13th May 2024
Taylor-Smith extends his lead
RACING
Aron Taylor-Smith extended his lead in the Independents Trophy and his race-winning potential once again as the British Touring Car Championship resumed at Brands Hatch Indy last weekend.
BY SYSTEM Q
Leading the Way in the Independents Trophy
After a double victory in-class and a strong points haul at the Donington Park season-opener, the Irishman and his Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing team arrived at the iconic 1.2-mile Kent venue keen to build on recent promise.
Promise translated to performance out on-track right from the get-go, with the Dubliner fastest in the opening practice session on board his Vauxhall Astra challenger.
Among undoubtedly the most-competitive grid globally in touring car racing, Taylor-Smith was brutally denied a chance to repeat his qualifying form from Donington, his fastest time only a tenth shy of those in the coveted ‘Quick Six’ shootout.
That put the 34-year-old back in the pack in P14, ahead of three typically action-packed races, staged in front of a capacity crowd, the Taylor-Smith partner network, and millions more via ITV4’s live television coverage on Sunday.
Getting Off to a Good Start
After a double victory in-class and a strong points haul at the Donington Park season-opener, the Irishman and his Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing team arrived at the iconic 1.2-mile Kent venue keen to build on recent promise.
Promise translated to performance out on-track right from the get-go, with the Dubliner fastest in the opening practice session on board his Vauxhall Astra challenger.
Among undoubtedly the most-competitive grid globally in touring car racing, Taylor-Smith was brutally denied a chance to repeat his qualifying form from Donington, his fastest time only a tenth shy of those in the coveted ‘Quick Six’ shootout.
That put the 34-year-old back in the pack in P14, ahead of three typically action-packed races, staged in front of a capacity crowd, the Taylor-Smith partner network, and millions more via ITV4’s live television coverage on Sunday.
Albeit tinged with disappointment, the result only served to emphasize the progress made by Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing over the past twelve months; for perspective, at the same event twelve months ago, the team managed a solitary P12 finish.
The net result of all three races moves Taylor-Smith ten points clear of team-mate Doble at the top of the Independent Trophy standings.
Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing remain the team to beat in the Independent Teams’ standings, with a 22-point advantage over their nearest rival.
The BTCC reconvenes in a fortnight at Snetterton’s 300 circuit [25-26 May].
Árón Taylor-Smith: A Victory Was Definitely on the Cards
“All in all, this has been another really positive weekend for me and the whole team at Brands Hatch.
“Throughout Saturday, we were right in the mix as one of the fastest cars on track, and with the support of the whole team at Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, I was able to go into race day with a very clearly-defined strategy for how we wanted to attack the day.
"It was classic touring car racing – door-to-door action, no quarter given – but I enjoyed every second of it."
“Two top-ten finishes despite some setbacks gave us a really solid foundation to then go aggressive with the soft tyres in race three, and a victory was definitely on the cards after getting the lead at the start, with the better tyres and plenty of Hybrid use in hand.
“I fought as hard as I could to keep it, but it was classic touring car racing – door-to-door action, no quarter given – but I enjoyed every second of it and was glad to put on a show for everybody out in the sun watching us, and on television at home.
“To get two more Independent wins, sure up that championship lead and be fighting at the front end has really validated for me that we’re on the right path, and I’ve no doubt we’ll live up to that potential in the near future.”