Ambitious Power Maxed Racing target title tilt within five years
In a sport which is primarily about speed on the track, one of the BTCC’s newest outfits is moving just as swiftly off the circuit. Power Maxed Racing had a quick birth, and in their short life have already made a big impression on the series.
The upward curve has been steep, following the purchase of Chris Stockton’s BTC Racing outfit and Chevrolet Cruze hatchback over the off-season. Fast-forward to today, and after overcoming a few bumps along the road, the team is firmly established in the chasing pack and aiming for a title tilt within five years.
The team are planning to continue with their pair of Cruzes in 2016 before changing cars in 2017 – ideally with manufacturer support. And this is all despite what team principal Adam Weaver joked was one of the worst decisions he’d ever made in buying the team in the first place.
TouringCarTimes caught up with Weaver for an in-depth chat about the team’s inception, its maiden season and what the future holds for Power Maxed Racing.
And where else to start but at the beginning? While a lot has been achieved on the track, Weaver said the struggles behind the scenes have taken some adjusting to.
“There were a lot of shocks in there. It’s not like when you’re buying a business and you go through a protracted period of due diligence. There are a lot of time constraints and you’ve got to get cars built and ready for media day,” said Weaver.
“A lot of it was done on trust, and me and Chris [Stockton] have got a great relationship. There were lots of things I didn’t know about and lots of assumptions were made on my part.
“There were things which came as a big shock. The first three rounds of owning a touring car team was probably still the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life! But luckily we’re coming out of the other side of that.
“Some of the assumptions I made were things like entry fees – every time I saw it on a spreadsheet I thought it was per round, but you have to pay it up front at the start of the season. Same with the engine rentals.
“We’re past that and those headaches are gone, so we’re starting to be able to invest in capital equipment again. There’s a lot of setup equipment we’re investing in.
“While it was rushed, we definitely went into it with a plan.”
The difference in performance between the family-run BTC Racing and Power Maxed Racing has been marked. Dave Newsham is a proven operator and race-winner, while the calm and understated Josh Cook has been one of the revelations of the season, coming close to a reverse grid win in the second meeting at Donington Park.
But what are the key reasons behind the change?
“For a start, it’s full-time. Chris was very much a family, hobbyist team. We’ve now got an 8,000sq ft workshop and a number one mechanic on each car. The engineers come in on a regular basis and Martin, the team manager, is full time,” said Weaver.
“The cars came apart and were completely rebuilt, so we have a whole new aero package on the car.
“I don’t want to take anything away from anyone else, but I don’t think we’re doing anything overly special, we’re just doing everything by the book.
“We wanted to be breaking into the top 10 on a regular basis which we are doing, and we also wanted to try and win a race. Donington we came very close, with Josh leading by four seconds before the safety car came out.
“Our plan next year is to be regularly breaking into the top five and year three, we want to be regularly standing on the podium. Year four and five we want to be challenging for a title.”
In terms of drivers, the team are no different to any of their better established contemporaries: the line up is down to budgets as much as it is talent.
“We are talking to a lot of people about 2016 and 2017, and the difference between where we are and where we can go sadly just comes down to money,” said Weaver.
“We’re being approached by other drivers. One driver I respect said to us, which I was very flattered by – when you look at people like Honda, WSR, Triple Eight and the budgets required to get into those teams, we were then described as the next best credible alternative.
“But that also puts the pressure on. Josh went out there and got pulled for pole at Donington, and he showed a lot of skill and experience beyond his years to hold the pack.
“It was almost a little bit too soon and people expected more from us. We were qualifying 6th and 10th and people were disappointed!
“There’s six previous BTCC champions and a triple world champion out there, all in good chassis.”
The venerable Cruze has been a mainstay of the European and world touring car scene for six years, but Weaver is in no rush to change his cars.
He explained how the cost of change is a limiting factor, and hoped a manufacturer deal in the future could change this.
“It’s definitely something we’re conscious of. But in terms of man hours you’re talking hundreds and hundreds of hours to build a new shell,” he said.
“The shell work, without the car being given to you, you’re looking at £45,000 to £50,000. To swap it to another car you’re talking £80,000 for both cars to be done, plus you’ve got to do the aero package for it, which sensibly you’re looking at £15,000 to £20,000 for that.
“So before you look at any labour to take parts off one and put it on another, there’s £100,000 that needs to go into it.
“It’s not practical for us to do that yet, unless we have manufacturer support. If we had a car dealership come along with a brand and they were happy to put some money in, bring their guests to the hospitality and they could provide the shells and the money to get them swapped over, then we’d look at that.
“They’ve won in WTCC and BTCC, it’s a proven chassis and we’re still very much developing it. It would be silly to look at changing it for next year.
“I think we will be saving the pennies and with or without support, we will be looking to change it in 2017.”
The subject of manufacturers is never far from the lips of team bosses, and things are no different at Power Maxed Racing. The BTCC’s current rule set has enabled it to thrive without factory backing, but Weaver is sure it provides a platform for manufacturers and brands which sets it apart from international series.
“We are approaching people and lots of emails go out, lots of LinkedIn connections. We are knocking on lots of doors,” said Weaver.
“None of the discussions are at a stage where we’re close to anything. Lots of them are looking at world or European series, and they can operate in WTCC or TCR for similar chunks of money. Or even World Rallycross – those sort of platforms, but you don’t get as many die-hard fans…I think for brand activation you’d really struggle to beat the BTCC.
“First and foremost that’s our intention – the Power Maxed brand, the SteelSeal brand, the JB Weld brand, activating those and making sure people know what we’re about.
“Lots of the products are used and developed on the racing team, so it’s our research and development department as well as our marketing department. And we enjoy it.
“If we can get the right people from the manufacturers to come and see how passionate the fans are at touring cars, that would be great. It might not reach 30 or 40 million, but what’s the point in reaching those people when there’s only a couple of hundred thousand who are interested?
“Here, you reach 40,000 trackside and a million plus on the TV over the season, and they’re really passionate about it. They seek out the products because they see it on the side of the car.
“Plus, they want to support the people who support what they love. That puts money back in our pockets which supports the race team.
“I love the racing, but it’s the people I adore. There’s something pretty special about British Touring Cars.
“We have strange things like we change the colour of the valves on the wheels, and people notice. That’s unbelievable that they take that much notice. It’s impressive.
“At the time when it’s been toughest for us at the start of the year, that’s what’s carried us through.”
