Dave Newsham plans 2017 BTCC returnposted in BTCC22 | 08 | 2016
DAVE NEWSHAM has confirmed he will not contest the remainder of the 2016 British Rallycross Championship. Instead he will focus on putting together a package which will see him return to the British Touring Car Championship next season.
The decision by the Inverness-based driver, in conjunction with his Power Maxed Racing team, comes just eight days after he made a one-off guest appearance in the BTCC at Knockhill.
Newsham, driving the Power Maxed Chevrolet Cruze, finished the opening race seventh, and followed up with a 14th and an 11th. All three results would have delivered BTCC championship points.
What became clear over the Knockhill weekend was the BTCC not only delivered the commercial platform which appealed to Newsham’s sponsors and commercial partners — his racing is paid for through sponsorship — but he simply enjoyed himself both on and off track.
In a meeting held in the days after the Knockhill race weekend, between Adam Weaver, team principal and Newsham, it was agreed that the BTCC is where Newsham’s sponsors would get the most coverage.
Related: Newsham back for Knockhill BTCC
It was felt that any further money spent on the British Rallycross was money Newsham couldn't put towards a BTCC return in 2017.
The decision was then taken to formally withdraw the team’s entry from Rallycross, and put the Ford Fiesta Supercar up for sale.
“The response before I got to Knockhill was overwhelming on social media, and after I arrived, well it went to another level,” Newsham, a past BTCC winner at Knockhill, said today.
“I didn't think anyone would really miss me, but I couldn't have been more wrong, thankfully.
“It's a shame, as Rallycross is so much fun and the car is very competitive now. I've taken heat wins, seconds and thirds. With the early teething issues ironed out now, it’s in the perfect place for somebody with the right budget to challenge for the championship. It simply needs a new livery and the new owner will have virtually a brand new car.”
And team boss Weaver accepted he fully understood Newsham’s decision.
"It's a shame to withdraw from British Rallycross, as it is such a strong championship, but I completely understand Dave's decision, Weaver said. “We too are massively subsiding the RallyCross drive.
“The cars are extremely expensive to run; they're like works’ rally cars. We have invested close to £50,000 in car developments, £30,000 on engine upgrades, new wiring loom, ECU, dash then plenty of labour on top.”
Related: Scot Lewis Williamson gets WEC green light
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news by following us on twitter.com/Scotcars
Jim McGill