Carrera Cup Carnage at Croft!
by Rory Butcher
It is very hard to know where to start after the Porsche Carrera Cup GB round at Croft. I have had a rollercoaster season, but nothing compares to the extreme highs and lows that I went through at the weekend.
It seemed as though I used up a season’s worth of emotions in just two days. Racing is all about managing your expectation, doing the best job possible and taking acceptable risks. There are always more bad days than good days because only one person can win, and we are all ultra-competitive.
But Croft threw every emotion in the blender and we ended up shaken and stirred.
I had gone to the track in good heart because I had the massive high of two wins there last year. But practice just didn’t go well. I just couldn’t commit totally, and you need that to be on the edge at Croft. I was trying my hardest, but it just wasn’t happening. Maybe the events earlier in the season had just knocked my confidence slightly.
The best part about the Celtic Speed guys is that we are in it together. They help me far more than by just preparing an excellent car. They recognised the problem and sat with me after the sessions. They reinforced their belief in me and boosted my confidence.
I wanted to give them something back and put in a good show in qualifying – lining up fourth in both races. I felt as though I had my rhythm back.
My start in race one was not the best but I held on to keep Jonas Gelzinis behind me at Turn One, then I saw Daniel Lloyd and Michael Meadows have a coming together and Lloyd was spinning. I went left of him to take third and chased Meadows out of the chicane and down the back straight. Meadows defended in to Tower bend so I hung it out on the outside line and just sneaked ahead on the exit.
I was up to second and hunting down Dean Stoneman. The three of us were trading lap times at the front and Meadows was just behind me. He got past me with five laps to go, then I retook second when he missed a gear. On the last lap, I was right behind Stoneman, we were both on the edge giving everything but he just held on to win by a mere two tenths of a second.
I had a poor start in race two and James Birch was up my inside on the approach to turn one, but I braked a touch later and held the position. As I arrived at turn two, the three cars in front were literally parked on the apex of the corner. Meadows had gone into the back of Stoneman, then Lloyd hit Meadows. I then hit Lloyd and I was then hit from behind by Birch and sent spinning. Dan De Zille spun on the dropped radiator fluid as well and hit me with some impact damaging the Celtic Speed Porsche considerable. Five cars were taken out in one incident.
Stoneman was later reprimanded for causing the incident and in turn excluded from the results.
I had gone from the excitement of my best result of the year to total frustration. The Celtic Speed boys now face a real battle to rebuild our car in time for Snetterton. I am glad we have a bit of a break now, otherwise the pressure really would have been on.
I have complete faith in them. I will just need to repay them with a result in the next round!
My Celtic Speed teammate George Brewster, had a superb weekend as he finished on the overall podium for the very first time in race two and in doing so has now jumped into third spot in the Pro Am 1 class standings!!
Once again, I’d like to say a big thank you to Celtic Speeds Team Principal Tommy Dreelan and the following companies for their continued and loyal support;
- Advantec Aberdeen Ltd
- Agrii
- Angel Wax
- Caledonia Print
- Dalkeith Transport
- Harley Hepburn Accountants
- 21 Hospitality Group
- Houseman Drylining
- Intrafusion Website Design and Development
- John Young Signs
- J Gilmour Painter and Decorators Kirkcaldy
- Knockhill Racing Circuit
- McDonald Engineers
- Mind And Body Studio
- Production Glassfibre
- Scotcars
- Short Term Finance
- William Waugh Ltd
- William Johnston and Company
© Celtic Speed 2026
