CarStore Power Maxed Racing has today (9 November) confirmed an extension of its deal with Aron Taylor-Smith to compete in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
The agreement ensures the Irishman will line-up once more on the grid in the UK’s premier touring car category in 2024 and beyond.
It also provides crucial continuity between team, driver and car as the Bidford-on-Avon outfit continue to push for a title challenge in the future, having widely impressed in their first campaign together in 2023.
Taylor-Smith achieved a first outright BTCC podium in seven years at Donington Park GP last season, then repeated the feat by coming within a whisker of victory at Silverstone a fortnight later.
In a silverware-laden season for the Dubliner, he also added four Independent class victories to a trophy cabinet that already includes four outright race wins and, now, 20 podium finishes since making his debut back in 2011.
The 33-year-old’s efforts also went a long way towards the team securing second in the Independent Teams’ standings, and Taylor-Smith provided a vital reference point to his two Rookie team-mates, Andrew Watson and Mikey Doble, as they clashed for the coveted Jack Sears Trophy honours.
The past nine months have certainly marked something of a renaissance for Taylor-Smith’s touring car career, and the focus has already shifted towards making 2024 an even bigger step towards the ultimate goal of championship glory.
“I’m so excited to confirm an extension to my partnership with CarStore Power Maxed Racing,” said Taylor-Smith.
“It sounds terribly cliché, but I really do feel like I’ve found a home within the team. I’ve been in the paddock for ten years now, and I’ve spent much of that feeling like I was looking for a long-term home. I’ve found that now.
“Every successful driver-team combination on the BTCC grid has a high level of consistency to it; whether that’s drivers with engineers, staying in the same car, building a team around you. Overnight success doesn’t happen here, so if you want to be competitive, you need to find somewhere to create that environment around you.
“We’ve had such an amazing year at CarStore Power Maxed Racing and achieved almost every major objective we set ourselves. But – and this is the key bit – we did that with minimal testing, and if you look at our results, it’s quite clear it took me a few rounds to naturally ‘bed in’ and get to grips with the car, and where we needed to develop the package.
“So, I’m incredibly optimistic about what we can achieve with an extra four months versus last season to prepare. People talk about this being one of the oldest cars on the grid, but I’ve been around a bit and I can say confidently – it still has room to grow.
“I hope with the benefit of a proper winter programme and the longer-term vision that this deal gives us, we can begin to unlock that. I’m hugely grateful to Adam, Martin and everyone at the team for their backing, and to my fantastic partner network who continue to allow me to go racing.”
Team Principal Adam Weaver also underlined his delight at securing Taylor-Smith’s services for an additional two years.
“It’s fantastic to have a driver of Aron’s calibre commit his future to CarStore Power Maxed Racing,” says Weaver.
“It really demonstrates the ‘buy in’ at all levels of this project, be that drivers, team members, partners. Everybody is determined to return this team to the front of the grid, and announcements like this are important milestones on that journey.
“I can’t wait to see what Aron and the team can achieve with a proper winter to test and work through the car’s weaknesses. This season was fantastic, but it only scratched the surface of what is possible.”
