John Brown

Motorsport News was saddened to learn of the death of John Brown at the age of 83.

Brown was one of the most forward thinking and influential rally organisers of his generation, as well as being a very accomplished co-driver. His enduring legacy was to be the founder of HERO and the originator of Le-Jog.

He graduated from university and became rallying editor at Motoring News. He also co-drove Erik Carlsson to victory on the 1961 RAC Rally in a Saab 96. At the time, Brown was still just 22 years and eight months old and set a mark as the youngest person to win the event.

In 1968, he took the first of two British Rally Championship titles alongside Colin Malkin in a Hillman Imp. Nearly a decade later, he won the co-drivers’ title again, competing alongside regular partner Russell Brookes.

Brown had a remarkable CV in event organisation and was later heavily involved in historic and classic rallying. He created the Land’s End to John O’Groats Classic Reliability Trial, which led to his forming the Historic Endurance Rally Organisation in 1996.