British Touring Car Championship regular Sam Osborne has credited multiple race winner Rory Butcher’s coaching role as he gets set for his seventh season in the series.
The 32-year-old will stay on for a fifth campaign with the team latterly known as Alliance Racing, which operates its Ford Focus STs under the NAPA Racing banner.
That means that, for a third consecutive season, Alliance will enter the quartet of four-time champion Ash Sutton, race winners Dan Cammish and Dan Rowbottom, and Osborne, whose father Pete took over the team during the 2020-21 winter.
The arrival of Butcher, who was an outside title contender when he drove for the team in its former incarnation of Motorbase Performance in 2020, led to a huge step forward for Osborne, who finished inside the top 10 in eight of the last nine races.
“To be honest, I didn’t want last season to end,” said Osborne. “We got things going and I was on a bit of a run.
“Midway through the year, we added Rory to my car crew, and along with Rich [Townsend, engineer] and my side of the team, it progressed us in all areas on and off track.
“Since Brands Hatch [scene of the final round], it’s been non-stop with work and preparing for the 2025 season. We’re determined to start the season strong and put all the hard work to good use.”
Osborne remains eligible for the Jack Sears Trophy, which is for drivers who have not claimed more than one overall BTCC podium finish before the start of the season.
But he faces tough competition in that sub-division from West Surrey Racing BMW newcomers Daryl DeLeon and Charles Rainford, Speedworks Motorsport Toyota convert Ronan Pearson, and Un-Limited Motorsport Cupra pair Dexter Patterson and Max Hall.
Alliance motorsport director Malcolm Swetnam, a tin-top veteran who oversaw Robb Gravett’s title success in the final BTCC Group A season of 1990 with the Trakstar Racing Ford Sierra RS500, added: “Sam has forged a great relationship with Rich, and the addition of Rory as driver coach mid-season in 2024 really brought out the best in him.
“His performance in the latter half of 2024 gives the team high hopes for 2025 with particular focus on the Jack Sears Trophy.”
