Newsham looking to find form again
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DAVE Newsham is targeting a return to the form he showed in the early part of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season resumes at Snetterton this weekend.
Two podium finishes were achieved by Inverness driver Newsham and his new team ES Racing.com at Brands Hatch and then Thruxton in April, but that momentum early in the campaign has since subsided.
Car troubles with his Vauxhall Vectra badly hampered the 45-year-old at both Oulton Park and Croft in June, resulting in a disappointing end to the first half of the season.
However, having enjoyed a break in Turkey, Newsham has returned refreshed and ready to try and improve upon his current eighth place in the overall drivers standings when the championships begins again at Snetterton on Sunday.
"I’m sure that we can start getting back on terms with teams like Redstone Racing and WSR," he said.
"We went down the wrong route with set-up at Croft last time out and, at Oulton Park, the car had a brake problem, which had major implications.
"Given how we started the season — pole position and a third at Brands Hatch, leading at Donington Park and then a second at Thruxton — everyone in the team is determined to get back to that kind of form, particularly me.
"I think I’ve started to establish myself as one of the top names and that’s where people expect to see me."
The break has given Newsham time to reflect upon the season so far, particularly events that transpired against him during frustrating outings at both Oulton Park and Croft.
His team, however, have put in a lot of work since June to try and get Newsham’s car back to the level it was performing at when the campaign began.
"Oulton and Croft were bad events, which didn’t need to be bad," he said. "I’ve got a reputation for keeping clear of trouble and being clean.
"I’m not a crasher, so to go two events in a row without three decent results at either of them was massively disappointing.
"But the car has since been re-jigged and properly rebuilt during the break. It would be nice to get a test before Snetterton, but it’s all about budget.
"I went well there last year and almost got my first podium result, but it wasn’t one of the best tracks for the Vectra.
"I suspect it’s going to be very good for the NGTC cars, particularly with the long Coram corner and their bigger tyre, but we’ll see."
Newsham has also been reinvigorated by the thought of testing himself at Silverstone and then Brands Hatch in October as this year’s championship reaches its climax, while he is also looking to shine on home soil later this month when the British Touring Cars come to Knockhill.
"I can’t wait to get back to Silverstone," he said. "Our pre-season testing pace there at the media day event was excellent right from the off.
"Then there’s the Brands GP track. I was the fastest man around half that lay-out on the shorter Indy track.
"There’s also Knockhill to come which is effectively my home circuit even though it’s still 150 miles away.
"That’s always going to be special but, in terms of competitiveness, Silverstone and Brands should be our two best events in the second half of season."
