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Daryl DeLeon Taylor gets touring car scholarship with Team HARD. Racing

From karting in ’21 to Radical Sportscars in ’22, Daryl DeLeon Taylor is making the big switch to touring cars in ’23 with Team HARD. Racing. The deal is part of the team’s scholarship (which he won) not just to be their official British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) development driver, but also includes a fully-funded drive in the British Endurance Championship.

The Filipino-British driver bested 150+ other hopefuls who participated in Team HARD. Racing’s scholarship program. Each candidate was assessed based on physical fitness, media relationship, and driving abilities to see who can excel in all areas and be the best fit to race with the team. After spending several days at the Blyton Park Driving Center and Brands Hatch with different types of machinery, the pool was narrowed down to 15 drivers, then to 6, ’til only 3 finalists remained with Daryl eventually being announced as the winner.

As the team’s official development driver, his job is to fine tune Team HARD. Racing’s all new Cupra León Hybrid that was introduced in 2021. Daryl’s feedback on things such as car setup will prove to be very valuable to the team on BTCC race weekends. It’s also a great opportunity for the 17-year-old to get track time in BTCC machinery. And if he does really well, perhaps the team can even consider giving him a BTCC race seat next year?

Daryl will also have racing duties with Team HARD. Racing in the British Endurance Championship. He’s going to drive their Audi S3 BTCC touring car across the 7-round 2023 calendar that stretches from March ’til October. Each event consists of a 30-minute Qualifying session and a main Endurance Race that lasts 2, 3, or even 6 hours long complete with mandatory pit stops and driver changes. That other driver is confirmed to be Ginetta Junior ’21 scholarship winner Maurice Henry.

While he’s known to be quick right out of the box, Daryl expects that there will be a bit of a learning curve adapting to touring cars. The design philosophy of the Radical SR1 that he won the championship with last year is the complete opposite to what he’ll be driving this season. Rear wheel drive, lightweight, and with lots of aero – these are things that a touring car is not. But with enough time behind the wheel, he should have no problems pushing both the Cupra León BTCC Hybrid and Audi S3 BTCC to their limits.

British Endurance Championship 2023 Calendar
Round 1 | March 25 (Silverstone GP) 3 Hours
Round 2 | April 22 (Brands Hatch Indy) 2 Hours
Round 3 | May 27 (Oulton Park) 3 Hours
Round 4 | June 24 (Silverstone GP) 2 Hours
Round 5 | July 22 (Donington) 6 Hours*
Round 6 | September 16 (Snetterton 300) 2 Hours
Round 7 | October 14 (Donington GP) 2 Hours

*Non-championship event

Tony Gilham, Team HARD. Racing Managing Director: “We are very much looking forward to this season and working with Daryl to achieve his full potential in the British Endurance Championship and acting as our official BTCC development driver. We know he is going to be a fantastic asset to Team HARD. Racing.”

Daryl DeLeon Taylor: “After winning the 2023 Team Hard Scholarship, I am proud to say that I am officially a BTCC Development Driver for Team Hard Racing. This means that I will be testing the Touring Cars and racing in the British Endurance Championship in the Audi S3 and I cannot wait to get started especially driving under the Team Hard banner. I would just like to thank Tony Gilham from Team Hard for this fantastic opportunity.”

Daryl DeLeon Taylor is supported by Train Maintenance Services (TMS).

For news and updates, Like the Daryl DeLeon Racing page on Facebook, follow @daryldeleon on Instagram, or visit daryltaylorracing.com.

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Time Attack Manila

Time Attack Manila

Founded in late 2013, Time Attack Manila (TAM) is the only dedicated online magazine in the Philippines that focuses on local and international motorsports.
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Time Attack Manila

Time Attack Manila

Founded in late 2013, Time Attack Manila (TAM) is the only dedicated online magazine in the Philippines that focuses on local and international motorsports.
View All Posts
Time Attack Manila