March 2009
Stevie Brown and Andrew Roughead set their British Rally Championship campaign in to motion on last weekends International Bulldog Rally in North Wales. The event which also formed round two of the Kick Energy Fiesta Sport Trophy series, would see the Millers Oils backed team faced fierce competition as the country's best drivers gathered for the premier rally series.
The Scottish rally ace faced over eighty miles of tricky forest tracks, and with the high speed nature of the event it would certainly provide plenty of excitement. It was the final stage of the rally that would present one of the most tense and frustrating stages in the young driver's career. The fuel gauge had given an inaccurate reading during the refuel, leaving the Global Web crew desperately short of fuel with nearly thirty stage miles to cover.
"Halfway through the last stage the fuel light came on, from there we had to keep the engine revs as low as possible to ensure we made it to the end of the stage" explained Stevie. Unable to use the full power of the engine, Stevie and Andrew lost over two minutes to the top Kick Energy Fiesta Sport Trophy crew.
The event would also mark a steep learning curve for Brown and Roughead, as the Five Mile Garage supported driver explains. "This was the first time we had written our own pace notes for gravel. It was difficult for us to get a good consistency in the notes to give me the confidence to push." With only two passes of each stage with a maximum speed of 30mph in the recce, it provided the young Aberdeen driver with a daunting challenge.
Despite haemorrhaging time on the final stage Brown and Roughead finished the rally ninth overall in the Kick Energy Fiesta Sport Trophy, and are currently ninth in the British Rally Championship junior category. "It's been a very challenging event for sure, but we can take some positives away from the rally which will help us on the next event" said Brown.
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