Dave Newsham will drive Power Maxed Racing’s newly-acquired Chevrolet Cruze saloon in the 2015 British Touring Car Championship season, it was announced today (Monday 23 February).
The signing, which was announced via Youtube, saw the team set out a raft of ambitious objectives as they head into their first full season in the sport, having gained control of BTC Racing’s operations after Chris Stockton decided to take a step back from his duties.
47-year-old Newsham, who scored a podium with AmD Tuning.com last season at Knockhill, confirmed at the end of January that he had signed a deal to race in the championship for a fifth season, after doubt had initially been cast over his future with the news that Mike Bushell had been signed by Shaun Hollamby’s AmD squad.
The two-time race winner, who will now pilot a sixth car in five years in the series, was adamant that he and the Cruze would be capable of competing with the championship’s front-runners after changes to the team over the off-season.
“I’m over the moon to be racing with Power Maxed Racing in 2015,” said Newsham. “The team’s professionalism and its new ownership is fantastic. [Team principal] Adam Weaver and I have discussed our objectives at great length and we are both heading in the same direction.
“I believe we will have a great platform for success in 2015. There are some exciting plans that will be revealed over the next few weeks that will mean we are at the sharp end getting more exposure for our sponsors.”
Team Principal Weaver was naturally pleased to have signed Newsham to drive for his team, but also highlighted the role that the outgoing Stockton had played in developing the project into what he hoped would be a successful package this season.
“Signing Dave is an important part of our master-plan for 2015,” he said. “Dave is an exceptional racer, you only have to look at his track record and race wins, podiums and the Jack Sears Trophy to see why signing Dave was a no brainer.
“Chris Stockton has given us a great platform, he did lots of hard yards last year to enable us to hit the ground running this season. It is important to note that without Chris and his input, we would be nowhere.”