EK Robotics, the nations leading manufacturer and systems integrator of innovative
high-performance transport robotics are proud to announce that they are renewing
their partnership with Árón Taylor-Smith for the 2023 British Touring Car
Championship.
The Buckingham based company, with over 60 years of experience in Automated
Guided Vehicles, ventured into the BTCC for the first time in 2022 as part of Taylor-
Smith’s BTCC program. The 2022 season saw Taylor-Smith battle his way into the top
ten on a number of occasions but new for this season is the news that the Irishman
is joining the formidable team that is Power Maxed Racing. The Vauxhall Astra has
been an incredibly strong car over the last few seasons with multiple race wins and
has now undergone an extensive development package ahead of the 2023 season.
Taylor-Smith commented: “You have no idea how much the partnership with EK
Robotics means to me. Chris has played a pivotal role this off-season as we
positioned ourselves ahead of the 2023 season. The synergy between what EK
Robotics stands for and what I want to achieve is very clear, as we both want to be at
the forefront of our respective industries. I was lucky enough to have Chris and some
of the EK Robotics team trackside during last year and I am genuinely looking
forward to flying the flag once again.”
One of the major moves of the BTCC off-season is Taylor-Smith’s change of teams as
he joins Power Maxed Racing, which was made possible by the continued support of
EK Robotics. The team have an outstanding pedigree within the series, accumulating
a huge amount of success over the years and with 2023 set to be another nail biter
the change could not have come a better time for Taylor-Smith. The Irishman has
accumulated twenty podiums during his successful career in the BTCC and to this day
remains the only Irishman to win a race in the championship in over thirty years. The
thirty-three year old debuted in the series in 2012 and won a race in his first season,
immediately marking him as one to watch for the future. Taylor-Smith continued in
the BTCC for a subsequent five years before taking a sabbatical to focus on a GT
program throughout Europe. 2021 saw the fans favourite return to the BTCC for his
seventh season to develop a brand new car and he did not disappoint upon his
return to the championship and continued to build on this in 2022.
Chris Price commented: “The commercial benefits of a BTCC program are second to
none but more important to this are the personal connections that are formed as a
result. Both Árón and his wife Lauren have become very close friends of ours and we
are thrilled to be able to continue the support into the 2023 championship. The move
to Power Maxed Racing is one that I think will spring foot Árón back into the thick of
the action and everyone at EK Robotics is excited to see what he can achieve.”
The 2023 British Touring Car Champions kicks off in less than fifty days at Donington
Park for the first race weekend of the season on April 22 nd & 23 rd . Between now and
then, PMR have an extensive preseason test program, which will see Taylor-Smith
drive the Vauxhall Astra for the first time in preparation to battles against the best
touring car drivers in the world. As usual, the BTCC will be live on ITV throughout the
course of the 2023 season meaning that the near twenty million viewers will once
again see the EK Robotics branding take to the track.
Taylor-Smith commented: “I have to say that I have been blown away by the work
that has been at Power Maxed Racing. The team have revamped the Astra
throughout the winter and I have no doubt that it will be a very strong package this
season. To say that I am excited for the season ahead is an understatement and once
again, I can’t thank EK Robotics enough for the continued support to make this
happen.”
All teams are in the final stages of preparation ahead of preseason testing with just
less than eight weeks to go until the season opener at Donington Park on April 23 rd .
Be sure to keep an eye on both the EK Robotics and Taylor-Smith’s social media
channels over the next few weeks to be kept up to date on all things BTCC related
ahead of the first race weekend.