Dan Rowbottom to debut in Ciceley Mercedes in 2019

Renault Clio Cup front-runner Dan Rowbottom will join the BTCC grid in 2019 after securing a deal to join Ciceley Motorsport.

Rowbottom, who finished fourth in the Clio Cup last season with three wins, will be at the wheel of one of the team’s Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars for his debut campaign and will continue to benefit from support from Cataclean – who were primary backers of his Clio programme.

Having made clear his desire to graduate to touring cars, Rowbottom – who previously raced in the SEAT Cupra Championship and Lotus Elise Trophy either side of taking time out of his racing career – will hope to impress when he joins the grid; admitting that the switch was the realisation of a dream.

“Money has always been tight and so to join the BTCC grid is a dream come true,” he said. “Cataclean has been a great backer of my racing and with its support we have been able to make this possible for 2019 and beyond. With Ciceley Motorsport we have found a team that is a perfect fit and one that I am really happy to be with.

“We have been talking to the guys at Ciceley for a while and I have a really good feeling about the team and it will be great to be able to learn from Adam Morgan who has proved that the Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a winning car. I can’t wait to get started.”

Ciceley Motorsport Commercial Director Norman Burgess said he was sure that Rowbottom would be a good addition to the team.

“We are delighted to welcome Dan to the team,” he said. “We have been watching his pace in the Renault Clio Cup and have been very impressed, especially as he has been the real underdog up against the bigger teams. We are confident that he will soon be up to speed in the BTCC and we look forward to working with Dan and seeing him progress in the championship.

“Dan is a class act both at and away from the race track and we nearly secured his services while running our Clio team. Everybody at Ciceley Motorsport is really looking forward to working with him.”