RORY BUTCHER

Rory Butcher, brother-in-law of three-time BTCC champion Gordon Shedden, enjoyed a varied career before joining the UK’s premier motor racing series, competing in the British and Scottish Formula Ford Championships, Porsche Carrera Cup GB, British GT Championship, European Le Mans Series, Blancpain Endurance Series, VLN Endurance and 24H Series.

The Scot joined the fold at Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo midway through 2017 in the Motorbase-run Ford Focus ST, scoring points four times from 12 starts. He returned in 2018 for a full campaign in an AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing MG6 GT, in which he proved himself as a consistent points-finisher on the way to 17th in the Drivers’ classification.

Butcher remained at AmD for 2019, in a Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Honda Civic Type R (FK2), freshly acquired by Shaun Hollamby’s outfit. Three race wins, fifth place in the overall standings, the Independent Drivers’ crown and the Jack Sears Trophy signalled his best BTCC season to-date.

Returning to Ford machinery for the first time since 2017, Butcher joined Motorbase Performance in 2020. A trio of victories saw the Scot become a championship contender during the final rounds, finishing the campaign fifth overall and second in the Independents’ battle.

In his first foray into a Manufacturer-backed squad, Butcher moved to Toyota Gazoo Racing UK for the 2021 season, where he bagged three victories and a further trio of trips to the rostrum, notably dominating Silverstone’s race weekend, topping both Free Practice sessions and qualifying on Saturday, before doing the double in races one and two.

Butcher stuck with the Northwich-based squad for the 2022 campaign, where he took nine podium finishes across events. His first win of the campaign was at Silverstone, driving an impressive lights-to-flag victory.

The Scotsman heads into the 2023 campaign once again piloting a Speedworks Motorsport-run Toyota Corolla GR Sport, as part of the newly-expanded three-car line-up.