Mikey Doble ensures Independent Drivers' title fight goes down to the wire

Mikey Doble maintained his strong start to the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season at Brands Hatch this past weekend (9-10 May) as he charged to an overall podium and a brace of Independent wins. On what proved to be a frenetic and at times unpredictable race day at the Kent circuit, the LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing driver kept his cool to elevate himself up to third in the Drivers’ Championship and to the summit of the Independent Drivers’ Championship. Following on from a memorable season-opener that saw him score a debut victory for the team’s new Audi A3 Saloon, Doble arrived at his home circuit optimistic of challenging for more silverware, having shown plenty of promise around the Indy layout during pre-season testing. Performing well during Saturday’s practice session, the Surrey-based driver went on to enjoy a relatively sedate afternoon as he started and finished the series’ Qualifying Race in seventh place; which in-turn was his starting position for Sunday’s opening encounter. Challenging weather conditions proved to be one of the biggest battles on race day as ever-intensifying rain - all while remaining on slick tyres - created captivating entertainment across races one and two. Remarkably, while others around him endured their own travails, the 27-year-old was able to keep out of trouble and in a frenetic opener he tallied a sublime victory in the Independents’ Class after finishing seventh overall. Doble went one better in an even more remarkable second bout as he again kept his nose clean to cross the line in sixth, which in-turn secured him third on the grid for the reverse grid finale a few hours later. Saving his best until last, Doble made the most of the now dry conditions and the soft tyre to fight his way up to second, before then embarking on a thrilling wheel to-wheel battle with four-time champion Ash Sutton. Keeping the Ford Focus driver behind him for a number of laps, Doble eventually relinquished the position late on but with a comfortable buffer to the chasing pack, he cruised home to clinch a well-deserved overall podium as the lead Independent. Mikey Doble: “Going into the weekend I had the target of three top ten finishes and a podium in my mind and here we are at the end of race day having achieved just that. It’s been another brilliant weekend and huge credit has to go to the entire team for all of their efforts. “Brands Hatch Indy isn’t probably one of our strongest tracks on the calendar but we made the best of the car over the two days. Qualifying inside the top ten set us up for a strong race day and given the amount that was happening around me, I was really happy with races one and two. “Those conditions, especially in race two, were so difficult and while we may not have had the ultimate pace, we were able to keep it on the circuit and pick up on the mistakes of others. That obviously then gave us a third place start for race three. “I said I wanted to be a bit more feisty in that last one and I definitely was as we managed to take the fight to Ash for much of the race. I could see the BMW was coming so when Ash made the move I thought it best to sit tight and follow him to the flag. “To be heading home with another podium and two Independent wins, as well as sitting third overall in the standings is pretty cool. The aim now is to maintain this form when we head to Snetterton in a couple of weeks’ time.”

Mikey Doble enjoyed a fairytale start to the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season at Donington Park this past weekend (April 18-19) as he charged to a spectacular second career victory. On what proved to be a dream debut for the all-new Audi S3 Saloon, the LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing driver delivered a wheel-perfect performance in the opening round to triumph in front of a capacity trackside crowd. Leading the BTCC Drivers’ Championship for the first-ever time at one stage too, Doble also added two further battling drives to cap off a memorable outing in the UK’s premier motorsport series. Entering the weekend having shown promising front-running pace throughout pre-season testing, Doble arrived at the opening meeting of the season with a quiet confidence; all of which was reinforced as he enjoyed a sublime Saturday at the Leicestershire venue. Securing eighth on the grid for the BTCC’s first-ever Qualifying Race, Doble underlined his credentials as one of the series’ leading lights as he hustled his front-wheel-drive machine onto the fringes of the top three. Producing a number of standout overtakes in the early stages of what turned out to be a frenetic 13-lap contest, the former Jack Sears Trophy winner battled his way up to fourth at the chequered flag - which is where he would then start the first of Sunday’s three races. Opting to run the soft tyre for race one, the 27-year-old underlined his status as being one to watch this year as he produced a virtuoso performance live on ITV4. Keeping out of trouble in the opening exchanges, the Surrey-based racer soon came alive as he firstly found a way past Charles Rainford for third before then dispatching Dan Rowbottom for second. Doble would spend the remaining laps chipping away at the gap to race leader Tom Ingram however he would ultimately be unable to overturn the deficit, crossing the line in second place overall and as the lead Independents’ entry. Shortly after the race it would be confirmed that Ingram had been disqualified from the result due to a technical issue, which therefore promoted Doble up to first to claim what was a hugely popular win. Riding a wave of momentum from his earlier victory, the Audi ace endured a bruising second race as a lack of TOCA Turbo Boost and the less favourable medium tyre saw him tumble back to the 14th at the chequered flag. Doble’s weekend then came to a close as he found himself getting caught up in a multi-car incident, all of which resulted in him having to take avoiding action across the grass and then a trip into the pit lane to scoop out the aforementioned grass in his radiator. Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing: “What an absolutely incredible way to start the season. Winning the first race of the year is perhaps one of the best to win as it is the race where everyone is at the exact same level in terms of boost, etc. “Obviously my first win last year was very special but this is just as incredible given what the team have been through during the past year and that they’ve had to build three brand-new cars. To take a win straight out of the box is phenomenal. “We knew we had really strong pace from the Qualifying Race and on the soft tyre, the car came alive. I had great pace and although we didn’t win on the road, I don’t think anybody could deny us that result. It’s a great reward for the whole team. “The lack of boost and the medium tyre hampered us a little bit in race two and then we just found ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time in race three. We used that more as an extended test session to gather data. “It’s been an incredible start to the season, not just for me but also for my team-mates Aiden [Moffat] and Dexter [Patterson], so hopefully we can go to Brands Hatch next month and maintain this strong start.” The 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship continues in less than three weeks’ time at Brands Hatch on 9-10 May.

