Butcher: Oulton BTCC win stems from Brands Hatch improvements
Toyota British Touring Car Championship ace Rory Butcher has pinpointed his breakthrough win at Oulton Park to overnight improvements made at the previous round at Brands Hatch.
The 34-year-old Scot moved to the Speedworks Motorsport-run Toyota team to replace the team’s long-time favourite Tom Ingram for 2021.
While Butcher was able to drive the Corolla onto the fringes of the fight at the front in the opening two rounds at Thruxton and Snetterton, he qualified a lowly 16th next time out at Brands.
But a turnaround in form at Oulton, Speedworks’ local track, enabled Butcher to qualify third, and he won the second race of the weekend while carrying 48kg of success ballast from fourth place in the opener.
“It’s probably been difficult for everybody,” Butcher told Autosport of his first three race weekends with Speedworks.
“They’ve been used to Tom’s amazing end to last year.
“I’ve come in, and to be honest I’ve not adapted to the car as I would have liked and as the team would have liked.
“It became a case of, ‘how can we adapt the car for Rory?’, and that process started on the Saturday night at Brands Hatch.
“In race two we made a step forward with the car, and I got up to P10 from P15 [in race one], but then I got knocked wide and dropped back to P14.
“In race three I got up to P7, and passed Ingram, Ash Sutton and got fastest lap – the biggest difference was going forward; I haven’t had much of that this year.”
Rory Butcher, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK Toyota Corolla
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Butcher has had a nomadic career since he entered the BTCC in 2017, and has never started a season in a car he has raced before.
Ingram appears to favour a loose, skittish car, while Butcher has been adapting from the more user-friendly Ford Focus he raced in 2020.
“We’re running different front dampers and different rear geometry this weekend,” he said at Oulton.
“Now I can attack the way I want to, and in the process I’ve learnt about what I want from a car.
“It’s nice to go into a qualifying session feeling I can fight for pole.”
Speedworks boss Christian Dick was pleased not only with Butcher’s progress, but also that of inexperienced team-mate Sam Smelt, who put in by far his best qualifying performance to line up 15th.
The Toyotas have also progressed from near the bottom of the speed traps at Snetterton to the sharp end at Oulton, something Dick ascribed to increased pace off the corners.
“It’s taken a little longer than we would have liked, but we’re definitely in the window now – it’s beginning to click,” he said.
Butcher’s weekend at Oulton ended when he was crashed out of the finale by the out-of-control Laser Tools Racing Infiniti of Carl Boardley, which had brake failure on the entry to Druids.
It leaves Speedworks with a lot of work to do to prepare the car for next week’s round at Butcher’s home circuit of Knockhill as he bids to improve on his current eighth in the points.
“We had a power-steering issue, that plagued us at Brands on the Saturday,” said Butcher of his slide down the field.
“Carl was a passenger when his brakes failed, and it’s just disappointing – that shouldn’t happen and it’s crap for the team.
“We’ve only got a two-week turnaround and there’s so much work to do.”
Related video
BTCC: Brands Hatch Race 3 in 60 seconds
BTCC: Brands Hatch Race 2 in 80 seconds
BTCC: Brands Hatch Race 1 in 80 seconds
BTCC: Thruxton Race 3 in 90 seconds
The outright tin-top wins achieved by a forgotten tin-top great
Already established as a formidable force in the British Saloon Car Championship, the Triumph Dolomite became a legend in 1977 when Tony Dron's Broadspeed machine frequently embarrassed the mighty Capris
Five key plotlines to follow in the 2021 BTCC
It’s been a busy silly season in the BTCC since the chequered flag fell to end the 2020 campaign last November. While last year’s top two have stayed put, there’s plenty of talking points elsewhere, which should result in another fascinating year of tin-top action
The giantkilling 'dad and lad' operation taking on the BTCC's best
The Lancashire squad of Ciceley Motorsport has been a BTCC race winner for several years with Adam Morgan and Mercedes. But the switch to WSR-built BMWs and addition of Tom Chilton as a true barometer for Morgan should see the team step up into title contention
How a returning champion is feeling at home again in the BTCC
After topping the times at the end of British Touring Car Championship pre-season testing, it feels like Gordon Shedden has never been away. But after plenty of changes behind the scenes, the three-time champion is bedding himself in to pick up where he left off
Why a BTCC legend remains defiant at '97 not out'
After a year of enforced absence from the British Touring Car Championship grid, Jason Plato is back and hungrier than ever. Despite stellar opposition and some familiar challenges, the two-time champion still has his eyes focused on the biggest prizes
How Ingram's clean slate can end his BTCC title wait
After seven years together, Tom Ingram and Speedworks Motorsport have amicably split and gone down separate paths for the 2021 BTCC season. With engineer Spencer Aldridge joining him at the Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai squad, Ingram is confident he can challenge for titles from the off
How the unlikely Capri-slaying Dolomite triumphed against adversary
The Dolomite Sprint was a potent giantkilling weapon during the 1970s in the British Saloon Car Championship, now known as the BTCC. Tin-top legend Andy Rouse explains how it became such a force
The rollercoaster ride of West Surrey Racing's 40 years
It’s four decades since one of UK motorsport’s most successful teams made its debut at Silverstone in British Formula 3. Now it’s top dog in the BTCC, time to blow out some candles with boss Dick Bennetts
