A Weekend of Grit and Determination at Brands Hatch for Power Maxed Racing
Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing returned to action at Brands Hatch Indy for Round 2 of the 2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – and it was a weekend that had just about everything.
Under clear skies and in front of thousands of BTCC fans, the team’s Vauxhall Astras took on the tight and unforgiving Kent circuit, with both Mikey Doble and Nick Halstead showing real fight across Sunday’s three races.
Mikey Doble was the standout on Saturday, delivering his strongest BTCC qualifying session to date. He put the car an impressive sixth on the grid, having shown top-six pace all day. When the lights went out for Race 1, he backed that up with a calm, confident drive to take sixth at the flag – and a good haul of points to kick off the day.
“The pace was there from the start,” said Doble. “Qualifying went exactly to plan, and to hold position and come away with sixth in the opening race was a great result.”
Race 2, however, served up the sort of drama the BTCC is known for. Starting again from P6, Doble found himself in the thick of the midfield chaos. Several bouts of contact – including a heavy shove through Clearways – ultimately led to a rear puncture, forcing his retirement and putting paid to another promising result.
“Race 2 was tough,” he admitted. “There was contact left and right – one of those typical touring car races where the luck just isn’t with you.”
On the other side of the garage, Nick Halstead continued his steady progress in his first full BTCC campaign. Prioritising clean racing and track time, he brought the car home in every race and built valuable experience with each session.
“The team’s given me a great car, and I’m growing in confidence every time out,” said Halstead. “Brands Indy is always hectic, but we kept it tidy and moved forward.”
While the weekend ended with mixed emotions, the team leaves Brands Hatch with plenty to be proud of – particularly Mikey’s excellent qualifying and Race 1 pace. Attention now turns to Snetterton, where Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing will be looking to build on the momentum and deliver the results the team knows it’s capable of.
