At last, after suffering heartbreak after heartbreak after heartbreak, Daryl DeLeon Taylor has finally scored his very first points in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) since his debut 2 months ago. While the race weekend at Silverstone was not entirely problem-free, the Filipino-British driver delivered his best result to date with a 14th place finish.
Team HARD Racing changed a few things on his #18 Cupra Leon during Free Practice to dial in its handling. The setup change proved to be effective as it allowed Daryl to set a 58.259 secs lap around the 2.639 km National Circuit, which was good enough for P22 and his best starting position on the grid by far.
With storm clouds fast approaching, the team decided to take the conservative route for Race 1 and sent Daryl out on wet tires. The extra grip saw him rocket off the line and easily passed other cars that struggled on slicks. It quickly became a mad dash for position as he climbed from P22 on the grid to as high as P8, making the most out of the tricky conditions. But as the track gradually dried up, so did his advantage. Daryl was eventually passed by drivers on slicks while he was busy managing tire temperatures and driving off line to keep them cool. Then it was a drag race to the chequered flag for 13th place with Tom Chilton beating Daryl by 0.005 secs.
The 18-year-old had another shot at a Top 10 finish in Race 2 starting from the 7th row on the grid. Unfortunately, his luck ran out after engine issues robbed him of a good result and saw him finish dead last.
Despite the best efforts of the team, the technical fault would later come back to haunt Daryl in Race 3. Down on power and unable to fight, he pushed on to complete all 25 laps and concluded the penultimate round of the BTCC in 21st position.
Focusing on the positives, the BTCC weekend at Silverstone will remain to be memorable one for Daryl as it’s where he scored his very first points in the championship. He’ll have one last shot during the 2023 season finale at Brands Hatch this coming October 8/9.
Daryl DeLeon Taylor: “It was a progressive and positive weekend. This was the first time we didn’t have any major issues, plus it was also my best result to date in the BTCC where I scored my first points in the championship. Really now pumped up for the final race at Brands Hatch and hope to end the season on a high note. I’d like to thank all my supporters as it really goes a long way as always.”
Daryl DeLeon Taylor is supported by Auntie Anne’s and Train Maintenance Services (TMS).
For news and updates, Like the Daryl DeLeon Racing page on Facebook, follow @daryldeleon on Instagram, or visit daryltaylorracing.com.
[Photos courtesy of Team HARD Racing]
