Toyota Gazoo Racing UK aiming to extend Snetterton podium streak 09.08.2022: • Team returns to the scene of Toyota Corolla’s BTCC breakthrough • Rory Butcher a winner in Norfolk in previous campaigns • Ricky Collard buoyed by form during mid-season test at circuit

•    Team returns to the scene of Toyota Corolla’s BTCC breakthrough

•    Rory Butcher a winner in Norfolk in previous campaigns

•    Ricky Collard buoyed by form during mid-season test at circuit




Having conquered the podium at Knockhill – the tightest and twistiest track on the British Touring Car Championship calendar – Toyota Gazoo Racing UK is now targeting a similar result around a circuit that could scarcely be more different, as the Speedworks Motorsport-run squad travels to Snetterton this weekend (13/14 August) for the next chapter in the series’ gripping 2022 campaign.
 


The longest lap on the BTCC schedule at just shy of three miles, Snetterton holds happy memories for the Northwich, Cheshire-based outfit, as the scene of the British-built Toyota Corolla GR Sport’s first non-reversed grid win – from pole position – three years ago.
 


Rory Butcher similarly boasts a strong record there, having raced to his second victory in the championship at the circuit in 2019 and backed that up with a trio of top five finishes the following campaign. Last season, the 35-year-old Kirkcaldy native – a former Independents’ Champion and Jack Sears Trophy winner in the UK’s premier motor racing series – secured his maiden podium with the Corolla in Norfolk in only his fourth start in the car.
 


Team-mate Ricky Collard has also excelled at Snetterton in the past, reaching the rostrum there in both British Formula Ford in 2014 and MSA Formula in 2015 before achieving the ‘grand slam’ of pole position, a double race win and fastest lap the last time he competed at the track in the BRDC British F3 Championship in 2016.
 


Both the 26-year-old Surrey-born star and Butcher spent two days at Snetterton last month for the BTCC’s mid-season Goodyear tyre test, completing almost 200 laps between them as Collard wound up a promising sixth-quickest amongst the 31 high-calibre contenders – setting the stage for a strong race weekend.
 


Following Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session at 15:20 – broadcast on itv.com/btcc – Sunday’s doorhandle-to-doorhandle action will be shown live and in high-definition on ITV’s main channel from 12:00, prior to switching to ITV4 at 15:00.




Christian Dick, Team Principal, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, said:
 

“Within the space of just two weeks, we go from one of the shortest tracks on the calendar to the longest, and whilst those challenges are altogether different, we have high hopes that the Toyota Corolla will be just as competitive at Snetterton as it was at Knockhill – if not indeed more so.
 


“We had a very positive and productive test at Snetterton recently, working through a busy programme with both cars that resulted in some good steps forward. The Corolla has always gone well there and still holds the qualifying lap record – and having finished on the podium at the circuit in each of the past three seasons, we have every intention of keeping that run going.
 


“Rory is an absolute class act and will I’m sure be right in the mix for silverware once again, while Ricky is feeling increasingly confident in the Toyota and should take a great deal of encouragement from his performance at Knockhill and the pace he displayed at the tyre test. We are very hopeful of getting both cars firmly inside the top ten on the grid in qualifying – and from there, anything is possible...”




Rory Butcher, Driver, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, said:
 

“You couldn’t find two much more different circuits to travel to back-to-back than Knockhill and Snetterton, but I think we can go into the weekend with real confidence, fresh from a string of consistently solid results and another podium in my home event. The Toyota is in a good place and I’m feeling optimistic of being able to fight for some trophies again.
 


“The Corolla obviously has good history at Snetterton. It was fantastic to score my first podium with the car there last year, and thanks to the development we have carried out over the past 12 months, it feels much more to my liking now. I’m really looking forward to the weekend, especially after Ricky showed such great pace at the tyre test. We actually found a set-up there that suits us both, so hopefully that will enable us to feature up at the sharp end and secure some strong results.
 


“I’ve got to be honest that despite my previous achievements there, Snetterton probably isn’t one of my favourite tracks – I still don’t feel like I’ve fully mastered it – but who knows, maybe this year will be the year I finally crack it...”
 



Ricky Collard, Driver, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, said:
 

“Even though we left Knockhill feeling a little bit frustrated, we still came away with three points-scoring finishes – and that’s my goal again this weekend. I’m feeling confident. I’ve always enjoyed Snetterton; it seems to suit my driving style and I’ve tended to go well there – and my recent background in European racing where the circuits are generally wider and more open should help as well.
 


“Being so long, it’s very difficult to execute a perfect lap at Snetterton – that’s the biggest challenge, I would say – and in qualifying, we will probably only get two to three laps with the tyres properly at their peak so there’s a lot of pressure to get it right.
 



“Having not raced there in six years, I definitely feel more prepared for the track time we got during last month’s tyre test, where the Toyota felt very strong. The Corolla’s chassis has always been right up there and M-Sport is working really hard to bring further improvements to the engine, so I think we’re in pretty solid shape.
 


“Rory and I are working together really well and I’m continuing to learn more about front wheel-drive every time out. I always said I would be able to push more over the second half of the season – and that’s exactly what I plan to do!”




Russell Atkins -Jakob Ebrey Photography