Butcher defeats Jordan for home BTCC victory

Rory Butcher resists a final lap charge from Andrew Jordan to claim a popular home British Touring Car Championship victory in race one at Knockhill.

The AmD Cobra Sport driver led virtually every step of the way from pole position but was forced to fight his way back into winning position following a dramatic climax to the opening race.

Butcher had controlled the gap ahead of Jordan's BMW 330i M Sport to the tune of around 0.5s for the vast majority of the race. However, Jordan pounced on the race leading Honda Civic Type-R at the final hairpin on the penultimate lap.

Jordan gained a superior exit from the final hairpin, which allowed the 2013 BTCC champion to out-drag the long-term race leader across the line, giving him track position heading into turn one for the final lap.

However, Jordan then sensationally out-braked himself on the entry of the corner and was forced to take to the escape route across the grass, which subsequently allowed Butcher the opportunity to muscle his way back past the BMW for the race lead at turn three.

It later emerged that Butcher lost second gear earlier in the race.

Butcher eventually fended off Jordan by 0.2s across the line, while Honda's Dan Cammish completed the podium order in third.

Championship leader Colin Turkington limited the damage to score strong points with maximum ballast in fourth position ahead of Subaru's Senna Proctor in fifth.

BTC Racing's Chris Smiley was sixth ahead of Motorbase Performance's Tom Chilton in seventh. Chilton looked one of the quickest cars on the circuit and had ran as high as third but tumbled down the order after being edged out by Turkington mid-way through the race.

Team Toyota GB's Tom Ingram was eighth aboard his Corolla, while Adam Morgan and Jake Hill completed the remainder of the top-ten in ninth and tenth.