On Wednesday it was announced that I will not be competing in the 2020 BTCC. Where do I start? Firstly let me start by saying that, I have, as well as my wife, my family, and my partners been truly overwhelmed by the support received by the very heart of the BTCC, the supporters!
It has been incredible that a lad from Kidderminster, has mustered enough emotion in you fantastic people, that you have grabbed your phones/tablets/laptops, and sent us messages of support, love and hope. It is truly heartwarming and I will never forget the day that I realised, just how privileged that I have been to race and compete in such a championship made so great, by all of you.
Let me now go on to say, please do not feel sorry for me, or worry that I am not on the grid this season. We will come back, and when we do, it will be to make an impact. My first season of BTCC, was as you all know, 2019 and a bit of a disaster. What should have been a fantastic experience was dampened somewhat by a few mistakes from me, a few mechanical issues and a rookie season that was very tough to boot. But after countless times trying, lots of failed attempts and a 8 year gap away from motor racing, I finally did it! I achieved what we always thought was impossible, I had become a BTCC driver. I cannot tell you how that feels, nor how grateful I am to all of my sponsors, new and old, who have given me this chance to reach the BTCC. It goes without saying of course, that I owe everything to my title partners, Cataclean. These amazing bunch of guys and girls from Liverpool, took a massive leap of faith in me and whilst we had, had a good couple of years already together, they pushed through and made it possible for me to achieve the ‘Impossible’.
This year, 2020, has I believe taken the wind from all of us a little, not knowing what to expect or when and where to turn. We as a collective have had to look at the bigger picture, as at the end of the day, it is only money that keeps the wheels turning! (no pun intended)
At this time I do not think that I can maximise my partnerships in what is a reduced opportunity season, and whilst Cataclean and I have experience of the BTCC and motorsport in general, I have some new partners in Fenix Freight and WiFi Maps that have limited experience of motorsport and expectations are understandably high. Now, I’m not saying that good activation cannot be achieved this season, far from it, it is simply that currently I do not have the tools in my box to make it work, and for that reason alone, it is simply better to stop now, and wait rather than push people into an uncomfortable situation which strains relationships and ultimately leads to failure, it was simply not a risk that I was prepared to take.
So for all the people concerned that I have lost my sponsors, I have not. I still have the best partners in the business, we are simply taking stock, planning and plotting our return, but as stated earlier, we have one mission, to come back and make an impact. The impact in my immediate vision is to win the BTCC, and i firmly believe that I can be challenging for BTCC titles in the coming seasons. Whether I have enough experience or talent, only time will tell, but you have to have targets and that is mine, actually it is ours! So, as for BTCC, we will be back when the time is right, and I will be in a position to turn heads, otherwise what is the point?!
Finally I need to thank everyone from Ciceley Motorsport, during my time in BTCC they have worked very hard for me, I have made some great friends there and some relationships that I hope will stay with me for a long time. I wish them every luck for this 2020 season and I will take great satisfaction in hopefully seeing all the hard work that Adam and I put in over the winter coming to fruition. I wish Jack the very best of luck, BUT I do want my number back, even if I have to fight you for it…
I say farewell to the BTCC supporters for now, but I will see you all again, the 2021 season will be upon us very soon and I intend to be fully ready for it, but for now lets try and enjoy what motorsport we have available to us right now, and for sure the better times are still to come!
Daniel Rowbottom,
