Brown heads back for more at the Manx

Photo: Manx Mann Motorsport

Brown in action on the Manx Rally

Steve Brown will head to the Isle of Man this weekend to contest his first event of the 2023 season, the Manx National Rally on 12 and 13 May.

It's been over six months since the Rochdale driver has been behind the wheel in competitive action and he will be taking his Nissan Micra Kit Car over to the island for two days of gruelling rallying action on some of the most infamous stages in Europe.

Brown had a quiet season in 2022, electing to contest fewer but larger and more challenging events, including heading to Mallorca for two rallies towards the end of the year. Sadly November's Rally Dijous Bo saw the Nissan develop an engine issue after the opening overnight leg, forcing him into retirement.

The winter has been spent making sure the car is back to full health and having not been onto the legendary Isle of Man lanes in over seven years, Brown has elected to return for the forthcoming Manx National Rally.

"I have some great memories of the rallies on the Isle of Man, I`ve been competing there for about 10 years on and off so it will be great to finally return to sample the fantastic stages on the island," says Brown.

"Hopefully we can put the engine issue from Mallorca behind us and just have a clean run, but of course, I want to push for a good class result. Having said that, there are sixteen other competitors in our category so it will be a tough ask this time around."

Brown will be joined by co-driver Arwel Jenkins for the weekend, and with over 130 stage miles in store, the Manx will be one of the toughest events in Brown's roster this year.

He said: "The Manx is always a challenge and whilst the island is probably more famous for the for TT course, the roads utilised by the rally are some of the hardest you will likely face on a sealed surface for a driver. We will also be competing under the cover of darkness on Friday night which also adds another dimension, let alone the weather which is often changeable at best over there. It's a real driver's rally that's for sure and I'm really looking forward to this one."