Newsham targets progress at his 'worst' BTCC track
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DAVE Newsham concedes this weekend’s BTCC race at Donington is his worst track of the year — but a top-ten finish is still realistic.
The reigning Jack Sears Trophy winner feels his style of late-breaking does not suit a “fast-flowing” track at Donington, however he still believes the Power Maxed Racing team can be competitive.
Newsham came ninth in the final race of the opening weekend at Brands Hatch, in which he made his competitive debut in the Chevrolet Cruze alongside new team-mate Josh Cook.
He was surprised at the car’s progression over the weekend, given that he improved on his finishing position in each race after constant modifications of the Cruze’s setup.
He is braced for a challenging weekend at the Derbyshire circuit, where he does not feel best-suited.
“Donington is probably my worst track — it’s never been kind to me,” said Newsham. “It’s a fast-flowing circuit and doesn’t suit the way I like to drive.
“I’ll be trying to adapt my style in practice, but it’s good to have a team-mate who has the opposite driving technique to me, so we can compare data. Josh prefers to break earlier and carry a lot of mid-corner speed.”
Questioning his own ability does come in to it and the Westhill racer feels that some of his BTCC colleagues may favour this course, whereas he has a more consistent record.
Attaining at least one top-ten finish from the second race of the season is the aim for Newsham, with early points key if the 47-year-old is to reach his target of being in the top ten drivers this season.
“We need to be inside there (the top ten) for at least one race. If we can manage that and come through without any damage then I’ll be happy,” he said.
“It’s looking like a pretty dry track so the conditions should be consistent throughout the races. We were making changes to the car all the way through the last race and we’ll be trying a few different set-ups in practice.”
