Aron Taylor-Smith delivered a stunning drive at Donington Park this weekend (30–31 August), securing his best finish of the 2024 British Touring Car Championship season – fourth place – and claiming a trio of points finishes in the process.
The historic Donington GP circuit has long been a happy hunting ground for the Dubliner, and the latest round of the UK’s premier motorsport series saw Taylor-Smith right back in the mix, despite a challenging start to the weekend.
Armed with a revised TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK Corolla GR Sport – complete with the new M-Sport TOCA engine – Aron looked strong throughout practice, consistently inside the top ten. A promising qualifying session was cut short, however, after his best lap was deleted for a marginal track limits infringement, leaving him P14 on the grid.
Despite the setback, the first race saw Taylor-Smith carve through the field with lightning-fast reflexes, moving up four positions in the opening laps and settling for a hard-earned P10 and valuable championship points.
Race 2 brought drama as rain threatened, and Taylor-Smith was caught in an incident early on that dropped him to the back. But an inspired recovery drive – topped off by the fastest lap – saw him claw his way back to P7, benefitting from a late rain shower that caught out many of the frontrunners.
The final race of the day saw Aron start on the front row thanks to the reverse grid draw, though he was tasked with managing the slower hard tyre. In a brilliant defensive performance, he held off multiple championship challengers to claim fourth – his best finish of the campaign so far.
“Honestly, the feeling right now is just pure satisfaction,” said Taylor-Smith. “It’s been a rollercoaster weekend, but everything came together and we showed what we’re capable of. The car was amazing, the team have worked so hard, and this result is for them as much as for me.
We’ve got momentum now heading into Silverstone – one of my strongest tracks – and I truly feel we’re back in the game.”
We at R50 are incredibly proud to support Aron as a valued partner, and to play a small part in helping to deliver performances like this. With momentum clearly building and eyes firmly set on 2025, the journey is just getting started.
RESULTS SUMMARY:
🔹 Race 1: P10
🔹 Race 2: P7 (fastest lap)
🔹 Race 3: P4 (season-best)