Jack Butel and JHR Developments made the trip to Scotland to tackle the picturesque Knockhill circuit in Dunfermline, Fife.

The exciting MSA Formula Championship made its way across the boarder for rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the fast and furious, single-seater series last weekend (22/23 August). Butel had one of his best weekends to date as the Jerseyman secured yet another impressive top-ten, with a ninth overall as well as 16th and 13th place finishes to bookend a successful trip to the most northern venue on the calendar.

Previously at Snetterton a fortnight ago, Jack Butel was jubilant after securing his maiden top-ten result at the Norfolk based circuit. After a brief trip back to the Island, Jack flew to Edinburgh to face the fast and flowing Knockhill circuit for the very first time. Against some of the best young drivers in the world, Jack steadily improved through every practice session and lined up 17th for the opening contest of the weekend after a difficult qualifying period.

In race one on Saturday afternoon, Butel pounded around the 1.3 mile ribbon of Scottish tarmac, learning the circuit with every turn – mastering the undulating rollercoaster circuit as the race developed. Jack eventually took a solid 16th at the fall of the flag in his Ford Eco-Boost powered, JHR Developments single-seater.

On Sunday morning the MSA Formula kicked off the proceedings before the main act – the hugely popular British Touring Car Championship which always attracts a sizeable crowd at every venue it rolls into. A hugely enthusiastic Scottish crowd turned up in their thousands, while hundreds of thousands watched the spectacular action unfold live on ITV4.

In the second race of the weekend, Butel was to show a strong turn of pace while avoiding incidents and trouble ahead. With rivals falling off left, right and centre the St Saviour resident kept a calm, mature head to pick off positions lap after lap. The former De La Salle student crossed the finish line after the 20 minute race in a fine ninth overall – collecting two championship points in the process in his turbo-charged missile.

The final race of the day saw the grid line-up according to the second fastest qualifying position and after a difficult Saturday the good work from the previous race was undone as the Channel Islander had to start from the back of the grid. Undeterred the 19-year-old once again moved forward and collected a solid 13th place at the end of the race meeting in the striking liveried, JHR machine.

As the team left the Fife motor racing amphitheatre, Jack was pleased with his first visit to Knockhill upon returning to Jersey.

“Having never been to Knockhill before I took it nice and easy to get used to the circuit layout and try and find a set-up on the car that suited me and the track. We were doing well at our first attempt with P14 but the session was red flagged and someone crashed into the back of me and damaged the car in the process meaning I couldn’t have a stab at the final part of qualifying.

“ In the races I wanted to gain solid finishes as we proved we can run in the top 10 last time out at Snetterton. Knockhill is a tricky circuit to master and difficult to overtake at times so I had to keep my head down and pick opportunities when I could. To come away with another ninth was satisfying and I want to continue this momentum into the final three race meetings.

“ Rockingham is up next and I am really looking forward to racing at the speedway once again. I want to push on and sort my qualifying out as that is what is stopping me from challenging towards the sharp end. Hopefully we have had our bad luck for the year!”

The next stop on the MSA Formula Championship calendar will see Butel head back to England on the 5/6 September to tackle the Rockingham Speedway – which sees cars and drivers tackle the famous banked circuit. With two solid top-ten results now in the bag, Jack wants more and will look to go further up the results sheet next time out.