Matthew Brassfield wanted to drive since he was 4 when received a PowerWheels Jeep for Christmas. After that it was off road carts and then a racing go-kart. Through high school Matt had a series of Hondas he modified. Then in 2015 his life forever changed. He purchased a 2004 Subaru WRX…the very car that he races today. The rally racing fire was lit!
Christmas 2016 Matthew received a gift from his parents. Dirtfish Rally School is the premier rally driving school in the nation, and Matthew was going to a 3 day course. In April 2017 Dirtfish taught him the fundamentals of rally racing and he came away a better driver. His racing dream was beginning.
Rallycross is a form of off road racing that is a precursor to stage rallying. Matt began racing the California rallycross events in his 2004 WRX and had instant success. He finished 1st place in every California event he entered and had great success at the major rally events in the Pacific Northwest. However, his eye was always on becoming a stage rally driver.
Dirtfish offers advanced racing courses for current and future stage rally drivers so Matt signed up.
In early 2018 the decision was made to join American Rally Association (ARA) and get busy racing. His WRX was to go from his daily driver to a full blown stage rally car. It was sent to Southern Cal for a full roll cage then back home for a suitable motor, suspension and other racing necessities. Having never built a race car before, it was a learning experience. Some amazing sponsors were found M45 Automotive, the premier Subaru specialist in the region, signed on for the motor build and transmission build. One thing still needed however was a suitable co-driver.
Matthew put out some feelers on some rally pages seeking a co-driver when he was contacted by Kito Brielmaier, owner of Northwest Rally Association and the premier rallycross organizer in the western US. He recommended Kristi Berg, a new co driver with one stage rally completed. Matt and Kristi became great partners and a rally team was formed! Kristi’s husband Chad brought great rally experience to the team and became crew chief.
The first race Trucksmart Racing # 343 entered was the 2018 Olympus Rallyin Shelton , Washington in May 2018. One short year had passed since his first Rallycross event. The dream of rally racing had come true!
