Rory Butcher in the AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing MG6 GT was expecting a slightly better Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship weekend at Snetterton than the one he actually had.
Flashes of brilliance in the wet with overtakes aplenty were to become unrewarded as he was pointless throughout the weekend.
Snetterton had a double qualifying anomaly due to the fact that the third race was a special Double Diamond event with zero ballast and double points on offer. Therefore two qualifying sessions on the Saturday were required.
In first qualifying, Rory managed a respectable eighteenth before setting the twenty-first fastest time in the shorter length qualifying for the third race.
Incredibly wet conditions greeted the drivers for race one, this tends to level the field slightly and the Fife racer had managed to reach eleventh after just a few laps. However, an alternator failure meant that the MG lost power and had to pull off to the side of the track into retirement.
A remedy for disappointment was needed in race two and again Rory worked his way through the field until he could smell the points. This was to be short lived as contact from a rival meant that the Scot needed to pit for repairs ultimately dropping him out of contention. Twenty-third was where he was to finish.
Hopes for the Diamond Double event were immediately quashed on the first lap as he was forced off the track. He was to retire further on in the race with damage, a legacy from the off-track excursion.
“It’s been a frustrating weekend for me that promised a lot.” A disappointed Butcher rued,
“In both the wet and mixed conditions we clearly had a quick car but we haven’t been able to bring home the results. In race one, I had a mega start and I’m sure that without the issue that developed, I could have picked off the guys ahead and finished well inside the top ten.
“Race two was one of those where there was a lot of contact in the pack and I got caught out by the two cars ahead suddenly braking early into one of the corners and I couldn’t avoid a front-to-rear impact. They happen all the time but unfortunately it dislodged the air intake so I had to pit.
“As for race three, my whole aim was to stay out of trouble in the early stages and instead I found myself being fired off on the opening lap, which is difficult to take when the race is such a long one.
“We just have to put this one behind us, stay positive and make sure we come out fighting at Rockingham.”
