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Rory Butcher keen to build momentum at Brands Hatch

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Rory Butcher says he is keen to build on his podium finish at Snetterton when the BTCC heads for Brands Hatch this weekend for the third round of the season.

The Scot endured a torrid debut with Speedworks at Thruxton last month after incidents in two of the three races, but rebounded well in round two at Snetterton where he took his Corolla to a first podium finish of the campaign.

Two further top six finishes allowed Butcher to move up into the top ten in the standings heading into the weekend, where he will seek to maintain an impressive record around the shortest circuit on the calendar.

Butcher took his maiden BTCC win on the Indy circuit with AmD Tuning back in 2019, and then won again last year in the Motorbase Ford Focus.
 
“I’m feeling very positive,” he said. “It’s nice to be heading into a new event looking to build upon some momentum, rather than needing to fight back as was the case after Thruxton.

“The five-week break before Snetterton gave us the opportunity to reset and our aim there was three decent points finishes, which is exactly what we delivered to haul ourselves up into the top six in the championship standings. Now we’ve got that monkey off our back, we can crack on.

“There are certain tracks you particularly look forward to going to, and I’ve always loved racing at Brands Indy. I won the Formula Ford Festival there in 2009 and achieved my first BTCC victory at the circuit – I don’t know why, but I’ve always just seemed to connect with it pretty well. Maybe it’s because the lap is so short and undulating, a bit like Knockhill.

“I’m continuing to find my feet in the Corolla, and learning more every time I get behind the wheel. It clearly has the potential to win races because it’s done so before, so now it comes down to nailing that sweet spot – and ultimately, our strategy remains the same. We’re still playing catch-up to a certain extent, so we need to keep on bagging the points and hopefully pick up some more silverware.

“To win at Brands Hatch for the third year in a row and in a third different car, well, that would just be a dream…”