Power Maxed Racing have announced the departure of Pendragon Management Services Limited (Evans Halshaw/CarStore) have cut loose after three years of a five-year deal, leaving their BTCC outfit on the brink of stepping back from the championship this season.

Rumours of the split first arose towards the end of last year, with the news being leaked just prior to the Autosport International Show a month ago. Chatter turned to whether the Independents Teams’ Champions team could arrange a replacement sponsor or attract a driver with funding to plug the hole.

Team owner Adam Weaver stated: ““It would be a great shame for our journey in the BTCC to come to an unexpected end, especially off the back of such an incredible season for us. However, if it does become the end of our story then what a fantastic last chapter!

“We are still working tirelessly to put things together with existing partners and to attract new ones, but it’s all having to happen a little faster than we had planned. This makes things a bit more difficult, but we haven’t given up yet.”

Evans Halshaw and CarStore (then owned by Pendragon) were subject to a takeover by Lithia Motors based in Oregon, USA, two years ago, with the CarStore brand being ditched quickly, and Halshaw feeling the brunt of a contracting market for bricks and mortar wholesale dealers. A number of showrooms were culled as the US giant began restructuring after also purchasing dealer chains in the Mid West US mainland and Canada at the same time.

The team have been on an upward trend since the mid-season 2023 test at Donington, which turned the Astra into an underdog challenger with Árón Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble at the wheel. The pair claimed pole positions and podiums, along with a couple of close calls leaving them just shy of the top step of the podium, coming within corners of their first win since Jason Plato at Brands Hatch in 2019 with Taylor-Smith at Silverstone in 2023 and Doble last season at Oulton Park.

The team statement also states that the situation is a ‘significant threat to PMR’s ability to continue competing in the BTCC in the short term should we not find suitable partners.‘ Indicating the possibility that if the team does not find the required finance to begin the season that the door could be left open for them to return for a partial season.

PMR raced part-time during the pandemic affected 2020 season when hospitality closures negatively affected the income of independent teams. Leaving a way for the team to retain their TBL would be considered a sensible move for the BTCC, with a number of teams in the championship still unannounced on driver signings, and drivers pointing out budget difficulties are growing, the permanent loss of a veteran team would be a blow to the series.

For the moment the future of PMR racer Árón Taylor-Smith (who was due to enter the final year of his PMR contract) and the expected retention of Mikey Doble is not known.

Power Maxed have entered the TCR UK Championship for 2025 with junior racers Finn Leslie and Harry Bloor racing a pair of Hyundai i30 machines. It is understood that the TCR UK programme is not connected to the BTCC outfit, and remains unaffected.