Just over a week ago (23/24 September), during the 2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship's penultimate event at Silverstone, CarStore Power Maxed Racing enjoyed a hat-trick of visits to the podium, as well as scoring the most points out of any team.

Having secured a stunning pole position courtesy of Mikey Doble on the Saturday – the first of his career – the team once again demonstrated the lasting potential of the Vauxhall Astra with two outright podiums, a Jack Sears Trophy win and an Independents victory in race trim on Sunday.

The impressive performance creates some strong momentum for the Bidford-on-Avon-based outfit ahead of the looming Brands Hatch finale, set to get underway in just under a weeks time (7/8 October).

Read below to see what the drivers and team had to say about the success...

Andrew Watson said: “It’s been a brilliant weekend. I’m delighted to have another overall podium, I got a great start in the mixed conditions and then it went from there.

“Race two was really solid, again, and between those two results, I really set myself up to get the Jack Sears win for the day.

“We struggled for pace in Race three, so we’ll need to dig deeper and find the issue, but it’s great to have another Jack Sears win – that was the goal heading into this weekend.

“It all goes down to the wire at Brands Hatch! I have to say the team were fantastic this weekend, and all the podiums, Independent wins, Jack Sears, award for the highest-scoring team… it’s testament to the work they’re putting in, so a huge thanks to them.”

Árón Taylor-Smith said: “I’m beyond proud of what CarStore Power Maxed Racing and myself have achieved this weekend at Silverstone.

“Podiums are a bit like buses, it seems – you wait for one, and then two come along in quick succession! This has always historically been a strong circuit for the Vauxhall Astra, and the team did a fantastic job to put it in a good window for me to be competitive this weekend.

“I think that second race might put me on the cover of ‘Almost Magazine’! It was a great fight with Ash [Sutton], and although there’s always a little tinge of disappointment in finishing second, for me it’s another great signal that we’re heading in the right direction with this car and the package.

“It was also great to welcome so many of my wonderful partners and their guests to Silverstone this weekend. Their support is always felt so strongly by myself and the whole team, but it was great to have them all here in person and to celebrate the podium finish together.

“Overall, I’m feeling very satisfied with the weekend, and looking forward to Brands Hatch to finish the season on a high note.”

Mikey Doble said: “I’m not sure how to put into words the mixed emotions we are feeling coming away from Silverstone. It was a perfect storm unfortunately with the mixed weather conditions leading into Race one, that an unfortunate mistake would result in me taking a second green flag lap.

“We fought hard to come through the field from last to 11th in race one, followed by some fraught midfield battles in races two and three resulting in two further points finishes.

“I hope moving forward the events which occurred today will not overshadow the remarkable achievement for me and the team of scoring a pole position in my rookie season, a stat which no one will ever be able to take from me.

“We are still very much in the hunt for the Jack Sears title and there couldn’t be a better venue to bring the curtain down than Brands Hatch GP, we will be going into Brands fighting as hard as ever. Thanks must go once again to the team for all their hard work and efforts and to my friends, family and sponsors who came to support me.”

Martin Broadhurst, Team Manager said: “It’s definitely a day of mixed emotions, but on the whole we can be very happy with the results across the board.

“Andrew and Árón continue to go from strength to strength at the moment. To get a podium for each of them is tremendous and extends the fantastic record we have here at Silverstone with the Vauxhall Astra.

“As a team, we’ve apologised to Mikey – it was our error, and mistakes happen in this sport. But that said, I think his stock as a driver has risen so much within the paddock this weekend, not just in getting his first pole yesterday, but also in how well he battled back today to score three points finishes, and that’s credit to him.

“We’ve now got to regroup and get ready for Brands Hatch, where we’ll be aiming to end the season on a high.”

Adam Weaver, Team Principal said: “There’s never a bad day to be heading home with four trophies for the cabinet, and it’s a just reward for all the hard work and commitment the team have been putting in to keep this recent momentum going.

“On another day, Árón would have won that second race, but for that safety car period. He defended so well, and deserved more, but it was a proper motor race and we’re thrilled with another podium. The same goes for Andrew – he made a good call on tyres for the first race and reaped the rewards of that.

“Of course, today is tinged with some disappointment for Mikey. We’ve held our hands up there and undoubtedly there are lessons to learn. But as Martin has said, full credit to him for digging deep and battling back to limit the damage.

“Personally, I’m really looking forward to watching Andrew and Mikey battle it out for the Jack Sears Trophy at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time, and to the team ending the 2023 season on a positive note.

“Thanks to all our of partners for their unwavering support – hopefully days like today are a just reward for that, and it was fantastic to see and share today with so many of them – over 200 guests and VIPs – trackside.”