December 2008
MSA British Rally Academy member Stevie Brown finished the 2008 rally season in style as he gained valuable experience working with the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford rally team. The 21-year-old driver worked in a variety of different areas within the team to build his knowledge of how a top works team operates. "Having the opportunity to work with people who are among the best in the industry was fantastic and has certainly helped me in understanding what the engineers and the team as a whole look for in terms of driver feedback."
Stevie also had the opportunity to spend time with the drivers and co-drivers in the team, including eight times Moto GP Champion Valentino Rossi making a one off appearance on Wales Rally GB. "I was able to learn a lot from Valentino in the way he worked with the media and sponsors. Although Rossi has only had a handful of outings in a world car he was able to transfer his natural pace from two-wheels to four, especially on the final day of the rally when he was setting some incredible times" said Stevie.
At the rally finish Brown found out what the stages were like from Ford manufacturer works team driver Jari-Matti Latvala after an intense battle for the rally lead with five times World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb. The Scottish rally driver was able to learn some of the difficulties the sports best faced on the stages.
"It was interesting to hear Jari-Matti's perception of the stages as many of them I have competed on throughout the year. The main issue for Latvala was ice; as he was first on the road he didn't have the advantage of following the lines created on the gravel surface from cars running ahead of him, he was having to try and judge grip levels on stages that were littered with black ice" explained Stevie.
MSA British Rally Elite scheme co-ordinator Glenn Patterson said "Stevie came here to gain the experience of how a top works team in the World Rally Championship operates. By gaining this experience it'll help Stevie in the long run when he makes the step up to a professional team. The fact that Stevie has shown the commitment to be here and has put 100% effort into everything he's done this weekend shows that he is prepared to learn and work hard to reach the top level of the sport as a driver."
While Stevie says it was important for him to see the event from all angles. "Having seen the event from both mechanic and drivers view points, particularly the mechanics as it was interesting to hear what keeps them motivated will certainly help me make the step up to the world stage," added Brown.The VK Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy event winner continues." Working with the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally team at the highest level of the sport has been an amazing way to end my season on a high."
As the 2008 Wales Rally GB came to a close, so too did the World Rally Championship for another year. "Having been given the opportunity to be here this weekend has highlighted just how much I want to be driving in the World Championship with a top team. I can't thank everyone at the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford rally team enough" said Stevie.
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