Árón Taylor-Smith claimed a strong P4 finish in Oulton Park‘s Race 1, but has a ‘good chance’ of British Touring Car Championship victory in Race 2.
The Laser Tools with MB Motorsport man looked set for another sensational weekend after putting his car at the front of the pack for the Race to Pole.
He even took the chequered flag first, having led from lights to flag.
However, a five second penalty for weaving under the safety car restart procedure ripped the Qualifying Race victory away from him.
“Yesterday, just a little bit of a mistake on my part,” Taylor-Smith told BTCC media.
“Regs changed last year and I wasn’t explicitly clear of them, that’s the truth of it. So I didn’t realise I did anything wrong until it was too late, but that’s life.
“Like, at the end of the day, it’s the first time we’ve qualified this car on pole and we’ve gone from a light to a flag victory, which is incredible, and it’s a massive step of improvement with Laser Tools Racing.
“And then today, to back it up with getting onto the podium, another Independent win, brilliant start to the day.”
Could Laser Tools with MB Motorsport win for the third meeting in a row?
The Laser Tools with MB Motorsport Corolla has been a bit of a surprise package in 2026 so far.
From Taylor-Smith’s first victory in 11 years at Brands Hatch, to Gordon Shedden holding off Ash Sutton to win at Snetterton, the Toyota has shown itself capable of challenging.
His P4 finish boosts the Irishman’s chances even further, as the result allows him to bolt on the prime, soft tyres for Race 2, while regulations require the top three to use the option hards.
“Should be fast on this one, should be fast. So, nah, we’ll put on a show. Like, I feel like I have a good chance.
“And you never know, like, we’ve gone well on the hards in the past, but I still feel like I’ll have an advantage.
“Little bit less TTB than we’re used to, but at the same time, we have a tyre advantage.
“So, hopefully, I can just capitalise and move forward, and yeah, get back on the podium.”
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