Butcher wins BTCC Knockhill thriller 15 | 09 | 2019
FIFER RORY BUTCHER won a thrilling opening race in the Kwik-Fit British Touring Car Championship at his home circuit, Knockhill, today. (Related: Butcher bags first-ever BTCC pole position)
The 32-year-old from Kirkcaldy, who started from his first-ever BTCC pole position in his AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing Honda Civic Type R, led the the opening two laps from the BMW of 2013 champ, Andrew Jordan, before a six-lap safety car period closed the gaps right up.
Unbeknown to anyone, during the safety car period, second gear on Butcher’s Honda broke, meaning he had to manage the remainder of the race with gears three-to-six. (Related: Butcher fired-up for Knockhill BTCC)
That was significant because, at Knockhill, second gear is the go-to as the cars exit the tight right-hand hairpin before accelerating uphill along the start-finish straight.
With the race extended from 24 to 28 laps, Butcher maintained his lead before, on the penultimate lap, Jordan just squeezed ahead as the crossed the start-finish line as Butcher was slightly slow out of the Hairpin. (Related: Butcher bags first BTCC win of career)
Jordan though was slightly out of position entering the sweeping right-hander into Duffus Dip, and ran wide, giving Butcher the slimmest of opportunities to duck down the inside as they entered the sharp right-hander at McIntyres.
The huge crowd erupted as Butcher nosed ahead again, and held on to his lead to seal his first-ever senior race win at Knockhill, and his third BTCC win of the season.
RORY BUTCHER QUOTES:
“Andrew was certainly on bit of a mission there. He’s got to grips with the circuit and the BMW’s working so well. I felt confident, but during the safety car I had second gear fail on me, but luckily third up to sixth was good.
“But that meant I was always losing a lot of time round the hairpin. I was really struggling there because I was always in a gear too high, so I was pretty vulnerable. But I managed to just bridge a gap to sector two, which would keep me safe when we got back to the hairpin.
“Andrew and I had a nice little ding-dong on that last lap. When I got him back I was so pleased to secure that win in front of my family, friends, sponsors and supporters. It’s just incredible.
“On the penultimate lap, Andrew got a fantastic drive out of the hairpin, I was slow and he just nipped ahead of me going into Turn 1. But because he was in the middle of the road he ran a bit wide at Tun 1 and planned ahead and decided just to send it down the inside into Turn 3, and Andrew was fair enough to give me the room. It was nice battle.
“I’m at home here, but I’m still learning stuff about the track, even in that race. I found a better line through the chicane in that race, found the sweetspot, so yeh, hopefully we can hold on to that for the rest of the day.”
Related: Butcher bags Thruxton BTCC podium
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Jim McGill
Pictures copyright of Jakob Ebrey