Rory Butcher and Jake Hill scored victory at Silverstone in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this past weekend (September 25/26) whilst reigning champion Ashley Sutton extended his advantage at the summit of the standings.

On what was a pivotal visit to the Home of British Motor Racing, the Laser Tools Racing driver produced a measured drive in races one and two before charging to the podium in race three to bolster his lead to 36 points.

Saturday around the 1.64-mile National layout arguably belonged to Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Butcher. Topping the times in both practice sessions, the Scotsman then went on to set the pace in Q1 of qualifying before claiming pole position in the Top Ten Showdown.

In what proved to be an ultra-competitive qualifying session where 29 of the 30 cars were covered by less than a second, Butcher charged to top spot ahead of Tom Ingram, Aiden Moffat and Josh Cook.

Butcher and Speedworks Motorsport’s remarkable weekend in the UK’s premier motorsport series continued on Sunday as they bagged a brilliant pair of wins.

Losing the lead to Ingram off the start in race one, the Corolla driver wasted no time in clawing it back as he lunged down the inside of the Hyundai driver at Brooklands on lap three. There was contention surrounding the move as Butcher was adjudged to have completed the pass under yellow flags however officials ruled that the move was legal.

Once out front, Butcher pulled clear to net his second win of the season whilst Ingram resisted the challenge of Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing’s Daniel Lloyd – who producing his best performance of the season to clinch third.

Race two saw Butcher take a more routine victory despite a late charge from BTC Racing’s Cook. Pulling clear of the competition, the race one victor held his nerve to withstand late pressure from the Honda driver.

Sadly, Cook would be disqualified from second place for failing the post-race ride height which promoted Ingram and Team BMW’s Colin Turkington into second and third.

The final bout of the weekend belonged to MB Motorsport’s Hill as he completed a sensational Sunday recovery. After qualifying outside the top 20, the Ford Focus driver fought his way to the front to triumphed in the reverse grid contest.

Starting third, Hill – who was a winner at Croft last time out – got the jump on Jason Plato and then set after pole sitter Lloyd, finally making a move stick at half distance heading into Copse.

Hill couldn’t relax however as the Vauxhall Astra driver remained a constant threat in his mirrors for the remainder of the race. Completing the podium was championship leader Sutton who charged from eighth to third.

Alongside two other top six finishes, the two-time champion left Silverstone having opened up his lead at the standings summit to 36 points with just six races remaining.

The pairing of Sutton and Laser Tools Racing also rule the roost in the Teams’ and Independents’ tables, whilst BMW heads the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ order. Halfords Racing with Cataclean’s Daniel Rowbottom remains in control of the Jack Sears Trophy.

Elsewhere, the weekend also saw history made as the BTCC Hybrid era began with Andrew Jordan piloting the all-new Hybrid Toyota Corolla, competing in all sessions as part of a development demonstration ahead of next year’s full introduction.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions at Silverstone, CLICK HERE.

Donington Park provides the next stop on the calendar for the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as it stages the penultimate event of the 2021 season on October 9/10.