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STEVE BROWN “We sold the Mini and got a Nissan Micra 1 Litre for “I mainly practiced by playing rally games on the Xbox!”

rallying and by 17, I was driving the car in a
championship, and progressed from there.”
His career-best equalling result netted him third place in
the series, ensuring the rookie ended his season on the
Rally driver turns to rallycross From the early days in the F1000 Rally Championship, championship and race podium after securing second
place in the final round at Croft Race Circuit in October.
Steve became used to winning ways, being named the
2006 Formula 1000 Co-Driver champion and securing
many titles and class wins along the way. Reflecting on his rallycross season, Steve finished: “To
have come away with third in the championship in our
After successfully campaigning a F1000 specification first year, and so many race podiums, was well beyond my
Micra in the UK for many years, Steve built and expectations, but the Best Newcomer 2019 was a
developed a new Micra kit car in 2015 and headed for massive shock. I wasn’t expecting good results as the
the MSA National Asphalt Championship. Narrowly people who I was up against had been competing in
missing out on the class B9 win in the series, he turned rallycross for years.
his attentions to the Belgium based FIRC in 2016,
enjoying significant success on the stages. “I have to thank all of my supporters for helping me get
this result. I certainly would not have been able to
Now 32-years-old, Brown launched into one of the compete so closely with the regular rallycross drivers if it
biggest challenges of his motorsport career last wasn’t for their backing.
season, as he shifted into British Rallycross, competing
in a two-car team alongside regular RX protagonist “It has been a super year and I’m looking forward to
Drew Bellerby. seeing what next season holds.”

“This was an amazing opportunity and one I really Starting off in the UK for a small test on the Questmead
couldn’t pass up,” Steve continued, “I am a rally man at Stages, then off to Belgium for the Flanders International
heart, but I really loved my rallycross chances and the Rally Challenge Championship and to Ypres Rally, Brown
atmosphere was pretty special. will return to rallying for the full 2020 season, all back in
the trusty Micra kit car.
“It is a totally different aspect of motorsport so I had to
learn everything all over again: adapting my whole way His first rally will be held the first weekend in March, and
of thinking; getting used to other people around me; how the first round mid-April.
to deal with other cars on the track; and managing the
car; but it’s one of the most progressive motorsports out
Photos: Matt Bristow www.stevebrownrallying.co.uk
there, so it was great to be part of it.

Podium finish for ‘Best Newcomer’ Steve Brown

in rookie rallycross season

Rochdale driver Steve Brown ended his debut year in the His new campaign didn’t get off to the best of starts, with
Toyo Tyres British Rally Championship in triumph, power and steering failure in the opening round final at
securing an impressive third place overall in the BMW Silverstone putting him on the back foot from the off.
MINI series standings and being named Best Newcomer.
Brown said: “I had a lot of nerves. I didn’t have the best of
Brown switched circuits for the 2019 season, races, finishing sixth. It was a bad experience for the first
transitioning from rallying – racing on closed public and time, but the plan was always to finish the season.”
private roads – to rallycross – a circuit on tarmac, not
public roads, against other people – making his debut in A rally sales engineer at his father’s company Questmead Steve Brown with teammate Drew Bellerby
March 2019 at Silverstone Circuit. Ltd – competition friction specialists in motorsports
based in Rochdale – Brown has been racing since the age
Previously contesting stage rallies in Europe behind the of 12 and said his passion began when his father, Alan
wheel of his familiar Nissan Micra kit car, Steve was given Brown, started the company over 30 years ago.
the opportunity by one of his sponsors to try
rallycross when the Micra was due a full engine rebuild. “I started working for my dad in the holidays from school,
doing the odd jobs here and there.
Thanks to the support of Tom Watson at 710 Oils and
the Bellerby RX outfit, Brown enjoyed a full assault on “I was bought my first car (a Mini grass track racer) at the
the eight-round British Rallycross Championship, age of 12 by my parents who took me to a family friend’s
which took in four circuits from Silverstone to Croft farm where, in the space of a weekend, I learnt
during the year. to drive.

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