Class victory for Brown's Epynt comeback

Photo: Chicane Media

Steve Brown

Rochdale driver Steve Brown enjoyed a successful return to the Epynt Military Ranges in Wales, by taking a class win at the recent Tour of Epynt on Sunday 30 July.

Brown and regular co-driver Paul Stringer overcame an opening stage technical drama with their Nissan Micra Kit Car, to fight back throughout the seven, rain-soaked stages and secure the category victory.

Brown has not been behind the wheel competitively at all since May and had elected to head to Wales for the one-day blast across the infamous and super-fast moorland roads in the heart of Wales. The military tracks would need to be treated with respect and are famed for their high speeds and blind crests.

Around seventy stage miles and seven tests made up Sunday’s action and the morning would start dry as the opening loop of two stages got underway. However, there were early issues for Brown’s Nissan as the power steering failed part-way through the opening stage.

Hauling the car through the remainder of the stage and the next, shorter test, he was able to return to service where the team set about trying to resolve the issue. Thankfully, the Micra was back to full strength for the second pass over the loop.

With the time lost, he was down in second place in the Class One battle. Brown would continue to struggle to make up lost ground and an off-road excursion on stage six further hampered any chance of a fightback.

Adding to the already difficult day, the weather closed in during the afternoon with biblical-like rain covering the Welsh mountains. But with just two stages remaining, he moved into the lead of the class and kept that position until the close, securing the class win and 25th overall from a healthy field.

“It was a really challenging day in so many ways but it’s nice to have overcome them and take a class win today,” said Brown.

“It’s been eight years since I contested a rally on Epynt and it's every bit as difficult as I remember. There is just no margin for error, as I found out this afternoon and going off the road on the sixth stage was a silly mistake. But we kept it all together and bringing home a class win was a nice bonus at the end of the day. It was great to be back and a huge thanks to all our supporters and the team for helping us get a great result”.

Steve is sponsored by Fuchs Lubricants, 710 Oils, PIAA, Questmead, Mintex, Brake Prep, and Magnum Motorsport.