HEAVYWEIGHT 5: Rory Butcher
Among the big fanfares about team ownership changes and driver swaps over the winter,
Rory Butcher’s move from Motorbase Performance to Speedworks Motorsport has almost flown under the radar – and it really shouldn’t.
The Speedworks Toyota Corolla, in Tom Ingram’s hands, has been a seven-time race winner, while Butcher’s track record over his three full seasons in the BTCC demonstrated six victories and the Independents Trophy glory in 2019.
Speedworks is an engineeringled team, and Butcher will have all the assets at his disposal this year to help him make the next step as a driver – and he will have highly experienced engineer Paul Ridgway in his corner in 2021 too.
Plus, Speedworks will expand to two Corollas this season with Sam Smelt joining Butcher in the squad. There is certainly no qualms about what is in the garage.
After a strong debut season, Speedworks ironed out some of the weaker points of the Team Toyota GB-backed Corolla ahead of 2020 and it has now won races on five of the nine tracks on the calendar. That consistent pace across the different circuits is what makes a championship campaign. With further refinement ahead of the 2021 season, the chassis will only get better too.
There might not be raised voices and a massive amount of flag waving at Speedworks Motorsport, or from Butcher himself. They prefer to do their talking on the circuit.