Mikey Doble remains the driver to beat in the Independents Trophy after tallying his fourth win of the season at Thruxton (25/26 July) on what was a fast and furious weekend in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
Returning to action following the traditional mid-season break, the LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing driver punched in an ultra-consistent performance to extend his advantage at the top of the Indy Drivers’ standings to 23 points.
Arriving at the Hampshire circuit having clocked valuable mileage in his Audi A3 Saloon during a recent test at Pembrey, the 27-year-old wasted no time in hitting the ground running on Saturday as he set the fourth fastest time in practice.
Come the Qualifying Race later that afternoon, the two-time race winner found himself in the thick of the action as he went wheel-to-wheel with a number of drivers before taking the chequered flag in ninth place.
Starting on the fifth row of the grid for the first of Sunday’s three races around the 2.36-mile circuit, the former Jack Sears Trophy winner went on to wow the crowds with a captivating battle with the Restart Racing Hyundai i30 N of James Dorlin.
Getting the better of Dorlin in the opening exchanges, Doble then covered him off in the remaining laps with a wheel-perfect display that crucially secured him a fourth Independent win of the season.
With the field so tightly bunched together, Doble spent the remaining two races in the midst of the midfield battle, clinching a brace of top tens. Crucially, these translated into second and fourth place finishes when it came to the Independents Trophy.
In addition to extending his own lead in the Independents Drivers’ Championship over the course of the weekend, Doble also ensured that LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing remain out front in the Independents Teams’ too.
Mikey Doble: “It’s been one of those weekend’s where we’ve ticked all the boxes in terms of scoring an Independent win and extending our lead in the championship, yet I’m leaving having wanted a little more.
“We had a really good two-day test at Pembrey and the work that we carried out there left me feeling pretty confident that we could win some races this weekend. Sadly that didn’t materialise as we didn’t quite have the balance we wanted in the car.
“Saturday was strong, and that set us up for a solid Sunday where we chipped away. Getting that Independents win in race one was a great way to start the day and we then just tried to keep our nose clean and make as much progress as possible in the remaining two races.
“Obviously I’d have liked a little more results-wise but to come away having stretched our lead is something we can’t turn our nose up at. I’m unsure how we’ll fare at Knockhill but I know the team will pull out all the stops to ensure we have as strong a car as possible.”
The 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season continues in less than two weeks as the series makes its annual trip north of the border to Knockhill (8/9 August).
