Podium delight for Hill and Taylor-Smith at Donington
JAKE Hill bounced back from a fraught qualifying session to claim back-to-back podium places in the latest round of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for his Southam-based Laser Tools Racing team.
Technical issues dogged the BMW driver’s early session at Donington Park and after a penalty from the previous meeting was applied, he began Sunday’s opening race ninth on the grid.
In wet conditions, Hill was soon locked in a fierce middle-field battle as he looked to progress through the pack. He finally crossed the line in third but rival Tom Ingram incurred a penalty which promoted the BMW ace up to second.
Making a strong getaway in race two, Hill found himself battling with Ash Sutton’s Ford Focus and although he made several attempts to pass, he ultimately settled for third and his tenth podium finish of the season.
The weekend’s final race saw Hill’s car gain notable damage and the Laser Tools driver came home in a hard-fought eighth keeping him third in the drivers’ championship.
Hill said: “Double podium at Donington! Really happy with how race day went, especially after struggling on Saturday with the car.”
There were more celebrations on the podium as Aron Taylor-Smith, driving a Vauxhall Astra for Bidford-based CarStore Power Maxed Racing returned to the rostrum for the first time in seven years.
After taking second in the final race he said: “This is unbelievable. There have been some dark moments over the last few years trying to get back to this point and I just want to thank everyone for believing in me.
“Everyone in the team gave me the opportunity and I’m so happy to repay them. First time back on the podium in seven years and I’ve forgotten what that champagne tastes like.”
