Árón Taylor-Smith will remain in the British Touring Car Championship with Team HARD for the 2022 season ‘and beyond’ after signing a new contract with the team to race one of its CUPRA Leon cars.
Taylor-Smith made his BTCC return in 2021 with Tony Gilham’s outfit, following a three-year absence, racing one of its brand new self-built CUPRAs.
The Irishman has experienced a challenging comeback to-date, sitting 22nd overall in the drivers’ standings having failed to break into the top ten so far this season, notching up 11 points finishes out of 24 races thus far.
The 31-year-old is planning to remain with Team HARD as the new CUPRA continues to be developed into the hybrid era next season.
“I have never felt more at home in a team than I do at Team HARD, and that has been one of the main contributing factors to remaining here,” said Taylor-Smith, who will enter into his eighth full season in 2022.
“The work that they are doing behind the scenes is second to none and I am 100% confident that we can make this CUPRA a force to be reckoned with in the BTCC.
“To have the security of knowing that I will be on the grid for years to come is amazing. I firmly believe that continuity breeds success, both on track with the development & progression of the CUPRA but also off track with my partners. I really feel as though this is only the beginning of what is to come.
“I want to thank Tony and everyone at Team HARD for their work and of course my partners in making this dream a reality.
“I am under no false sense of illusion that it is a privilege to be on the BTCC grid and without their continued support it wouldn’t be possible.
“I always knew that the first year would be about the development of the CUPRA and weaning out any potential weaknesses.
“I am positive we will see a significant jump in performance in the remainder of this season and into 2022 – the possibilities in the future are endless.
“I know that with Team HARD I will have the best chance of succeeding in the BTCC, and I look forward to repaying their efforts with some silverware.”
Team HARD owner Gilham praised the efforts of Taylor-Smith since he joined the team ahead of the current season.
“Árón has been a breath of fresh air since joining the team in December of last year,” added Gilham. “His enthusiasm for the CUPRA project, the development of the team, and our fans is fantastic and has helped take us to another level.
“Árón has great attention to detail, and this has massively helped us move in the right direction as we look to the hybrid era next season and beyond.
“The results may not have fallen in Árón’s way so far this season, but he has always shown strong pace and with a little more luck he will be back fighting at the sharp end.
“He has the talent and we are working hard to provide Árón a consistent car that will allow us to sustain a challenge at the very front of the field in 2022.
“Having secured the services of both Árón and Jack [Goff] for next season is a testament to how far this team has come in a short space of time.
“They are two of the very best talents in British motorsport and being able to have that continuity with our driver line-up puts us in a strong position for next season.”