Mikey Doble provisionally clinches Jack Sears Trophy title at Silverstone
Mikey Doble has provisionally clinched the 2024 Jack Sears Trophy title after securing an unassailable lead in the standings at the penultimate round of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this past weekend (September 21-22) at Silverstone.
The Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing driver arrived at the Home of British Motor Racing holding a commanding advantage in the coveted category and despite enduring a rollercoaster race day, he managed to put himself out of reach of his rivals ahead of the season finale.
Doble’s Silverstone success - which included two points finishes - also helped the team provisionally secure the Independent Teams’ Championship for the first-ever time, while the 25-year-old cemented second place in the Independent Drivers’ Championship.
Returning to the scene of his maiden BTCC pole position last year, the Surrey-based racer showed plenty of speed across Saturday’s two practice sessions and that front-running pace was carried forward into qualifying.
Mastering the wet conditions in his Vauxhall Astra, Doble posted the third fastest time however post-session technical checks would lead to him being excluded from the classification due to a ride height failure.
Things unfortunately got worse before they got better for the front-wheel-drive ace as, while on the way to the grid for race one, he suffered a turbo issue which forced him back into the pit lane and ultimately out of the contest.
With the issue rectified for race two, Doble set about making up for lost ground and produced a stellar performance in damp conditions to fight his way up the order to take the chequered flag in 14th.
Track conditions further deteriorated for race three and after nine laps the red flag was waved to bring a halt to proceedings. After a lengthy delay and with the rain having subsided, racing soon resumed however Doble would see out the remainder of the bout without a working wiper blade.
Utilising all of his talents behind the wheel, the sophomore race managed to stay out of trouble and cross the line in 11th, which in-turn proved to be enough to secure him the Jack Sears Trophy crown.
Mikey Doble, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing: “I’m a little lost for words if I’m honest. That was without doubt one of the most challenging weekends I’ve had in the BTCC so to come away having done enough to wrap up the Jack Sears Trophy is brilliant.
“Coming into the weekend I knew we’d have a strong package and we demonstrated that in qualifying, only to have it sadly taken away from us. Despite starting from the back I was feeling upbeat as I knew we had a car that could take us forward on race day.
“Frustratingly the turbo let go on the way to the grid in race one and that meant we had to fight our way from the back in races two and three. We did the best job possible but it certainly felt like everything was going against me at times.
“To be standing here now knowing I can’t be beaten in the Jack Sears Trophy is special. This has been what I set out to achieve since the start of the year so to wrap it up with a round to spare means we can go to Brands Hatch without any real pressure on us.
“I’ve also got to say a huge congratulations to my team-mate Aron for winning the Independent Drivers’ Championship and to the whole PMR team. Securing the Independent Teams’ crown is a great reward for untold hours of hard work for everyone that’s involved.”
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship concludes its 2024 campaign in less than two weeks’ time as Rounds 28, 29 & 30 play out around the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on October 5-6.










