CarStore Power Maxed Racing re-asserted it’s top-ten status in the Championship with a haul of points at a sun-soaked Thruxton last weekend (3/4 June).
The Vauxhall Astra-squad has claimed a strong track record at the UK’s fastest circuit in previous years. This proved to be the case in qualifying, with the team putting all three cars inside the top ten.
Mikey Doble, the rookie, took fourth for the opening race, with team-mates Andrew Watson and Aron Taylor-Smith locking out the fourth row in seventh and eighth respectively.
From there, after losing some ground, Doble and Taylor-Smith put on a display for the watching crowd. Heading into the closing laps, a four-car train headed by Doble ran nose-to-tail contesting eighth through 11th.
A driveshaft problem on the way to the grid meant Watson to start from the pit lane, however, the Northern Irishman rose back through the field to P18.
The second contest saw Taylor-Smith enjoying a steady run to eighth spot and – for the second event in succession – the coveted reverse grid draw.
Doble banked valuable points towards his Jack Sears Trophy effort in P14, with Watson climbing another two spots to P16 in his repaired challenger.
Starting on the third row after benefiting in part from the draw, Taylor-Smith took a season-best result of sixth in the finale.
Doble and Watson would both also progress to P13 and P14, marking a triple points score for the team, and also earning Doble the Jack Sears Trophy prize for the weekend as a whole.
Leaving Thruxton, CarStore Power Maxed Racing remain third in the Independent Teams’ standings. Notably, Doble’s strong weekend moves him up to the same position in the Jack Sears Trophy race, 11 points shy of the leader.
Mikey Doble said: “What a fantastic weekend it has been for me and the team all round. Having never tested the car at Thruxton prior to FP1, I had to make the most of Saturday’s practice.”
“After two Jack Sears wins so far, the goal was to win the overall honours for the day and with another 14th overall and P2 in the Jack Sears it was good enough to achieve just that. It was a fantastic feeling to stand on the podium spraying champagne after what has been a memorable weekend.”
Andrew Watson said: “Obviously it wasn’t the results we’d hoped for, especially after such a strong showing in qualifying. I think we’ve definitely proved in my rookie season what I can do.”
“An incredible job by the team, and I was able to get back out and gain ten spots, which gave us a chance for the rest of the day. From there, we battled through nicely and scored some good points, overall and for the Jack Sears.”
Aron Taylor-Smith said: “It’s been a great day, with three top-ten finishes in what is widely regarded as the pinnacle of touring car racing worldwide. We know this is a strong circuit for the Astra, but I think regardless of that, we’ve also been able to keep moving the package forward into a real sweet spot.”
“This is the most enjoyable year of racing I’ve had in probably about ten years. I think there’s a bright future ahead, and I can’t wait to keep the momentum rolling when we rock up at Oulton in a couple of weeks and see what we can do.”
The 2023 season resumes at Oulton Park’s next weekend (17/18 June).
