Brown has become something of a racing all-rounder with his Supercars, NASCAR, and GT experience — and this year, he’ll add regional Formula 3 racing to his CV.
The Supercars champion will join Giles Motorsport in the Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship for a three-round campaign at Tony Quinn’s circuits – Taupō, Hampton Downs, and Highlands.
The part-time program officially begins on January 10-12, but the Red Bull Ampol Racing star got his first taste of the Toyota FT-60 on Thursday in unofficial practice at Taupō International Motorsport Park.
“I’ve enjoyed getting back in an open-wheeler,” Brown told Speedcafe.
“It’s been a fair few years now. As I said previously, this is a category I’ve wanted to do since 2015 or ‘16. It’s cool to finally get that opportunity.
“For me, it is different getting back into this open-wheeler. They’re so nimble and they’re not as heavy as a Supercar, so there’s a lot to learn.
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“I felt pretty comfortable out there in the second session we’ve done for today. Just see what happens really.”
It’s still early in the piece, but Brown was the quickest of the 17 drivers who tested on Thursday morning.
Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad was the second fastest driver, 0.188s away from Brown.
Although it’s been years since Brown has raced a traditional wings-and-slicks car, the 26-year-old said he’s keen to get to Hampton Downs and Highlands where he can utilise the car’s aerodynamic capabilities.
“It seems very good. Like I say, it’s nice to drive. It’s going to be interesting for me once we go on a more open circuit to see how much the aero works,” Brown explained.
“I’m finding around here [Taupo Motorsport Park] it’s probably not using a high amount of aero, so it’s not really giving me that feel that if I push faster I get more downforce.
“That’ll be interesting when we get to places like Highlands and Hampton Downs where they’ve got faster, sweeping corners.
“Overall, it feels good. I wanted to come and do this category to see if I could ever get in an open-wheeler again one day.”
So what can he apply from Supercars to the open-wheel formula?
“I’ve learned so much in Supercars about tyre life, managing it,” said Brown.
“The amount of racing I’ve done and GT racing over the last couple of years, I think I’m just grouping all that together, to be honest. I don’t really remember Formula 4, it’s been so long.
“For me, I’m always trying to improve myself or do as much racing as I can. Evolve, compare myself to other drivers – if that’s NASCAR, GT, Supercars, or whatever.
“I thought I’d hop back in an open-wheeler and see how I go against these guys.”
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