Butcher targets home BTCC success 24 | 08 | 2018
TWO DRIVERS WITH more experience of Knockhill than their rivals aim to capitalise on their advantage when the British Touring Car Championship makes its annual visit to the Fife circuit this weekend. (Related: Buy your tickets here for BTCC at Knockhill)
Fifer Rory Butcher and championship leader Colin Turkington head to the undulating, sinewy 1.3-mile track each with their own personal objectives. (Related: BTCC champ Gordon Shedden fired-up for world title bid with Audi)
Butcher, in his first full season contesting the UK’s premier tintop championship driving his MG6, after making his series debut at Knockhill 12 months ago, is aiming to build on his three top 10 finishes at the previous triple-header at Rockingham.
“Rockingham was the first circuit where I could actually draw on previous experience having raced there last year,” the 31-year-old from Kirkcaldy (pictured below), and son of Knockhill owner Derek Butcher, explained.
“It was great to grab a few more top 10 finishes — an eighth, ninth and sixth — and get more points on the board for my AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing team.
“Wins and podiums are obviously the target, and I feel now we’re performing consistently well it’s time to take the next step,” Butcher, who will be joined by fellow Scots, Aberdeen’s Glynn Geddie and Aiden Moffat from Dalkeith on the grid, continued.
“There’s no better place to do that than at Knockhill, with what will be a huge home support. I know it will be a tough weekend, but there’s certainly no reason why we can’t push for more top six finishes and perhaps a cheeky podium.”
Northern Irishman and double BTCC champ Turkington (pictured below), meanwhile, will use his time as a race instructor at Knockhill to boost his title hopes when he fires up his BMW 125i M Sport.
“Yeh, like Rory I’ve absolutely no idea how many laps I’ve done round Knockhill,” Turkington, who holds a slender four-point advantage over nearest rival Tom Ingram’s Toyota Avensis after bagging the 130th podium of his BTCC career last time out, smiled.
“I haven’t been stealing the headlines this season, but what we have been doing behind the scenes is beginning to pay off. We’ve been slogging away, keeping our head down and working hard without much reward.
“Knockhill will be an interesting one; it always is. It’s a close battle in the standings at the moment, but we’re primed and ready for what is always an action-packed three race at Knockhill.”
Turkington notched a trio of third place finishes in Fife last year, but Ingram proved no slouch with one of his most impressive drives to date to seal race three victory at Knockhill 2017.
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Jim McGill