Former Champ Opens Up On Current Struggles...

On Tuesday, Triple Eight announced that Brown will transition to its spare chassis to rejuvenate his season. Over the weekend, Brown failed to reach the top 10 in any of the three qualifying sessions, starting 19th on Sunday, while his teammate Broc Feeney secured pole position. Feeney finished second in the 200km race that afternoon, whereas Brown placed 17th after incurring a 15-second penalty for a collision with Rylan Gray.

The 2024 champion spoke about his difficulties on his Lucky Dogs Podcast, saying, “I’m not a 19th (place) driver.” The 28-year-old added, “There’s only so much you can take.”

“I’ve competed for a championship in every car I’ve driven or category, and right now I think I look pretty foolish out there, to be honest.” Brown noted he was losing time on the straights compared to Feeney at Wanneroo. “I don’t know how much I’m supposed to say about it, but I was 1.6 tenths down in qualifying on Sunday to Broc, just on the straights,” Brown disclosed.

“That was the difference… and Broc’s not the fastest down the straight either. Broc’s probably four hundredths off the Chevys. It’s very difficult, but we’re not exactly sure what was wrong over the weekend to cause that, as we’ve been last in the speed traps for the last three rounds.” Both Triple Eight drivers raised concerns about straight-line performance during the Hidden Valley weekend in June, after which their engines were dyno tested. “We’re not lacking horsepower,” he said. “We build the engines, so it’s something else we need to examine.”

Brown also accepted some responsibility for the gap to Feeney, acknowledging that his teammate performed “a better job in driving over the weekend in some scenarios.”

However, he pointed out that this was not enough to fully explain the gap.

“I’m doing more than I ever have,” he added. “I’m taking more notes, doing more training, and more preparation leading into weekends and over the weekend to try and improve, but unfortunately, it’s not working.” Without a podium in the last 17 races, Brown is currently seventh in the championship and stressed the need to enhance his performance before the Finals Series begins.

Last season, Feeney outperformed him for most of the time, but Brown finished ahead in the final championship standings due to the polarizing format. Brown will compete at The Bend on Friday, set to complete 10 laps in Jackson Walls’ customer Triple Eight car during rookie testing.