Mikey Doble has his sights set on Independents’ title glory in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this year after re-signing with Power Maxed Racing for a fourth successive season. The 27-year-old - who is the team’s longest-serving driver - will contest the UK’s premier motorsport series in a brand-new Audi S3 Saloon under the LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing banner. Set to reap the benefits of competing in not only a new car, but with new team-mates in the shape of Aiden Moffat and Dexter Patterson, Doble heads into the 2026 campaign brimming with confidence and with unfinished business to settle. Coming off the back of stellar 2024 campaign which saw him clinch the Jack Sears Trophy title, Doble was one of the series’ leading lights last year and at Snetterton, he claimed a richly-deserved maiden win. Despite having to contend to with a change of car following the fire that devastated the team during the second half of the season, the Surrey racer remained in contention for the Independent Drivers’ crown right the way throughout the year - only to ultimately lose out by four points. Keen to go one better this term, Doble is relishing the prospect of contending for title honours once again, all while steering the Audi S3 programme towards the sharp end of the grid. Mikey Doble: “I’m really happy to be back with Power Maxed Racing this year. This will be my fourth season with the team and I’m as motivated as ever to play a big role in driving them forward into what is a new era. “The work that has been taking place back at base has been nothing short of incredible. The Audi name has a rich pedigree in the BTCC and to have the opportunity to add to that is exciting; from what I’ve seen so far the S3 really looks the business. “Having Aiden and Dexter join me is only going to be a benefit too. We can cover ground a lot quicker in terms of getting the cars dialled in and of course we’re all going to push each other to the maximum. “To be affiliated with a brand such as LKQ Euro Car Parts is brilliant too. They’re the latest in a long line of new partners that I’m proud to represent this season and I’m looking forward to announcing more in the coming weeks. “In terms of goals for the season; I want to be contending for wins, podiums and the Independent Drivers’ Championship. We came oh-so close to clinching that last year so I’ll be going all-out this time round. It’s going to be a learning year but I’m confident we can be in the mix for big results.” Donington Park provides the setting for the opening rounds of the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season on April 18-19.

