Toyota Gazoo Racing UK keen to deliver on potential at Croft

Toyota Gazoo Racing UK head to Croft for the next event on the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship calendar this weekend (18-19 September) aiming to deliver on their recent potential.

After a rollercoaster start to the campaign in Britain’s premier tin-top series, the Cheshire-based team, run by Speedworks Motorsport, head to the 2.12-mile Yorkshire venue off the back of a triple points-score courtesy of Rory Butcher last time out at Thruxton.

Those results – fourth, fifth then sixth – have cemented Butcher’s position inside the top ten in the championship standings, as well as keep Toyota in the hunt in the Manufacturers stakes.

Croft has been a happy hunting ground for the squad in the past, including four podium finishes plus a victory last season for the Toyota Corolla GR Sport, putting the Northwich-based squad in optimistic form ahead of another action-packed triple header.

For Butcher’s team-mate Sam Smelt, the weekend offers another opportunity to continue his drive back towards the points-paying positions, the 24-year-old now well re-acquainted with life in touring cars.

The team will have two practice sessions on Saturday (09:30, 12:05) to get the cars dialled in, ahead of that all-important qualifying session later that afternoon at 14:50.

Sunday, as always, features three thrilling, ITV4-televised contests, with start times scheduled for 12:05, 14:35 and 17:05 (all BST).

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

“We’ve had a little break since Thruxton, and now we’re all champing at the bit to get back out there and go racing again. Croft is a circuit where we have performed well in the past, and where we know the Corolla is quick – to not only qualify on pole position there last year, but to then battle from the back of the grid at the start of race day to a win at the end of it proves that the Toyota is a force to be reckoned with around the track.

“Croft poses a very unique challenge, with fast, flowing sections that require maximum commitment offset by a much slower and more tortuous end to the lap that calls for millimetre-perfect precision. It’s almost like two circuits in one, and that makes free practice there more important than at most tracks as you really need the time to dial the car in and achieve the optimum set-up.

“Having enjoyed a very solid weekend at Thruxton where he showed good speed and scored well in all three races, Rory is primed to maintain his upward momentum at his second ‘home’ circuit, while we have been working hard to help Sam to get on top of the issues that have plagued his qualifying form so far this year, which will hopefully reap dividends as his race pace is unquestionably strong. I think we’re in for a very good weekend, all-told.”

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

“I really enjoy Croft. It’s quite close to Scotland, so I tend to get a lot of my sponsors coming along, and it generates good racing, with a fantastic atmosphere all the way around the lap.

“It’s a circuit of extremes, from the super-quick Jim Clark Esses, Barcroft and Sunny In/Out to the slow-speed complex in the final sector and the tightest hairpin on the calendar. You’re never going to find the perfect set-up, and striking the best compromise is a massive challenge from an engineering point-of-view, while as a driver, you need to be able to rapidly adapt your approach from one corner to the next.

“The venue has done a brilliant job of resurfacing the track, which has made it much smoother and grippier, but the bumps remain so the car needs to be really well dialled-in to deal with that. We had a good pre-season test there, and the Corolla’s short wheelbase makes it very agile and nimble through the tight, twisty stuff, so I’m confident it will handle the circuit well. Not only that, but one of our main strengths since Oulton Park has been braking performance, and I’m really looking forward to exploiting that again.

“Our potential has been building throughout the year, and after a tricky start to the season, I’ve really fallen in love with the Corolla – we’re best buddies now. Whilst the number one priority at Croft has to be another solid weekend, at the same time, we know we have the pace for podiums so I feel we should be coming away with some silverware. The team is doing a good job, the car is in a great place and I’m feeling strong, so if we can put that all together, hopefully the results will follow.”

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

“Having only raced at Croft once before, our test there earlier in the year helped to refresh my memory a bit. It was my first proper full day in the Corolla, so I was probably getting used to the car more than the track, but everything felt very positive and I’m looking forward to going back.

“I feel like a broken record, but we absolutely have to crack qualifying if we want to make progress and score decent points, which I know I’m capable of. Our race pace is strong – we proved that at Thruxton – so the full focus has to be on single-lap speed. The key is to get off to a good start in FP1 so we’re not playing catch-up; the BTCC is so ultra-competitive and we get such limited practice time, that if you begin the weekend on the back foot, it’s very difficult to recover.

“The Corolla is clearly quick around Croft – we saw that in both qualifying and the races last year, as well as in pre-season testing, and that gives us a lot of data to lean upon this weekend. The trickiest thing will be achieving the right balance in terms of set-up to ensure we have enough confidence to push through the fast sections out the back of the circuit and enough grip for the slower-speed end to the lap. That’s a challenge I’m relishing.”

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