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Dave Newsham back to BTCC for Knockhill as Kelvin Fletcher stand-in

Dave Newsham will return to the British Touring Car Championship this weekend at Knockhill to race a Power Maxed Racing Chevrolet Cruze in place of regular driver Kelvin Fletcher

Fletcher, an actor in the soap ITV soap Emmerdale, will miss the round as his wife is due to give birth. He is scheduled to return to the BTCC at Rockingham on August 27/28.

Newsham, who has driven for the Power Maxed team in the British Rallycross Championship this season, will stand in for the weekend's three races in Fife, Scotland as a one-off.

Newsham finished 16th in the BTCC points last year with Power Maxed and bagged two fourth place finishes for the squad.

He has previously won two touring car races, including taking victory at Knockhill in 2012 for the ES Racing team in a Vauxhall Vectra.

Newsham said: "I've loved racing in British Rallycross this season but the BTCC has always held a special place in my heart, and when [team principal] Adam Weaver approached me to stand in for Kelvin Fletcher, I couldn't get the word 'yes' out fast enough.

"The team and car were great last year and with the upgrades for this year, I can't wait to get back behind the wheel.

"Kelvin has made significant progress in the car this year but family is family, and we'll keep our ears open for baby news this weekend."

Team head Weaver added that Newsham had been the obvious choice to bring in.

"Kelvin has been great this year, but we always knew that the birth of his first child would be close to the round in Knockhill so that a driver change would be a possibility," he said.

"We're delighted to have kept working with Dave and when we knew we had to find a stand in, there was no discussion, Dave was the man for the job."


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