Fife racer Rory Butcher is ready to burn the midnight oil in a weekend endurance return.
Buoyed by his first victory in this season’s Avon Tyres British GT Championship, Butcher makes the switch from Aston Martin to Ferrari for the Britcar 24 Hours at Silverstone.
Butcher is partnering Witt Gamski, Joe Macari and fellow Fifer and Aston Martin driver Phil Dryburgh in the Ferrari 430 GT2 of London-based squad MJC Racing.
“Witt, Phil and the F430 have form they won the Britcar 24 in 2010,” said 27-year-old Butcher.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity and great to be gaining further experience in long- distance racing after my maiden 24-hour event at the Rolex 24 at Daytona with GB Autosport in January.
“The car is superb to drive and is similar to the Aston Martin V12 Vantage in performance. However, the Ferrari is 150kg lighter and feels more agile through the high-speed changes of direction.
“There is also something about the engine note of a Ferrari at maximum revs which gives you a big smile.”
Butcher added: “I’m still on a high after securing my first British GT victory with team-mate Liam Griffin, and can’t wait to get back on track.
“Silverstone will be challenging to drive during the night stints as it has virtually no trackside lighting, and keeping 100% concentration will be extremely important as we rely on our headlights only.”
The race begins at 4.30pm on Saturday.