Debut drive yields final win for Steve

ROCHDALE rally driver Steve Brown made his Rallycross debut at the final round of the BTRDA Clubmans Championship at Croft Race Circuit last weekend, taking the C final win to mark a successful inaugural outing in the sport.

Brown, usually found behind the wheel of his Nissan Micra Kit Car on the Flanders International Rally Challenge (FIRC), drove a Bellerby RX Racing Team BMW Mini at the North East circuit and bagged a pole position slot and a race win on his first race weekend.

The outing, arranged by sponsors 710 Oil and Fuchs Titan Race Oils saw Brown use the same car that Drew Bellerby took to a second place in the BMW MINI category of the MSA British Rallycross Championship earlier this season.

After a difficult year which saw him scrap plans to contest the FIRC, Brown would embark on a new challenge and the Questmead Sales Engineer would head for his racing debut as part of the BTRDA Clubmans series final round in North Yorkshire.

A progressive plan of attack was launched and Brown used his opening qualifying and race heats to get acclimatised to the new car and surroundings.

His approach reaped rewards and despite having never competed alongside other competitors side by side, found himself lining up in pole position for the “C” final.

A mature drive in a hectic race saw Brown take an impressive race win on his debut, to catapult him into the ”B” final.

Up against rivals with heavily modified machinery, Brown couldn’t quite make it onto the podium but would leave the circuit delighted at how his debut had gone.

“What an amazing experience this weekend has been,” said Brown.

“It took a lot of getting used to having others drivers around me to cope with but once I got into the right mind frame I could just concentrate on doing my own thing.

“I guess predictably, I was quite slow off the mark this morning but as the confidence grew my lap times were dropping and I began to find some pace.

“I’d perfected the circuit just at the right time and to get a race win on my debut really was a pleasant surprise. I was never going to challenge anyone in the B final but the experience was fantastic and I`m really pleased to have had a go”.

Brown also praised the work of the Bellerby RX Racing Team.

“The MINI was excellent to drive and I have to thank Drew, Paige and Dave Bellerby for trusting me with it for the weekend,” he said.

“They offered plenty of advice and encouragement too which helped a lot, those guys really know Rallycross! Huge thanks must go to 710 Oils and Fuchs Titan Race for this amazing opportunity, I’ve loved every second.”

You can follow his progress throughout the season via his website www. stevebrownrallying. co.uk, on Facebook and Twitter.

Brown is supported in 2017 by Fuchs Titan Race, Questmead Ltd, 710, Mintex Racing, PIAA, Brake Prep and Pirelli.