Teams interested in BTCC driver Dave Newsham - if he can find the budget
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AT least two British Touring Car teams want Dave Newsham on board for next season – if he can find the budget.
Newsham’s two-race stint with Power Maxed Racing has peaked the interest of “two or three” teams in the championship, but the old stumbling block of finances may prove a hindrance.
Hitting the phones will be Newsham’s main port of call in the coming weeks as he chases responses to his sponsorship package, in a bid to make his dream comeback a reality.
The Westhill racer was initially part of PMR’s debut foray into Rallycross this season however when the team decided to withdraw from the championship, Newsham was available to fill in for Kelvin Fletcher in BTCC when he attended the birth of his first child.
His desire to return to BTCC full-time has been reaffirmed on several occasions and there are interested parties in his services. However, as always, it comes back to money.
“The focus is on finding the budget to do BTCC – two or three teams want me on board for next season,” said Newsham. “PMR are one of those but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get the money together.
“It’s still early and I’ll keep plugging away. I’ve been fairly busy at work so I haven’t had chance to chase up (the sponsorship package) but all it takes is a couple of sizeable sponsors to come on board and it’s possible again.
“I do miss it. It was great jumping back in for a couple of meetings and I proved I can do it with little preparation. If it doesn’t come off, maybe I can do something similar next year.”
Other options open to the Norscott Vending managing director are the Clio Cup, with Newsham already fielding early enquiries, while racing in the GT Cup remains appealing. A January deadline will see Newsham make a decision on what he plans to do for the 2017 season.
Back home in Inverness, he has been racing substantially smaller vehicles as he joined son Callum at the North of Scotland Kart Club in Golspie last weekend. Newsham junior is showing signs of promise, despite only getting into the sport over the last couple of years.
“It was good to get out there and follow him round. I noted a few issues that I could talk to him about and by the end he had put the fastest lap time in,” said Newsham. “When it comes to racing his lack of experience shows; he struggles to make overtaking manoeuvres and I didn’t see much of him on the Sunday as I got past him fairly quickly.
“He’s only got into it over the last couple years. He gets frustrated because he wants to be winning but he’s only 17, so he’s still got a lot to learn.”
