Forty-eight hours after Glasgow-based Clyde Valley Racing was forced to withdraw from the weekend’s British Touring Car Championship triple-header at Silverstone, team boss Colin Neill has revealed that sponsors let the team down.
The Scot’s comments come in the wake of title sponsor Cartridge World announcing that it had split with the team which ran a biofuel Seat Leon for Dalgety Bay’s Gordon Shedden.
“The details of our departure from the championship are not overly complex, but some areas will, for legal reasons, remain confidential,” Neill explained today, just two weeks after Shedden had finished second for the team at Knockhill.
“I put forward various solutions to Cartridge World that would have seen us compete until the end of the season providing them with extended exposure. We were working on that right down to the wire before Silverstone.
“The team found itself in a difficult situation as we approached the summer break, with a couple of key sponsors failing to deliver on their financial commitments, hence the reason for dropping down to one car at Knockhill.
“The ironic thing is Cartridge World were pleased with the exposure generated by our Carbon Zero Race Team and how well our race program worked for their brand.
“I would like to express my thanks to Cartridge World for meeting their contractual obligations and their continued support during our race program.”
While Neill is “actively” pursuing a return to the BTCC next season, Shedden remains in discussion with other sponsors and teams with a view to preparing the Seat Leon for the final two rounds at Rockingham and Brands Hatch.
“The news came as a massive disappointment,” the 30-year-old Fifer said. “I had no clue this was coming. I got a phone call out of the blue telling me there was a problem.
“To be honest, I don’t know what’s happening and I’m not going to get involved. The positive thing is I’m already talking with various parties trying to put together a package which will get me racing at the next round at Rockingham.”
JM