BTCC comeback has Dave Newsham gunning for a full-time return
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
DAVE Newsham is targeting a full-time return to the British Touring Car Championships after he impressed in a relief role last weekend.
Filling in for Kelvin Fletcher, who was attending the birth of his child, Newsham took Power Maxed Racing’s Chevrolet Cruze to seventh in race one at Knockhill – their highest finish of the season.
The Westhill racer said he was taken aback by the social media interest in his return and was hoping to “strike while the iron was hot”, plotting a BTCC return for the 2017 season.
Newsham drove for PMR last season in BTCC but was not able to find the finances to meet what the team needed to retain his seat for this year. Instead, he has been racing in rallycross for PMR, who have entered a car into the championship for the first time.
The urge to drive in BTCC has not gone away, however, and he is hoping to capitalise on his current popularity to seal a return to the championship.
“I never really lost the hunger for it,” said Newsham. “I knew I had only been out of it for a few months so I was still confident I could race. I just didn’t have the backing to do it full-time.
“They hadn’t been up to the top 10 until last weekend and some people have said to me that I’ve made a few people look silly. There’s been a good response on social media and fans seem to want me back in the car, so I’m going to work hard on putting together a promotional package and strike while the iron is hot.”
The benefit Newsham has is time – he admits he does not usually start working on attracting sponsors until the end of each season, but will be aiming to make the most of the buzz around his return.
PMR want him to return to the car for next season, it is just a matter of working out the finances and Newsham getting sponsors on board.
Teams do not tend to announce their drivers for the following season until the beginning of the year. Newsham getting his name out there now would mean he could allow teams to factor him into their finances, before budgets for the coming season.
Prior to this season he had a five-year stint in the sport, winning two races and finishing second at Knockhill in 2014, just hours after the passing of his mother.
Frantic efforts to secure a drive for this season in BTCC came to no avail but his performance last weekend will serve as a reminder to other teams in the championship of what he is capable of.
The Norscott Vending managing director came seventh in race one at the Fife course, after qualifying in 10th on Saturday – just half a second behind Jason Plato in pole. He was disappointed with a 14th-place finish in race two but amendments to the Cruze lifted PMR three places for the final race of the weekend.
“It was great fun,” added Newsham. “I went into it thinking it was just a one-off and at all costs, I was going to enjoy myself.
“The cars are quite a bit different this year – there’s new suspensions on them and to be honest it’s nicer to drive. It took a while to get to the know the different characteristics of the car. But that will be it for this season. I expect Kelvin to be back for the next race.”
This season has been a below-par one for PMR, after an impressive debut campaign under team manager Adam Weaver where Newsham and rookie Josh Cook helped announce the team as a genuine competitor in BTCC.
Since Newsham’s exit from the championship and Cook’s move to MG Racing, just 24 points have come their way – all scored by Hunter Abbott.
Fletcher – famed for his acting days in Emmerdale – has yet to register a point this season and in his sole appearance of the campaign, Newsham chimed in with 16 points. He qualified 14 places above Abbott and finished higher up the field than his team-mate in all three races, despite having limited time to familiarise himself with the new setup on the car.
“They tried to get me back in the car this year but it just wasn’t possible,” added the Carmarthen-born driver. “I’ve never really left the team.
“Even with a subsidised drive, I just couldn’t raise the necessary budget. But the team still want me in the car and maybe after this year, they want me back in the car even more.”
Away from the BTCC circuit, things have not gone to plan in the rallycross for Newsham.
He lies in 10th after five races of the championship and finished a disappointing 13th in the last round at Maasmechelen, Belgium.
Three rounds remain, with the next one in a fortnight at Lydden Hill, before they round off the season with events at Pembrey and Croft.
“We went to Belgium and the car lasted six minutes before giving up the ghost,” added Newsham.
“Which isn’t great for me, the team or the sponsors.”
