Jack Stokes will join older brother Robbie in the open 4WD class in the opening round of the New Zealand Rally Championship.
In a major offseason 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.
Robbie has a clear desire to just drive as fast as he can in a reliable car and have a genuine crack at winning a championship, while Jack 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 a lengthy one," Robbie Stokes said.
"We were looking for a while after the season last year 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 for 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 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 Central Machine Hire-sponsored Otago Rally begins with the ceremonial start on Friday evening before the fast and furious action around the region at the weekend starts the six-round New Zealand Rally Championship.
— APL
