Unlike in previous seasons; Mark Brown heads into this weekend’s Australian Speedcar Championship at Lismore Speedway without the weight of expectation on his shoulders and that’s something the Team Fox Racing driver is more than happy about.
Over his career in Speedcars that spans over 20 years, Brown has won just about every major event that there is to win with the one exception; the Australian Championship and like every year he’s out to break that hoodoo. However, this season there is one exception.
“I think this is the first time in a long time where I haven’t been one the clear favourites and that weight of expectation that has been lifted off my shoulders has put me in a very good frame of mind,” expressed Brown, who came narrowly close to capturing the 2007 Australian Championship victory at Toowoomba’s Charlton Raceway only to be passed on the final corner of the final lap by American Jerry Coons Jnr. “I’m really excited about this weekend as there are about half a dozen driver’s that are more capable of winning and then you throw in a number of the outsiders too it certainly makes for a spectacular weekend.”
In terms of his 2011 Australian Championship chances; Brown is feeling quietly confident.
“I know that I have a great car and team behind me in Team Fox Racing and it fills me with a lot of confidence that we can get the job done,” he enthused. “The feature race on the Saturday night is where it’s at, so it’s just going to be a matter of qualifying as high as possible, preferably in the first two rows, and from there just giving it your all and hopefully with a bit of luck 2011 will be my year.”
Last Saturday night’s Speedcar Stampede at Lismore Speedway resulted in Brown bringing home the NSW # 9 Showpiece Signs and Designs supported Esslinger powered Spike in a disappointing seventh place. After he had finished second in both of his heat races and then the dash; Brown started from the outside of the front row in the feature race. In what was a caution riddled feature race, Brown, while battling for the lead with eventual winner Matt Smith, rode the wheel of Smith during a jumbled restart due to race officials indecision with the use of the starting lights that resulted in him coming to a stop next to the wall. Brown was able to restart at the back of the field and on a one lane track charged his way back to finish in seventh place. One positive to come out of the feature race was that he had recorded the fastest lap.
TFR are proudly supported in the 2010/11 season by Showpiece Signs and Designs, PASS Powdercoating & Sandblasting, Strategic Accounting Advisers Pty Ltd, Rondalee Metal Fabrication, Graphic Art Mart, Schweppes and C&C Combined.