Irish racer Árón Taylor-Smith has signed a deal to race with Power Maxed Racing in the 2023 British Touring Car Championship, where he will partner Andrew Watson in one of the team’s Vauxhall Astras.
Taylor-Smith enters into his ninth full season in the BTCC, with the move seeing him depart Team HARD after two seasons racing for the team in one of its CUPRA Leon cars.
Four-time BTCC race winner Taylor-Smith brings with him a wealth of touring car experience, having previously raced four different types of NGTC car previously.
It means Power Maxed Racing, owned by Automotive Brands’ Adam Weaver, will embark on the 2023 BTCC with a completely new driver line-up for the third season in a row, with Michael Crees and Ash Hand moving on to pastures new.
“This is a dream come true for me,” said Taylor-Smith. “The dream after this is to win another race in the BTCC and the dream after that is to fight for a championship.
“I’ve watched what Adam and his team have put together over the years and have seen what their car is capable of on the track; I know their desire matches mine when it comes to success.
“We’ve tried to get a deal done in the past and it’s never quite come together, so I am beyond happy that it has this year. Visiting the workshop and seeing what they have done over the winter, I have never been more confident going into a season.”
Weaver says he has never previously looked forward to a BTCC campaign as much as this one, with the team embarking on their seventh season with the ageing Astra.
“[Árón] is just a great guy,” added Weaver. “His enthusiasm is contagious and more of that in a team can never be a bad thing.
“I know Árón and Andrew will get on brilliantly and I’m really looking forward to being a part of this team.
“It’s everything we have been working towards – I’ve never been this excited about a BTCC campaign.”