Mikey Doble closed out his 2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season at Brands Hatch this past weekend (4-5 October) with a valiant performance that saw him clinch runner-up laurels in the Independent Drivers’ Championship. On a thrilling final day of the season around the famous Grand Prix circuit in Kent, the Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing driver took the title fight down to the wire however he ultimately fell agonisingly short of preventing Restart Racing’s Daniel Lloyd from lifting the crown. Despite missing out on the title, the 26-year-old had plenty to be proud of having endured a rollercoaster campaign that included taking his maiden BTCC win at Snetterton and having to adapt to a completely different car following the devastating fire at the team headquarters. In the end, the Surrey-based racer threw everything he had at the final day of the season but ultimately missed out on lifting his second title in as many years by just four points. Doble’s title-deciding weekend began on Saturday as he dialled in his front-wheel-drive machine across two practice sessions before then upping the ante to find the ragged edge as he valiantly battled to try and progress into Q2 during qualifying. Frustratingly, last year’s Jack Sears Trophy title winner would get blocked at the start of his final flying lap which resulted in him pushing into the last corner to make up for lost time and dropping a wheel onto the grass. Despite finishing up in 17th, he pivotally qualified around his title rivals. The final day of the season would see race one set the scene for Doble as he got his elbows out and became embroiled in a number of wheel-to-wheel scraps within the points-paying positions, clinching third place in the Independents’ category as well. Knowing that he needed to make serious in-roads into his title rivals if he was to have any shot at walking away as champion, Doble delivered yet another feisty performance in race two and crucially out-scoring Lloyd to set up a winner-takes-all final contest. With just a handful of points separating Lloyd, Doble and Chris Smiley in the standings, the Cupra driver pulled out all the stops to try and overturn the points deficit - including backing Lloyd up into other drivers - however his efforts would see him fall just short of the ultimate prize. Mikey Doble: “It’s obviously not the way any of us wanted to end the season however there is so much to feel proud about. Given what the team has been through this year, to even be in a title fight was a huge achievement - it’s just a bitter pill to take to have missed out at the final hurdle. “If I’m being honest we didn’t have the outright pace on Sunday and given how close we all were I knew that I needed to make something happen. We had a steady race one and then in race two I was very aggressive to make sure we finished ahead of Lloyd. “The Cupra had some battle scars from that contest and with one race to go we threw everything behind trying to make something happen. I tried my best to back Lloyd into the pack but we just didn’t have enough cars in play to swing the points my way. “While I’m a little disappointed at the moment, I’m sure in a day or so those feelings will change and I’ll take stock of the season with fond memories. I can now call myself a BTCC race winner and that alone motivates me to return stronger than ever next year to chase after more trophies.”

Mikey Doble returned to the top of the Independent Drivers’ Championship this past weekend (August 30-31) after producing a gritty performance in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park. The Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing driver found himself in the thick of the action but showed his fighting spirit once again to bank valuable points. Arriving at the East Midlands circuit with the team having had a short turnaround to refine and improve the Cupra, the 26-year-old demonstrated just how much progress had been made on Saturday afternoon as he emerged as one of the stars of qualifying. In what proved to be a challenging session in ever-changing wet-dry conditions, Doble powered his way into the ‘Quick Six’ with relative ease and then delivered a superb lap to secure third on the grid. Sadly, the elation of clinching the best-ever qualifying result for the Cupra soon turned to heartbreak as the Surrey racer was disqualified after his front-wheel-drive machine failed post-session checks, which in-turn relegated him to the back of the grid. Not to be deterred, Doble vowed to bounce back on race day and he started with an elbows-out performance that took him to within the fringes of the points-paying positions in the opening contest. Making a number of radical changes to his car for race two. Doble continued his march forward in a frenetic second contest that was impacted by a heavy rain shower late on. Managing to stay out of trouble, his reward would be a handful of points and Independent runners-up laurels. Doble ended his weekend at Donington Park with another punchy drive as he went wheel-to-wheel with one of his chief rivals for the coveted Independent crown, Chris Smiley. Enjoying a competitive door-to-door battle with the Restart Racing driver, Doble ultimately came out on top come the chequered flag, which crucially ensured that the pendulum swung back his way in the title fight. With just two events and six races now remaining, Doble holds a slender two-point lead at the top of the Independent Drivers’ Championship. Mikey Doble: “It’s been a tough weekend so I’m glad to be leaving with the Independents lead. We struggled for pace on race day so to overturn the deficit we had to make up is a great reward for the entire team. “Qualifying on Saturday will go down as one of the highlights of my season because we had serious pace in those mixed conditions. Sadly a marginal ride height failure cost us in the end but we proved that we’ve really moved the car forward since Knockhill. “It’s fair to say that we didn’t have the outright pace across Sunday’s three races but I think we optimised what we had, played the game and came away with some good results. Crucially we finished every race and at this stage in the season that’s massively important. “Just three points now cover myself, Chris [Smiley] and Dan [Lloyd] so we’re in for quite a showdown. Silverstone is a track I’ve always loved and I know I can make the difference there so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in a few weeks’ time.” The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship next heads to the Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, for the penultimate round of the 2025 season on the weekend of September 20-21.

