Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing’s pursuit for perfection left them wanting more from the opening rounds of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park this past weekend (27/28 April) despite claiming a hat-trick of Independent race wins.
The Worcestershire-based squad were the class of the Independent runners as the curtain lifted on a brand-new season with Árón Taylor-Smith winning twice, while Mikey Doble also triumphed on his way to scooping the Jack Sears Trophy.
However, such is the desire to contend for outright race wins and podiums, the team were left focused on how they could make further improvements heading into the next few race meetings.
Despite having to contend with changeable weather conditions, both Taylor-Smith and Doble progressed out of Q1 and then came oh-so close to squeezing into the top six, instead having to settle for seventh and tenth on the grid respectively.
Race day saw heavy rain cause lengthy delays in the morning but when the action did get underway, both Taylor-Smith and Doble found themselves in the thick of the action.
Taylor-Smith led the line in the opening encounter as he scrapped with Josh Cook and Dan Cammish on his way to seventh overall while Doble narrowly missed out on the top ten by taking the chequered flag in 12th.
Sunday’s second bout saw both drivers tally another double points finish as the impact of hybrid deployment began to become more of a factor.
Battling fiercely in the midfield, Taylor-Smith headed Doble to claim a second successive Independent victory, with the latter taking a big stride towards clinching overall honours in the Jack Sears Trophy.
After missing out on the reverse grid draw for the final race of the day, the front-wheel-drive duo produced a near carbon-copy performance from race two as they again diced between themselves for coveted points.
Doble would find a way past Taylor-Smith late on to clinch his maiden Independents’ win of the year and with it, victory in the Jack Sears Trophy.
Leaving Donington Park, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing hold an 11-point lead at the top of the Independent Teams’ Championship while a mere three points is the difference between Taylor-Smith and Doble in the Independent Drivers’ Championship.
Árón Taylor-Smith said: “To kick off the season with a clean sweep of Independent wins is something we as a team can be extremely proud of as it’s a testament to all of the work that has been put in during the winter.
“I’m personally really happy to come away with P7 in qualifying as it outlines our pace over one lap. On race day we fought as hard as we could and importantly uncovered a few little areas that I know we can improve on heading to Brands Hatch in a few weeks’ time.
“This season has kicked off what I think is going to be a really successful 2024 and it’s nice to know that we have a package underneath us that is more than capable of challenging towards the front of the grid.”
Mikey Doble said: “I’m satisfied with how our weekend ended, coming away with the overall Jack Sears Trophy and an Independents’ win in race three. It’s been a solid start with three top ten points finishes and a continuation of qualifying inside the top ten.
“We’ll go over the data from the weekend before we head to Brands Hatch and see how we can close the gap to those at the front. Overall, it’s been a great first weekend of the year!"
