Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing bolstered its position at the head of the Independents’ standings this past weekend (July 27-28) as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returned to action at Croft.

Refreshed and recharged following the series’ annual summer break, the Worcestershire-based team was in the thick of the action as drivers Árón Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble each tallied a hat-trick of points finishes.

Taylor-Smith would lead the line as he clinched a season-best qualifying before then converting that into a brace of top ten drives and Independent wins on race day. Doble meanwhile was once again the class of the field in the Jack Sears Trophy as he scooped his fifth win in six meetings.

On race day, Taylor-Smith converted his second row start into a top-five finish on the soft tyre in a lonely opening bout before he then charged to seventh on the less favourable hard compound in race two. He then signed off the day with a battling drive to 13th in a blockbuster finale.

Despite feeling under the weather, Doble underlined his credentials in the UK’s premier motorsport series as he fought tooth-and-nail on the fringes of the top ten - maintaining his 100% scoring record in the process.

Leaving Croft, Taylor-Smith and Doble head the Independent Drivers’ Championship while Power Maxed Racing comfortably controls the Teams’ Championship; Doble also continues to hold a commanding advantage in the coveted Jack Sears Trophy.

Árón Taylor-Smith said: “It’s been another really strong weekend and that’s testament to all of the hard work that the team has, and continues, to put in to ensure we’re fighting for the very best results possible.

“We showed that the car had some serious pace by making it into the ‘Quick Six’ shootout and despite a few little issues, we were able to turn that into some solid points in races one and two. In race three I picked up some damage which hampered us a little but that’s typical BTCC action.

“I’ve managed to strengthen my lead in the Independent Drivers’ standings which is personally great and I’m now heading up to Scotland feeling confident that we can fight at the front once again.”

Mikey Doble said: “All weekend I was fighting an illness, so I had to dig deep to get the best out of myself and I’m proud of my performances. It was a real positive that I was able to extend my lead in the Jack Sears Trophy and maintain my 100% points-scoring record.

“We had strong pace on Sunday and ticked along nicely by scoring two 11th place finishes. We were then on for a top ten in race three but myself and Árón were racing hard which hampered both of us late on. We move on though to Knockhill and continue pushing forward.”