Power Maxed Racing ‘full of confidence’ as BTCC speeds to Thruxton

Power Maxed Racing’s Aron Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble are heading into this weekend’s British Touring Car Championship meeting at Thruxton with an air of confidence around what they could both achieve.

In recent years the Hampshire venue has been a happy hunting ground for the Vauxhall Astra, and both Taylor-Smith and Doble will hope that proves to be the case this weekend as they look to maintain their strong starts to the campaign.

The front-wheel-drive duo have been the class of the field in the Independents’ Championship so far this year, taking a clean sweep of victories between them to build up a commanding lead in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ standings.

Taylor-Smith said: “Like many drivers, Thruxton is one of those circuits that I have circled on my calendar each year. It’s a fast, flowing track that really suits my driving style and I’ve got great memories there; having previously taken a pole position. I always enjoy going there!

“I feel that given how strong the Vauxhall has been around there and that we have got some momentum on our side, we can really shock some people this weekend. We’re going into it full of confidence, knowing that we could have a package that can race towards the front.”

Coming off the back of a career-best weekend which also saw him clinch a third successive Jack Sears Trophy victory, Doble is fully focused on further adding to his silverware collection.

“Thruxton could be the turning point in our season where we establish ourselves as a serious threat for the overall podium places,” said Doble. “It’s my favourite circuit in the country and it couples well with the fact that the Astra has enjoyed success there in the past.

“I’ve got great memories from racing there last year and with the progress that has been made in both myself and the car over the last 12 months, I’m excited to see what results we can achieve this year.

“We’ll be looking for nothing less than overall podium finishes and more solid points to justify our success this time around.”