Power Maxed Racing has extended its deal with Árón Taylor-Smith to 2024 ‘and beyond’, meaning the Irishman will enter into a tenth full season in the BTCC.
Taylor-Smith joined the team for the start of the 2023 season, having spent the previous two seasons with Team HARD since his BTCC comeback in 2021.
It proved to be a strong partnership for both driver and team, as the 33-year-old went on to record his first outright podium finish in seven years at Donington Park, with Taylor-Smith going on to end the year 11th overall in the drivers’ championship standings.
“I’m so excited to confirm an extension to my partnership with CarStore Power Maxed Racing,” said Taylor-Smith, who was twice on the podium and also recorded four Independent class victories.
“It sounds terribly cliché, but I really do feel like I’ve found a home within the team. I’ve been in the paddock for ten years now, and I’ve spent much of that feeling like I was looking for a long-term home. I’ve found that now.
“Every successful driver-team combination on the BTCC grid has a high level of consistency to it; whether that’s drivers with engineers, staying in the same car, building a team around you.
“Overnight success doesn’t happen here, so if you want to be competitive, you need to find somewhere to create that environment around you.
“We’ve had such an amazing year at CarStore Power Maxed Racing and achieved almost every major objective we set ourselves.
“But – and this is the key bit – we did that with minimal testing, and if you look at our results, it’s quite clear it took me a few rounds to naturally ‘bed in’ and get to grips with the car, and where we needed to develop the package.
“So, I’m incredibly optimistic about what we can achieve with an extra four months versus last season to prepare. People talk about this being one of the oldest cars on the grid, but I’ve been around a bit and I can say confidently – it still has room to grow.
“I hope with the benefit of a proper winter programme and the longer-term vision that this deal gives us, we can begin to unlock that. I’m hugely grateful to Adam, Martin and everyone at the team for their backing, and to my fantastic partner network who continue to allow me to go racing.”
Team Principal Adam Weaver said that re-signing Taylor-Smith was an important step in ensuring the team moves closer to the front of the field and the target of becoming title contenders.
“It’s fantastic to have a driver of Árón’s calibre commit his future to CarStore Power Maxed Racing,” said Weaver.
“It really demonstrates the ‘buy in’ at all levels of this project, be that drivers, team members, partners. Everybody is determined to return this team to the front of the grid, and announcements like this are important milestones on that journey.
“I can’t wait to see what Árón and the team can achieve with a proper winter to test and work through the car’s weaknesses.
“This season was fantastic, but it only scratched the surface of what is possible.”