Brown enjoys double BTRDA podium at Pembrey

Photo: Matt Bristow

Steve Brown secured a double podium at the non-championship BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross event

British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy contender Steve Brown aims to hit the ground running at the next round of the series, thanks to securing a double podium at the non-championship BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross event at Pembrey in Wales last weekend (7/8 August).

After enjoying a positive start to his return to the British Championships in May, Brown elected to head to the Welsh circuit to keep match fit ahead of his next outing at the circuit which forms a British round at the end of the month. And his decision was well rewarded, scooping third place in the hotly contested BMW MINI series double-header and a confidence boost heading into the upcoming national qualifier.

The Rochdale driver elected to mount a second assault on the competitive single-make formula in 2021 after being forced to sit out much of the previous season due to the pandemic. Brown had made the switch from stage rallying to rallycross in 2019 and his debut season in the British Championship saw him take third overall in the MINI series.

A return to the circuits in May this year at Lydden Hill’s double-header, saw Brown face a bumper grid of 17 MINI contenders in equal machinery and despite a tough start to his season, recovered strongly to take sixth and fourth place in the first and second rounds respectively.

With an extensive gap to the following round, Brown would head to a one-off round of the BTRDA Clubman series, in a bid to gain further knowledge of the circuit layout and continue to hone his racecraft on the tricky mixed surface.

Contesting the Super Modified Category, Brown enjoyed a strong practice session and despite the changeable weather, was third fastest MINI in the opening heat of the weekend. Going quicker still in the second heat of the weekend saw him qualify for the competitive A-final which took place under largely dry conditions.

After a difficult mixed final where the MINI contingent would go head-to-head with the more powerful Super Modified machinery, Brown knuckled down to scoop third place and an impressive podium result on day one of the competition.

Sunday was a much drier affair but Brown suffered a slower than usual start to the opening two heats of the day. Thankfully, he recovered in the third and final heat to secure the fastest MINI and once again make the coveted `A final` to round out the day, where he would repeat Saturday’s effort and secure yet another podium position.

“It’s been a positive weekend all round really,” said Brown.

“It's nice to be able to come to another series and still be competitive and when you are not chasing championship points it allows you to relax a little. The idea was simply to get seat time ahead of the next British outing due to the enforced gap so from that point of view it has been a successful weekend. The main focus of course is now the next British round when we return here on 29 August.”

Brown heads back to Pembrey for the British qualifier in seventh place in the BMW MINI series standings.

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