Rory Butcher ‘feeling very positive’ ahead of Brands Hatch

Toyota Gazoo Racing UK’s Rory Butcher says he is feeling ‘very positive’ ahead of this weekend’s British Touring Car Championship races at Brands Hatch, where the Scot is aiming for victory for the third year in a row.

Butcher enjoyed a stronger weekend at Snetterton last time out, securing his first podium finish of the year in race one and rising up to sixth overall in the drivers’ championship thanks to following that result up with fifth and sixth in races two and three respectively.

Moreover, Butcher has won around the short Kent circuit in each of the past two seasons, making it the 34-year-old’s joint most successful circuit in the BTCC, along with home circuit Knockhill. It was also the scene of his first-ever win in the BTCC in 2019.

“I’m feeling very positive,” said Butcher. “It’s nice to be heading into a new event looking to build upon some momentum, rather than needing to fight back as was the case after Thruxton.

“The five-week break before Snetterton gave us the opportunity to reset and our aim there was three decent points finishes, which is exactly what we delivered to haul ourselves up into the top six in the championship standings. Now we’ve got that monkey off our back, we can crack on.

“There are certain tracks you particularly look forward to going to, and I’ve always loved racing at Brands Indy. I won the Formula Ford Festival there in 2009 and achieved my first BTCC victory at the circuit.

“I don’t know why, but I’ve always just seemed to connect with it pretty well. Maybe it’s because the lap is so short and undulating, a bit like Knockhill.

“Qualifying is the most important element of any BTCC weekend, but even more so at Brands Indy because it’s invariably super close on times and tricky to overtake.

“We’ve managed to start up towards the sharp end in both of the first two events and we’re not carrying too much ballast, so hopefully we can do that again to set ourselves up for another strong race day.

“I’m continuing to find my feet in the Corolla, and learning more every time I get behind the wheel. It clearly has the potential to win races because it’s done so before, so now it comes down to nailing that sweet spot – and ultimately, our strategy remains the same.

“We’re still playing catch-up to a certain extent, so we need to keep on bagging the points and hopefully pick up some more silverware.

“To win at Brands Hatch for the third year in a row and in a third different car, well, that would just be a dream…”

Christian Dick, Team Principal of the Speedworks Motorsport-run squad, is hoping that he can rely on the team’s previous form with the car on the track, with a trio of podium finishes coming in the 2020 season finale when Tom Ingram was at the wheel.

“It’s fair to say we will travel to Brands Hatch with a much bigger spring in our step after Snetterton,” added Dick.

“We didn’t go there looking to grab any headlines, but rather to keep our heads down and proceed quietly about our business, and that approach clearly paid off.

“Three top six finishes and a first podium of the season was just reward for everybody’s stellar efforts.

“We now need to make sure we carry that form forward, and Brands Hatch has traditionally been a successful circuit for us, with some very happy memories.

“History has shown that we know how to make a car work around the short, technical Indy layout, and the Corolla was the highest scorer in the field there last year, which gives us a lot of reasons to feel optimistic going into the weekend.

“Rory, similarly, has always excelled at the track, and Snetterton was just the tonic he and the whole team needed after Thruxton.

“He has been bang on the pace since the beginning of the campaign, and we were all very pleased to see his performance properly rewarded last time out.

“He is fully focussed on exploiting that renewed confidence to secure another strong set of results at Brands Hatch.”