Mikey Doble was left beaming with pride at Knockhill this past weekend (August 16-17) as Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing completed a remarkable turnaround in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship. One week prior to the series’ annual trip to Scotland it had looked as though neither Doble or the team would be in attendance after a devastating fire destroyed the Power Maxed Racing facility, including both of its Vauxhall Astras. Not to be defeated, the Worcestershire squad rallied in sensational fashion and with the help of the wider motorsport community they headed north of the border with two Cupra cars - where Doble repaid everyone’s hard work by tallying a trio of race finishes. The 26-year-old kicked off the weekend spending much of Friday getting comfortable in his new car at the track before he and team-mate Nick Halstead were then allowed to complete a handful of shakedown laps later that afternoon. Come Saturday morning, Doble joined the rest of the BTCC field for two pivotal practice sessions where the Jack Sears Trophy holder began fine-tuning his front-wheel-drive machine further. In qualifying, the Surrey-based racer managed to secure a starting spot in the midfield for race one. Greeted with scorching temperatures and a bumper trackside crowd on Sunday, Doble had to dig deep on race day as he valiantly got to grips with the limitations of the Cupra - finishing just outside the points in races one and two. Throwing even more changes at the car for the weekend’s third and final contest, the Snetterton race winner showcased his overtaking prowess as he battled his way forward - and he was ultimately rewarded with a points finish. Leaving Knockhill, Doble remains firmly in the hunt for the coveted BTCC Independent Drivers’ Championship with just nine races now left to run. Mikey Doble: “I think it’s fair to say it’s not just been a rollercoaster weekend, but a rollercoaster week. Just over seven days ago it was unclear whether we’d race again this season so to have now completed all three races at Knockhill is quite an achievement. “I’ve got to say a massive thank you to every single member of the Power Maxed Racing team because what has been achieved over these last few days is nothing short of incredible. They moved heaven and earth to be here and put in some long hours to ensure we were competitive. “Obviously being in Scotland was a win in itself but I would be lying if I didn’t say I hoped to come away with a little more from the weekend. That being said there were no real expectations as this was the first-ever time driving the Cupra. “Every session was a step into the unknown but we learnt a huge amount about the car. We’ve got a long way to go but we’ve got an idea of what direction we want to take the Cupra heading into the next round - so hopefully we will see more progress at Donington Park.” Next up for the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a return to Donington Park - albeit this time on the Grand Prix layout - for Rounds 22, 23 & 24 of the 2025 season on August 30-31.

Mikey Doble showed his fighting spirit to claim his fifth Independent victory of 2025 this past weekend (2-3 August) as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returned to action at Croft Circuit. Kicking off the second half of the season at the North Yorkshire venue, the Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing driver dug deep across three frenetic races, with the ultimate reward being a class victory in race three and the lead of the Independent standings. As he has done on many occasions this year, the Vauxhall Astra driver emerged as one of the stars of the show during Saturday’s qualifying session as Doble secured a fourth appearance in the Quick Six Shootout. Having comfortably progressed into the battle for pole position, the 26-year-old - who clinched a maiden race win at Snetterton - set a best time of 1:20.936 around the 2.100-mile circuit to snare third on the grid for race one. In the curtain-raising contest, the talented Surrey-based driver endured a frustrating outing as he was unable to capitalise on converting his second row start into silverware. Greasy conditions provided a challenge for everyone and with the car not in the optimum window, Doble was shuffled down the order on lap one before he inadvertently dropped a wheel onto the grass through the chicane, which subsequently sent him spinning into the tyre wall. Thankfully the reigning Jack Sears Trophy champion was able to get his front-wheel-drive machine moving again after the impact and he ultimately went on to fight his way back up to 15th place overall. Joining a majority of the field in opting to run the more preferable soft Goodyear tyre in race two, Doble then found himself bottled up in a train of cars from start-to-finish, unable to make any meaningful progress. Despite his best efforts, he was able to make up a single position and crossed the line in 14th place. If races one and two were action-packed then the reverse grid finale will go down as one of the all-time classic touring car contests, all of which resulted in Doble charging to a hard-fought Independent win. Lining up towards the rear of the field, Doble initially made early progress however he soon had to make an unscheduled trip into the pit lane to have an issue resolved. Luckily this happened under the safety which meant that he remained on the lead lap. On the restart, Doble showcased his overtaking prowess by carving his way up the order and clinched tenth place on the run to the line; critically snatching the top spot in the Independent category away from Dexter Patterson on the final lap. That victory now means that Doble holds an eight-point advantage at the top of the Independent Drivers’ Championship. Mikey Doble: “It’s been a rollercoaster race day so to be ending it on the podium with an Independent win is great. It’s slightly bittersweet however because I know we had the potential to achieve so much more this weekend. “Saturday we chipped away and continuously improved the car, the result being third on the grid. Race one we dropped a few spots at the start but we were coming back at them - I just didn’t have the car quite in the window in those early laps when conditions were greasy. “We managed to recover after spinning into the wall and score a point, and then basically finished where we started in race two. That last race was chaotic but despite a trip into the pit lane we managed to fight our way back to score an Independent win. “I’ve got to say a huge thank you to the whole Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing team because they’ve worked hard all weekend. Hopefully we can come back fighting at Knockhill in a couple of weeks." The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season continues in less than two weeks’ time at Knockhill on the 16-17 August.

