Supercars 2023: Erebus star Will Brown on his passion for flying propelling him to Supercars rounds

Erebus Motorsport star Will Brown is flying high on – and off – the track. Find out about the passion propelling him to Supercars rounds.

Racing drivers are often referred to as pilots behind the wheel, but for Erebus Motorsport star Will Brown it is a term that fits perfectly in the cockpit.

When he is not racing on four wheels in the Supercars championship, the 25-year-old Camaro racer is at home behind the controls flying his family’s twin engine plane.

Since gaining his private pilot’s licence five years ago – just before making his Bathurst 1000 debut – flying has been Brown’s preferred mode of transport to the biggest race of the year at Mount Panorama.

Supercars driver and pilot Will Brown from Erebus Motorsport with his plane at Toowoomba Airport. Picture: Mark Horsburgh

Brown fires up the six-seater Baron aircraft at the airport in his hometown of Toowoomba, in Queensland, to make the direct flight to Bathurst Airport.

In fact, Brown often flies himself to races along the east coast and, weather permitting, plans to fly himself to this week’s Supercars round in Townsville.

Growing up with a passion for anything with an engine, Brown was lured into the air by his older brother, Tim, who is a commercial pilot.

Now sitting second in the Supercars championship after an impressive start to his Gen3 campaign, Brown is flying high on and off the track.

“I got my licence the day before my first ever Bathurst 1000, so I flew to my first Bathurst 1000 in 2018 and I’ve been lucky enough to fly myself to everyone since then,” Brown said.

“My brother was flying, he had been doing that for about three years before me and we had our own plane and I used to go up with him a bit.

“I thought to fly to (race) meetings and also just to have some fun it would be awesome to do my licence and, being fortunate enough that we had our own plane, it was cost effective for me to be able to do it.

“I plan on flying myself to Townsville, probably Sydney Motorsport Park, Bathurst and then I’ll just see from there, but at least those three for now.

“It keeps me sharp …. it gets your mind switched on. You are always thinking about things and flying to numbers, so I guess that’s the same (as racing), you are braking at certain points in the car, so it is great just to keep switched on.”
Since gaining his initial pilot’s licence, Brown upgraded his rating to be able to fly twin engine planes – and to also do aerobatics.

He can already perform a range of aerobatic manoeuvres – and hopes to build on his repertoire.

“I did my aerobatic rating in 2020 and then we bought an ex-air force trainer plane and I do my own aerobatics in our CT-4 (aircraft),” said Brown, who has enjoyed in-flight experiences with Red Bull Air Race pilot Matt Hall and the Roulettes.

“I can do everything from loops, to rolls to Cubans … then I can do stall turns.

“I want to try and get a bit more of a full-on aerobatic plane in the next few years and get more into that. I guess it’s a little bit like us in racing, you have got to dedicate yourself to it a bit more.

“Flying to events is quite easy, it’s like driving on the highway. But doing aerobatics is like racing cars, you have to put your mind to it a bit more and train for it and do a bit more. So hopefully over the next couple of years I can get a bit more into aerobatics.”

Will Brown with Erebus teammate Brodie Kostecki. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Normally flying a six-seater aircraft, Brown has flown his teammate Brodie Kostecki home from Supercars rounds before and taken him for an acrobatic spin.

“I brought Brodie back from Townsville last year,” Brown said.

“And in 2021 when we signed as co-drivers, I took him for a run in our acrobatic plane and did a couple of loops and rolls with him.

“He is pretty casual. Some people are like ‘I’m not coming in the plane’. But he doesn’t care, he’s like ‘You know what you’re doing’.

“Not much fazes Brodie.”

Brown has enjoyed a strong start to the Gen3 era for Erebus, winning three races so far this year and sits second in the drivers’ standings behind teammate Kostecki.

Despite missing the podium at the last round in Darwin, Brown still managed to narrow the margin to his series leading teammate from 87 to 59 points.

“The team has done an awesome job,” Brown said of his start to the championship.

“Myself and Brodie have been driving great and to be first and second in the team’s championship I think that shows that we have all gelled really well.

“I think it’s been a good six months for Erebus, that’s for sure.”

Will Brown has had three wins in the Supercars championship this year. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

And Brown was confident he could remain a contender in the championship battle in the second half of the season.

“We’ve got as good a chance as anyone,” Brown said.

“To pretty much be halfway through the season, it’s like the championship for us – the top four we are all within 100 points of each other.

“It’s really going to be after Bathurst you really know where you stand and try to go for the championship then.”

ENDS