Aron Taylor-Smith insists MG deal is ‘biggest BTCC chance’
Aron Taylor-Smith says he feels the 2017 British Touring Car Championship offers him the best chance of success after confirmation that he will join Triple Eight for the year ahead.
The 27-year-old will rejoin the team that gave him his debut in the series back in 2011 as part of a revised MG line-up alongside Dan Lloyd.
Taylor-Smith joins Triple Eight having finished 15th in the standings last year with Team BKR; the highlight being victory at Rockingham in his older-spec Volkswagen CC.
Armed with the updated MG – which will run in full RML-spec for the first time this year – the Irishman said he was excited about his prospects of challenging for silverware at the head of the field.
“I think this year is going to be the most exciting in my BTCC career to date,” he told TouringCarTimes. “After a good season with BKR last year, for which I’ll always be grateful, I’m excited about this new chapter and it’s a fantastic opportunity to work with a manufacturer like MG.
“It’s also great to be staying within the BMR family for this season as they are like my home in the BTCC now, and I feel this deal is absolutely perfect for me.
“Although I haven’t driven the MG yet, I’ve raced against it for years and have been able to see how strong it is. The stats show it is one of the most successful cars of the NGTC era and hopefully we can build on that this year.”
Quizzed over his aims for the year ahead, Taylor-Smith refused to get too carried away with his expectations but was confident of one of his best seasons to date.
“We know there are going to be changes with the new RML kit and the new tyres but they should only give us performance gains,” he said. “I just want to go out there and do the best job I can. I’m not going to get all cocky and say I’m going to win everything, but without doubt, this is the best opportunity I’ve had in my touring car career.
“We have to aim to be towards the front when we get to Brands Hatch and see what we can do from there.”
