IF hurtling head on towards a tree at 80mph is not enough to deter you from your passion, then nothing will.

That’s the feeling of West Wycombe resident Paul Brown, who had his fair share of close shaves en route to winning the Southern Motor Club’s Championship in December last year.

The 42-year-old co-drove for Steve Buck as the pair thrashed their white 1998 Ford Escort around tarmac rallies across southern England on their way to victory.

But, with Buck in his debut season as a rally driver, Brown admitted that it took a while for his teammate to adjust to the car, causing one or two hairy moments for the pair.

He told the Free Press: “It’s been a fantastic season and I’ve really enjoyed it. It was quite scary in his first rally. He had three or four spins in his first ever rally, which is part of the learning curve.

“We had the wrong tyres and the wrong set-up for the conditions so that caused a few trembles. He hasn’t flipped it, he’s spun it and we had a very near miss on a rally in August up near Birmingham when he completely lost it and we aquaplaned across the tarmac towards the barrier at about 70 or 80mph.”

Despite having suffered a number of injuries as a result of his passion for rallying, nothing as yet has been able to dissuade him from climbing into the passenger side – much to his other half’s dismay.

A Fire Officer at Brunel University in day-to-day life you might think that Brown would be more concerned for his own safety, but, as he himself explains, he has no problem putting his life in the hands of other people.

He said: “Without Steve I’ve had three major crashes and some big rolls. I did the Jersey rally last October and we hit a tree head on at about 80mph. So I’ve seen a fair few crashed cars.

“I bust my neck once badly and I’ve got a compression in my spine from rallying. I’ve had a few other bumps, bruises, whiplashes and other injuries, but it’s getting safer and safer all the time.

“The missus is getting a bit upset with and she says ‘how much damage will you need to do before you accept that you can’t do this anymore?’ It’s never been enough to put me off, I must admit.”

Brown has been in the passenger seat for ten years after a favour to a friend caused him to get involved in a sport which he has watched since his dad first took him to watch the World Rally Championships – or the RAC Championship as it used to be known – as a kid.

And the passion he held for rallying in his younger years shows no signs of diminishing with the buzz of racing at circuits such as Brands Hatch still taking hold of Brown.

“This is my getaway. It’s a brilliant passion and it’s sort of like a bug. If you go and then just sit back and watch everybody else doing it, it doesn’t take long before you’re thinking ‘I need to get back in the car’.

“I wouldn’t want to put someone else’s life at risk (by driving) I suppose. I’m quite happy for them to put mine at risk but I’d never want to put theirs at risk.”