Butcher hoping home support will spur him on to glory at Knockhill

The British Touring Car Championship will resume from its mid-season break at Knockhill this weekend (30/31 July), with Toyota Gazoo Racing UK pairing Rory Butcher and Ricky Collard feeling well-rested and ready to fight for silverware on the former’s home soil.

Butcher reached the rostrum on three occasions over the opening half of the campaign behind the wheel of his British-built, Speedworks Motorsport-run Toyota Corolla GR Sport. His commendable consistency has seen the 35-year-old score in every race he has finished so far in 2022, meaning he will arrive at Knockhill as the best-placed of the four Scots in the standings, sitting sixth overall amongst the 30 high-calibre contenders.

Hailing from less than 20 miles away in Kirkcaldy, Butcher boasts an excellent previous record around the tight and twisty, 1.27-mile Fife circuit – scene of his maiden BTCC pole position three years ago, which he converted into his first of two victories there to-date.

While he was out of luck in his home event last season, fastest lap in the final race nonetheless proved the Corolla’s potential at the track, and the 2019 Independents’ Champion and Jack Sears Trophy winner has promised to rise to the occasion when the UK’s premier motor racing series roars back into life in just a few days’ time.

Team-mate Collard has found his efforts to reacclimatise to the cut-and-thrust of touring car competition persistently frustrated by ill-fortune of one kind or another, but on the rare occasions he has enjoyed a trouble-free run – like at Oulton Park last month – the Surrey-born star has needed no second invitation to demonstrate his raw pace and racecraft skills.

Knockhill, moreover, has been a happy hunting ground for Collard in the past – winning there in the MSA Formula single-seater series in 2015 and going on to tally his first BTCC points at the circuit in only his second outing in the championship three years later. As he returns north of the border, the third-generation racer – who will turn 26 this weekend – has his sights solidly set on another strong performance.

Following Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session at 15:15 – broadcast on itv.com/btcc – Sunday’s doorhandle-to-doorhandle action will be shown live and in high-definition on ITV’s main channel from 12:00, prior to switching to ITV4 at 14:55.

Christian Dick, Team Principal, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, said:

“It’s fair to say it was a pretty mixed first half of the season for us, with some good results and encouraging performances, but also too many occasions when – for whatever reason – we didn’t fulfil our potential.

“We know we have all the ingredients we need to succeed – the Toyota is a proven race-winning car, Rory is a proven race-winning driver and Ricky is one of the most promising young talents around – and over the last few weeks, we have been working hard to slot all the missing pieces of the puzzle into place.

“Knockhill has been a good track for us in the past – we’ve won there with the Avensis and finished on the podium with the Corolla – and while rear wheel-drive cars do probably still have a slight advantage, particularly in terms of traction exiting the first-gear hairpin onto the start/finish straight, the difference has been less noticeable in recent years and we’re definitely up for a fight!

“We always receive a warm welcome from the knowledgeable and enthusiastic Scottish fans, and their proximity to the action creates an incredible atmosphere – so let’s hope we can put on a fantastic show for them all this weekend.”

Rory Butcher, Driver, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, said:

“We’ve obviously had a bit of a break from the BTCC over the past few weeks, but I’ve still had plenty going on. There was the Goodyear tyre test earlier this month, and then I raced a classic Porsche at Snetterton so it’s been a nice combination of seat time and downtime and as much as I feel refreshed, I’m definitely ready to go again.

“For me, there could be no better place to begin the second half of the season than Knockhill. I absolutely love competing there – it just feels so different to every other event on the calendar. The BTCC only travels to Scotland once a year, and the fans embrace it with a passion. As a driver, that phenomenal support gives you such a lift and really helps you to extract that final tenth-of-a-second.

“The track itself poses a unique challenge; the first sector is really undulating, and from Duffus Dip, you don’t stop turning until you exit the chicane, which you approach completely blind at over 100mph! It’s just a very busy lap that tends to produce exciting racing in an amazing amphitheatre-like setting.

“We left Knockhill last year feeling we’d got the Corolla into a really strong place. We were flying in the final race so I’m very hopeful that by adopting that set-up as a starting point this time around, we can be fast from the outset. There’s naturally more expectation and pressure on my shoulders than when we go to other circuits, but it’s a track I know well and I want to come away smiling and with a big haul of points. If that includes a trophy or two, all the better…”

Ricky Collard, Driver, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, said:

“It was a pretty intense first half of the season, so it’s been good to have a bit of time off but now I’m looking forward to getting back out there. Knockhill is a place that has happy memories for me, and it’s the first circuit this year where I’ve had prior racing experience in a touring car, albeit in rear wheel-drive rather than front wheel-drive.

“It’s a fun little lap – short, sharp and all twisting and turning, a real rollercoaster ride with very little margin for error, which is exactly the kind of old-school challenge I enjoy – and Rory has obviously done a few miles around there in his time, so I need to make sure I draw upon all of his experience and pick up as many tips and tricks from him as I can.

“We tested there back in April, which was when I felt I started to really gel with the Toyota for the first time. The Corolla’s short wheelbase should be well-suited to the tight, technical part of the lap and we focussed a lot over the summer on the way the car rides the kerbs, which is key at Knockhill – so I’m confident we should be in decent shape.

“We always said the first half of the year would be a learning curve, and I learned and improved a lot. We clearly haven’t been able to deliver the results we wanted to so far, but Oulton Park demonstrated what we’re capable of when we get a clean run and hopefully fortune will favour us this weekend – I think we’re due a bit of good luck now!

“I’ve reset my approach slightly over the break, and am going into the second half of the season with the attitude that I have nothing to lose. I’m ready to push hard and throw caution to the wind, and above all, I really want to enjoy every race. If we can grab a few podiums along the way, that would be the icing on the cake.”

Images: Jakob Ebrey Photography