RORY BUTCHER insists that challenging for points rather than pole position holds the key to a successful British Touring Car Championship.

The 32-year-old is riding high after the opening two weekends of the 2019 season, in which he has collected 64 points to sit fifth in the standings, just six points adrift of early frontrunner Ashley Sutton.

Knockhill-based Butcher, who clinched a maiden race victory in round three at Brands Hatch Indy, heads for Thruxton this weekend after a steady points haul at Donnington Park last time out.

The Cobra Sport AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing team driver fought his way through to 11th in the opening race – from a grid position of 19th – before placing fifth and fourth in the next two.

Butcher heads in to rounds seven, eight and nine in a strong position but believes looking at the wider picture will be more beneficial than concentrating on fighting for pole position in qualifying.

Reflecting on his efforts at Donnington Park, he said: "Qualifying was so disappointing as we didn't get a decent lap in the conditions and it made race day tough.

"But I tried to make progress in each race and it worked. We got the fastest lap on the medium tyre and had the quickest car on the hard tyre in race three, which is really good.

"Before race three, I thought it would be nice to try and get my tally for the day up to 30 points and that's what we did. That is the goal for each race meeting and I'm always looking at the bigger picture, and the season, as a whole.

"The car was strong in the Thruxton test we did recently and whilst a little bit of ballast will hit us going there, we'll be in the mix.

"It isn’t about fighting for pole, it’s about challenging for the points on race day that will be key later in the year."