BTCC racer Rowbottom gets two more years with NAPA/Alliance after heart surgery

Two-time British Touring Automobile Championship race winner Dan Rowbottom has dedicated to the Alliance Racing-run NAPA Ford Focus squad for 2 extra seasons – after receiving open coronary heart surgical procedure on the finish of final 12 months.

The 36-year-old joined the staff in 2023, when he took a single race win en path to seventh within the championship after turning heads by claiming pole place for the opening spherical – when nobody had a hybrid increase utilization restriction.

Rowbottom slid to eleventh within the 2024 standings, and after the season completed he underwent a long-postponed operation for open coronary heart surgical procedure resulting from a situation he has endured since start.

As the motive force who introduced the coveted Cataclean sponsorship to the BTCC, Rowbottom has spent a lot of his time fulfilling industrial duties, however now feels able to take strides ahead at a squad the place he’s typically in comparison with his team-mates, together with quadruple champion Ash Sutton and 13-time race winner Dan Cammish.

“They’ve informed me to crack on and be a race driver,” Rowbottom informed Autosport. “We’ve been chasing so much. For the reason that begin of my BTCC profession I’ve put a lot into the industrial facet of it, however now I can loosen up a bit and every part is optimistic.”

Concerning the surgical procedure, he added: “I’m fairly robust mentally as a result of I’ve needed to be, however the final 10 months previous to the operation I knew it was coming, and that it was a journey into the unknown.”

The West Midlander, who rivalled future stars together with James Calado and Jean-Eric Vergne throughout his karting days however needed to take a prolonged funding-induced sabbatical from the game, is aiming to problem for the championship.

“I don’t give a stuff who I’m in contrast in opposition to,” he stated. “I’m not glory-hunting and I’m not being valuable. Successful the championship was my goal after I was 16-years-old, and I don’t care if I do this after which by no means win a touring automobile race once more. To win the BTCC is all I need to do.

“I do really feel this 12 months that we’ve bought a very robust bundle, simply with the automobile crew, my engineer [veteran Paul Ridgway continues after first linking up with Rowbottom in mid-2024] and myself.

“Over one lap I do know I’m faster than anybody – final 12 months we simply by no means appeared to ship it when it mattered in qualifying – and I do know that if I can ship it in qualifying, the remainder of it will likely be straightforward.”

Crew proprietor Pete Osborne stated: “Following two seasons contained in the NAPA Racing UK/Alliance household, we’re delighted that Dan has re-signed for an additional two years.

“Dan has demonstrated that he’s a staff participant who additionally has a burning need to reach BTCC. We all know he’ll hit the bottom operating in 2025 and past.”

Sutton and Cammish have lengthy been confirmed on the staff for 2025 and 2026, whereas the fourth and remaining seat is anticipated to once more be occupied by Osborne’s son Sam.