Lloyd’s Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N collided with Ricky Collard’s Toyota on the opening lap of the final race at the Oulton Park round in June, then bounced back onto the circuit after hitting the barriers.
The Hyundai was then hit by the West Surrey Racing BMW 330e M Sport of Colin Turkington, who was unsighted by cars ahead, with Lloyd taking another battering by Michael Crees’s Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra.
Lloyd suffered a bruised lung and swelling, while Turkington had soreness and whiplash, but both were able to return to action at the next round at Croft. The 30-year-old made a stunning comeback by winning two races at Croft in his repaired Hyundai – having feared he might miss the rest of the season after the crash.
Despite being able to continue, the cost of the crash is still being felt by Lloyd – estimated to be a six-figure repair bill – and still faces a shortfall of over £50,000 to complete his campaign.
If he cannot find the funds, Lloyd faces missing the final two events of the season at Silverstone (24-25 September) and Brands Hatch (8-9 October).
"It was fantastic to bounce back from what happened at Oulton Park with the double win at Croft, but I think it might have given the false impression that we were okay in terms of being able to complete the season," Lloyd said.
"Unfortunately that couldn’t be further from the truth and as it stands, there is a genuine possibility that Thruxton [27-28 August] will be my final races of the campaign.
"Although we’ve been able to bring some fantastic new partners onboard since the accident, they were deals that I’d been working on for some time. I’m hugely grateful that they decided to back me - and that my existing partners have been so understanding of the situation - but the hard facts are that we are still around £50,000 short of being able to settle the repair bill and take part in the final two rounds."
Lloyd, in just the second full BTCC campaign of his career, currently sits eighth in the drivers’ championship after a trio of points finishes at Snetterton last weekend.
"The prospect of being unable to finish what we have started this season is heartbreaking, because I feel I’ve developed a fantastic relationship with the team and we have made huge progress with the car to regularly fight towards the front of the field in what has been one of the competitive grids that the BTCC has had for a number of years,” he added.
"I’m certainly not giving up by any means, but a situation that was very difficult has now become critical, and time is running out."
As a result, Lloyd is looking for further sponsorship to help cover the costs until the end of the season.
"People have asked if crowdfunding was an option and whilst I know it has been done by other people, it isn’t something I personally feel comfortable with as I wouldn’t want to ask fans for money and not be able to offer something in return," he said.
"We are however pleased to be in a position where we can launch some new packages that will allow any fans who want to support my effort to do so, but will also offer them exclusive rewards that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to - such as special merchandise and a Hot Lap event at Donington Park."
