Newsham takes on rallycross challenge at Croft
Following a successful end to his Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign, Dave Newsham will make a quick return to action this weekend when he takes part in the annual Rallycross Grand Prix event at Croft.
Inverness racer Dave heads into the event having wrapped up the Jack Sears Trophy during a dramatic BTCC Finals Day at Brands Hatch, bringing the curtain down on his year at the wheel of the AmDTuning.com Ford Focus on a high.
The award, handed out to the Independent driver to make up the most positions over the course of the 30 race season, was an undoubted highlight of Dave's fourth year in the BTCC, which also included an impressive podium finish at Knockhill back in August.With his BTCC season now at an end, Dave will take on a fresh challenge when he goes up against the series regulars in the Rallycross Grand Prix at Croft, which will take place the day after the British Rallycross Championship season finale takes place at the same circuit.
Dave will will be making his first outing in Rallycross during the event, which will see him take to the track at the wheel of a Citroen Saxo prepared and run by the Xtreme Motorsport team.
The Leeds-based outfit has enjoyed a strong season on track in the competitive Hot Hatch class in 2014, taking the class title with a round to spare with driver Craig Lomax, and Dave will hope to impress himself when he takes over at the wheel for Sunday's event.
"Being a touring car driver, I can’t say that all my driving is on tarmac!” he said. “We always try to make the circuit as short as possible, and sometimes that means going off track a little!
“I’ve always been a fan of Rallycross and used to watch it on Grandstand when I was younger. I’ve always been keen to try as many different disciplines as I can in my career, so thanks to the team for giving me the chance to give it a go. They contacted me earlier in the year and asked if I would be interested, and it didn’t take me long to accept the offer.“I cut my teeth in schoolboy grass track on bikes and progressed to speedway, so I have a good feel for loose surfaces, and I have always been good in the wet in cars too. I would think I should go well in Rallycross but I have never done it before, and with no experience, it is a big challenge for me to just turn up and race against seasoned campaigners.
“As with any driver however, I’ll be going all out to win..."
Dave will be following in the footsteps of his BTCC team boss Shaun Hollamby when he contests the Rallycross Grand Prix, with Hollamby having taken part in the event at the wheel of a MINI Cooper last year.