Daniel Lloyd says that next weekend’s British Touring Car Championship event at Thruxton may see the final races of his current campaign, as he continues to struggle to pay for accident damage.
Lloyd had a huge shunt in the final race of the day at Oulton Park, which required his Hyundai i30 Fastback N to be rebuilt before the next event at Croft.
In a fully rebuilt car, Lloyd then went on to claim a memorable double win at Croft at the next round.
With the damage bill exceeding what the Yorkshire racer had budgeted, he has struggled to raise enough extra sponsorship to-date, despite putting in place some new deals during the summer.
Thus, Lloyd still faces a budget shortfall of around £50,000 if he is to be able to complete the season with the final two meetings of the year at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.
“It was fantastic to bounce back from what happened at Oulton Park with the double win at Croft, but I think it might have given the false impression that we were okay in terms of being able to complete the season,” said Lloyd.
“Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth and as it stands, there is a genuine possibility that Thruxton will be my final races of the campaign.
“Although we’ve been able to bring some fantastic new partners onboard since the accident, they were deals that I’d been working on for some time.
“I’m hugely grateful that they decided to back me – and that my existing partners have been so understanding of the situation – but the hard facts are that we are still around £50,000 short of being able to settle the repair bill and take part in the final two rounds.
“The prospect of being unable to finish what we have started this season is heart-breaking, because I feel I’ve developed a fantastic relationship with the team.
“We have made huge progress with the car to regularly fight towards the front of the field in what has been one of the competitive grids that the BTCC has had for a number of years.
“I’m certainly not giving up by any means, but a situation that was very difficult has now become critical, and time is running out.
“There is no escaping the fact that motorsport is an expensive sport, but getting involved doesn’t have to involve huge sums.
“We are able to offer a range of different packages that can be tailored to the needs of an individual business, and any support – big or small – will help.
“People have asked if crowdfunding was an option and whilst I know it has been done by other people, it isn’t something I personally feel comfortable with as I wouldn’t want to ask fans for money and not be able to offer something in return.
“We are however pleased to be in a position where we can launch some new packages that will allow any fans who want to support my effort to do so, but will also offer them exclusive rewards that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to – such as special merchandise and a Hot Lap event at Donington Park.
“If anyone wants to get involved then please get in touch.”
Further information on Daniel Lloyd’s sponsorship packages can be found at his official website.