![Rory Butcher, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK [Speedworks Motorsport], Toyota Corolla](https://www.touringcars.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Rory-Butcher-Snetterton.jpg "Photo: Pat Cranham")
Toyota’s Rory Butcher is expecting to be stronger at Thruxton this weekend than he was on the first British Touring Car Championship visit to the circuit earlier this year.
Butcher, 35, had his worst weekend of the season so far when the championship made its first of two visits to Thruxton back in May, with the Scot only securing one top ten finish over the three races.
Following that, the Speedworks Motorsport driver enjoyed an upturn in form, as he finished all of the following nine races inside the top ten, including picking up three podium finishes from the next three circuits the BTCC visited.
However, last time out at Snetterton, Butcher’s form dropped off slightly, as a challenging qualifying session led to just one top ten finish from the weekend.
“Thruxton is such a unique track – one that I think pretty much every driver loves going to,” said Butcher.
“It’s real seat-of-the-pants stuff, right on the ragged edge and somewhere that calls for maximum commitment – the kind of place where if you put even so much as a wheel out of line, it will bite.
“It’s definitely a confidence circuit, and I’m feeling confident ahead of the weekend.”
Butcher achieved a best finish of only tenth last time he went to Thruxton, although he remains confident despite it being one of only three circuits on the calendar he has never won at in a touring car.
“I think we’ll be stronger than we were in May, when we had reasonable pace on race day but not a lot of luck, and we’re going back in a positive frame of mind.
“To have finished on the podium at three very different tracks recently shows that we have got the Corolla into a really good place now, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t translate to Thruxton as well.
“It was a shame not to be able to keep our run going at Snetterton due to starting so far down the field, because we certainly had the speed in the races – so if we can qualify up at the sharp end this weekend, I’m very optimistic of adding to our silverware collection on Sunday.”