Brotherly love will go out the window this year with Jack Stokes joining older brother Robbie in the Open 4WD class of the New Zealand Rally Championship.
In a major off-season shake-up of the Stokes Motorsport Team, the two brothers will run cars in the main class – Robbie acquiring a Skoda Fabia Rally 2 and Jack piloting the Ford Fiesta AP4 previously run by his brother.
On the surface, it appears a smart decision from the team, with Robbie clearly wanting to drive as fast as he can in a reliable car and have a genuine crack at winning a championship.
Jack on the other hand will be making his first foray into the top class and has a passion for the development side of rallying.
“The decision to get the Skoda Fabia Rally 2 EVO was lengthy,” Robbie Stokes said.
“We were looking for a while after last year’s season, and this car came up. It was a good deal, and the people we dealt with were very professional.
“The Rally 2 comes with a very good track record for reliability, which was a huge point in acquiring it.
“Jack has been getting itchy feet to step up to the top class and knows the AP4 mechanically very well, so it made sense for him to jump into the AP4.”
The older Stokes has no qualms about competing against his brother but he also knows he will get some genuine competition from him at the same time.
“It will be great competing with Jack. He has proved his speed in the R2, so I have no doubt he will be on the pace.”
The season opens next weekend with the traditional Otago Rally, set to kick off a gripping six-round calendar.
Find out more about the championship by visiting www.nzrallychamps.co.nz.
Header Image: Geoff Ridder
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