Race ace Butcher vows to bounce back after day to forget

The Kirkcaldy race ace fail ed to finish in two of the three races on the opening weekend of the BTCC season.

However, he says there were plenty of positives to take from the track at Thruxton, while admitting: “Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way!”

After being pipped to the post for a pole position in race 1, disaster struck early in in the second.

"I made a good start and was challenging for third place,” he said .

“I managed to squeeze ahead but I immediately felt the rear break away.

"When my steering and throttle inputs didn’t straighten the car up, it quickly became clear I was now out of control. I spun off the circuit and into the barrier.

"My Toyota Corolla was a sorry sight from the huge impact but, thankfully, I was in good shape.”

After an all- clear from the medical team and quick repairs on the car, he rolled on to the grid for the final race with seconds to spare but, unfortunately, he was to suffer more bad luck.

"I drove a steady race, as the car was understandably not fully right, only to be tangled up in someone else’s accident with just one lap to go.

“Sometimes a bad day just gets worse but it’s important to reflect on the day, learn from your experiences and move on,” he said.

"We have five weeks until the next event at Snetterton Circuit and it couldn’t come soon enough.

"I just want to get out there and drive fast!”