Mikey Doble has vowed to come out fighting when the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns from its annual summer after enduring a frustrating weekend at Oulton Park. Bringing the curtain down on the first half of the season at the Cheshire track, the Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing driver battled valiantly across three bruising encounters - only to be rewarded with a handful of points. Struggling to find a balance in the set-up of his Vauxhall Astra throughout practice on Saturday, qualifying later that afternoon proved to be frustrating for the 26-year-old, with 11th being the best he could muster. Choosing to get the less favourable hard tyre out the way in race one, the Snetterton race winner was in the thick of the action throughout but with diminishing type performance as opposed to who he was racing, the front-wheel-drive racer dropped to 18th by the chequered flag. Bolting the soft tyre on for race two, Doble was a man on a mission as he went from the rear of the field up to the fringes of the top ten. And it could well have been even higher had it not been for the safety car twice neutralising proceedings. Sadly Doble’s weekend came to a premature end in a damp race three as whilst on course to claim an Independents’ win, he was unceremoniously nerfed into the tyre wall at Hislops by Tom Chilton. Going into the six-week BTCC break, Doble sits third in the Independent Drivers’ Championship- firmly within striking distance of the top two. Mikey Doble: “Sadly just like Thruxton it’s been another weekend where we’ve fought tooth and nail for very little. For some reason we just didn’t have the pace so it’s frustrating. “Going into the weekend I felt like we had a good chance of mixing it towards the front but we never really got the car in that sweet spot we’ve had at previous rounds - and it’s hard to put a finger on why. “We obviously took the pain of the hard tyre in race one and then battled back through in race two. In the finale we were on course for what looked to be a comfortable Indie win then suddenly I get a big hit from behind and I’m in the barrier and out of the race. “It’s been a weekend to forget but importantly we’ve now got the summer break to reflect and hit the reset button. We’ll get our heads down and come Croft I wanna be right back in that gaggle of cars battling for the top six.” The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season continues at Croft on August 2-3.

Mikey Doble found himself out of luck this past weekend (7-8 June) as he saw his pace go unrewarded during the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship’s annual visit to the fastest circuit in the country, Thruxton. Hot on the heels of claiming a popular maiden win at Snetterton, the Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing driver battled mechanical gremlins throughout race day - ultimately being rewarded with just two points come the end of it. Renowned for its high-speed sweeping corners, the 2.356-mile layout is one of the most demanding tracks on the BTCC schedule and the challenge it presents undoubtedly intensified on Saturday afternoon as heavy rain battered the venue during qualifying. Despite the adverse conditions, Doble emerged as one of the stars of the show as he splashed his Vauxhall Astra into the Quick Six Shootout for a third consecutive weekend before snaring fourth on the grid for race one. The 26-year-old wasted no time in moving up to third as the lights went out in a frenetic opener as a bold dive bomb down the inside of Dan Cammish at the Complex put him on the rear bumper of the top two. Sadly for Doble he would not hang on as after dropping back behind Cammish, last year’s Jack Sears Trophy title winner was forced to pull off the circuit with a mechanical issue, which later would be diagnosed as an engine failure. Following a monumental turnaround by the team to fit a new engine, Doble made the start of race two and wasted no time in fighting his way from the back of the grid to inside the top ten. Once again though there would be despair as he would have to pit due to further technical problems. Returning to the rear of the field for race three, Doble produced yet another overtaking masterclass to fight his way to as high as eighth at one stage before he was hit with a track limits penalty late on, dropping him to 14th at the chequered flag. Mikey Doble: “It’s been one of those weekends where things just haven’t gone our way. We had great pace in qualifying and to be able to make it into the Quick Six once again was a great achievement. “Race one we were in a good place position-wise but the engine temperatures shot up pretty rapidly and I had to park it. The job the guys and girls did at Power Maxed Racing to fit a new engine in-between races was phenomenal but sadly another issue scuppered our progress. “Then in race three it felt like we were going to end things on a high having come from the back but we then got pinged for track limits. It’s frustrating but you have these sort of weekends in the BTCC sometimes. “The real positive for me is that we have some serious pace in this car to trouble the established front-runners so I’m looking forward to going to Oulton Park, scene of my first-ever podium last year, and seeing what we can achieve.” The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship reaches the halfway point in the season next as Oulton Park hosts Rounds 13, 14 & 15 on June 21-22.