Motul-backed Speedworks return to podium at sun-soaked Snetterton

Toyota Gazoo Racing UK returned to the podium in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at a sun soaked Snetterton, Norfolk last weekend (12-13 June) courtesy of star Rory Butcher.

After a character-building start to the new campaign at Thruxton a month prior, Motul-backed Speedworks Motorsport arrived at the 2.97-mile Norfolk circuit keen to make up ground at the championship summit.

A respectable qualifying performance during the series’ ‘Top Ten Showdown’ put the Toyota Corolla in the hands of Butcher at the head of the second row, and from there he was able to hold on despite race-long pressure to seal third, and the team’s first podium of the 2021 season.

Although success ballast hampered his charge in the second contest, Butcher was able to seal fifth, then sixth to complete a strong weekend in the finale on Sunday afternoon, witnessed by a trackside audience for the first time in nearly 18 months.

For team-mate Sam Smelt, it proved to be another weekend of progress in the sister car, the 24-year-old continuing to adjust back to life in the UK’s premier tin-top category.

A delaminated tyre, then an oil leak both proved problematic in the opening two races, dropping Smelt back after good early progress in both contests. Another mechanical issue in race three ended his triple-header early, with the focus now on an improved showing next time out at Brands Hatch.

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

“That was a much better weekend all-round – exactly what we needed after Thruxton. I’m very happy. We took no risks, put nothing on the line and came away with three very solid points scores, which had been precisely our objective arriving at Snetterton.

“That was important not just from the perspective of laying down a foundation that we could build upon, but also mentally, from a team morale point-of-view. We knew we needed to keep everybody’s spirits up, and nothing does that better than a bit of silverware – to come away with a trophy and a good points haul was a great reward for the whole team and a real lift for everybody involved in this project.

“Overall, we left Snetterton with a great bank of data to analyse, which will help us to double-down on the detail and improve our performance to ensure we can continue fighting at the front every weekend from here on in. We know what we need to focus on, and that gives us a lot of reason for optimism going forward. Onwards and upwards to Brands Hatch!”

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

“After the tough weekend at Thruxton, I was keeping my expectations in check heading to Snetterton and our main goal was simply to score some solid points.

“On the warm-up lap ahead of race one, I then noticed a technical issue with the gearbox. It wouldn’t shift up unless I lifted completely off the gas, which hurt my straight-line speed and meant I wasn’t able to take the fight to the two guys in front, but other than that, the Corolla performed fantastically, and the ‘Option’ tyre held on nicely. I was absolutely delighted to get our first podium on the scoreboard and bag some good points.

“In race two, I had to manage the heat while at the same time managing the BMW boys behind, who kept me on my toes the whole way through and certainly made me work hard for my fifth position. It was really challenging in such high temperatures, which affect the balance of the car and put a lot of stress and strain on the tyres. Not only that, but it was upwards of 50 degrees inside the cockpit, and we were wearing fireproof underwear, a three-layered race suit, helmet, balaclava and gloves!

“We shed a little bit of ballast for race three, and to finish the weekend with another strong points result marked a huge step forward from where we were after Thruxton. The whole team did an amazing job to give me such a good car, and it was great to be on the pace throughout. We’re back in business!”

Sam Smelt, Driver, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, said:

“It was a difficult weekend, unfortunately. I felt quite happy with the direction we were pursuing after free practice, but I didn’t get a decent lap in on my first run in qualifying and we ran out of time at the end, which meant we didn’t maximise the session. We were chasing the set-up a bit and overall it was just very scrappy and never really came together for us, leaving us on the back foot again. And then obviously Sunday was a shocker…

“On the positive side, my starts and opening laps were pretty solid – I was a bit more aggressive than I had been at Thruxton, and that definitely paid off – and I’m increasingly settling back into the BTCC, both from a driving perspective and also in terms of the whole rhythm of the race weekend, which is fairly full-on. Everything felt a lot more natural this time, and at the end of the day, the more seat time I get in the Corolla, the more confident I’m going to be to push to the limit…”

Witham Motorsport are the proud importer and distributor of Motul automotive products in the UK. To read more about our partnership with Motul and shop our range of products, please click here.