Door not closed on Dave Newsham's BTCC career
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Westhill racer Newsham attended the Autosport Show in Birmingham a fortnight ago and held discussions over a potential drive for 2016.
His team from the 2015 campaign, Power Maxed Racing, are “desperate” to keep the 48-year-old on board. But as with other drivers, money is proving an obstacle.
Newsham has seen his budget dwindle in recent weeks after a number of sponsors either reduced their support or pulled the plug entirely, but he will not give up until it is impossible for him to afford to race.
“Power Maxed are desperate to have me back and there are other teams who want me on board too, but it all comes down to finances,” said Newsham.
“I’m struggling at the moment and BTCC is looking further and further away.
“If I find some big sponsors then great, we’ll jump straight back into it. When BTCC looks completely impossible, that’s when I’ll need to look at other options.”
Newsham is giving himself as long as possible to make a decision on his racing future, but the crunch time is likely to come in the next few weeks. Digging into his own pocket again, like he did during last season, is not an option.
However, there are several other possibilities open to him. The Clio Cup, which he won in 2010, could be one, along with the B-TEC Development Series, British GTs and the Mini Challenge.
“I want to be going out and enjoying racing again without feeling any pressure,” added Newsham, managing director of Norscott Vending.
“Being a big fish in a small pond, plus being on a level playing field in terms of the cars on the grid, is also appealing.”
Should his BTCC career come to an end this spring, it will certainly have given him some memories to take away.
Two race wins in consecutive weekends during the 2012 campaign, at Snetterton and Knockhill, added to three other podium finishes throughout the season, pushed him to ninth in the drivers’ championship with Team ES Racing.com.
When he joined Speedworks in 2013 he found himself consistently in the top 10 and nearly matched his finish from the previous year. But his move to AmDTuning.com the following year did not go as planned.
The one bright spot was in the wake of personal tragedy after the death of his mother, when Newsham took second in the final race at Knockhill.
“There are an awful lot of options out there for me,” he added. “It just comes down to budgets.”
