Ellon Rally driver Stevie Brown set a string of impressive stage times on last weekends Swansea Bay Rally, (July 19) considering the Five Mile Garage backed driver was fighting to complete the event, yet alone fight for position when mechanical engine woes struck the leading Scottish crew.

Fuel pump problems meant that the car was down on power, putting Brown and Elgin co-driver Ian Morrison on the back foot. “There was no way of us knowing that there was a fault before the event as it was only noticeable when you were driving fast” explained Stevie.

He continues,” it felt like we were driving with the handbrake on, the car felt hesitant and often wasn’t pulling as cleanly away from slower corners as it should” admitted the Nicolson Maps supported driver.

Split times on the stage showed that on acceleration alone Brown and Morrison were loosing two seconds on a five hundred yard stretch to their rivals, meaning the MSA British Rally Academy member had to rely on carrying as much speed as possible around the corners to remain in contention. “When you consider our car was down on power and wasn’t performing nearly as well as it should our times were very good” explained Stevie.

With Brown and Morrison having to commit to the fast sections in a bid to make up the time lost in accelerating, the pair were just under a second behind fellow Scottish competitor Alick Kerr on the opening two stages, beating the Bothwell driver on the final stage of the event. Proving why Stevie is regarded as one of Scotland’s most promising talents.

Confusion at a slit junction on stage three resulted in the stage being removed from the overall results. “Some of the competitors were going the wrong way at a split junction and were heading down the stage the towards oncoming rally traffic. It was very dangerous, and the blue book (Motorsports Association governing rule book for all motorsport) clearly stipulates that if a competitor goes the wrong direction on a special stage they should be excluded.”

Never-the-less Brown and Morrison managed to nurse their Ford Fiesta ST to the finish and gain championship points, leaving the crew in the top ten of the series, and still in contention of finishing in the top three in the overall championship.

Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Web:   www.steviebrown.co.uk 

Rally Academy Elite Scheme: www.msabritishrallyelite.co.uk/index.asp

Fiesta ST UK Championship: www.fiestasportingtrophy.co.uk