the season, the Vauxhall Astra duo took on a starring role as Taylor-Smith clinched a second top three finish of the year and Independents’ clean sweep while Doble triumphed in the Jack Sears Trophy.

Those results mean that the team and Taylor-Smith are now within touching distance of provisionally wrapping up the Independent Teams’ and Drivers’ Championship titles, with Doble closing in on the coveted Jack Sears Trophy crown. 

Qualifying around the Grand Prix circuit on Saturday set the tone for the weekend with both drivers lighting up the timesheets to progress into the ‘Quick Six’ shootout; Doble leading the way with a season-best third and Taylor-Smith hot on his heels in sixth.

Race one turned out to be a bruising contest for both drivers as they found themselves in the thick of the action from the get-go. Maintaining his position as the lights went out, Doble made unintentional contact with Tom Ingram at the final corner on lap one which dropped him back. 

Forced to dig deep, the 25-year-old recovered to take the chequered flag in 15th while further forward, Taylor-Smith produced a valiant drive despite some lurid moments to cross the line in ninth.

The weekend’s second contest saw both drivers in the thick of the action again as Doble this time charged up the order to finish in the wheel tracks of Taylor-Smith; the latter snaring eighth ahead of Doble in ninth. 

Following the reverse grid draw, both drivers lined up on the second row of the grid for the finale and they went on to play their part in what proved to be an almighty scrap for the overall podium places.

Going wheel-to-wheel in the opening exchanges, Taylor-Smith and Doble ran second and third until mid-distance when, after two quick fire safety car periods and a very slight rain shower, those behind them began to ramp up the pressure. 

Both drivers could do nothing to stop the charging Ingram from finding a way past however Taylor-Smith would provide a resolute defence to Josh Cook and Jake Hill until the finish to net third. Doble meanwhile produced a brilliant drive to finish behind the aforementioned trio in sixth.

Árón Taylor-Smith: “It’s crazy to think that we have now completed eight of the ten race weekends and we continue to go from strength-to-strength as a team. I’m so immensely proud of everyone for their efforts; we’re operating at a really high level. 

“Weekend’s like this are what make all the long hours, days and months in the off-season worthwhile. The car was on absolute rails from the moment we rolled it out the garage and to come home with another podium and three more Independent wins is huge.

“I’m really excited to see what we can do at Silverstone because that is another circuit that has been strong for the car and the team down the years.”

Mikey Doble: “It’s a little bit of a bittersweet weekend because we had the pace to be up there on the overall podium, however I can’t be disappointed with another Jack Sears Trophy win as it moves us closer to clinching that title.

“From the moment we hit the track in practice I had a good feeling behind the wheel so it was great to show what we could do in qualifying by making it into the ‘Quick Six’ for the first time this year.

“Race one didn’t go to plan but we bounced back with two strong drives in the remaining two races; it was nice to be in the mix and fighting with the guys that are contending for the title too. This has been a big weekend points-wise and we head to Silverstone aiming high.”

Martin Broadhurst, Team Manager: “Donington Park GP was a happy hunting ground for us last year so I’m glad that it yielded more good results this time around. What’s even more pleasing is that we’ve seen the step forward we’ve made in performance 12 months on!

“Both Árón and Mikey were on the pace all weekend and the results potentially don’t show just how strong we have been. Still, to come away with a fantastic haul of points and silverware, as well as strengthen our position in the championship standings is a job well done.'

Adam Weaver, Team Principal: “It’s great to be back on the overall podium! Going into the weekend we knew that we would have a strong package to fight towards the front and despite being involved in some typical touring car racing at times, I think we did just that.

“To cap off what has been a busy month with a third place finish, three more Independent wins and the Jack Sears Trophy for the weekend is a great reward for the whole team and it sets us up for what should be another strong outing at Silverstone next month.”

The penultimate round of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship takes place at the Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, on September 21-22.