Two of the national scene’s rising stars Robbie Stokes and Ari Pettigrew have some influential rally heavyweights overseeing their burgeoning driving careers.
In Stokes’ corner is his dad Brian, whose two New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) titles and 12 rally wins firmly imprint his name in the history books.
“Dad is 100% into it,” Waikuku’s Stokes (26) said.
His father is involved in everything from logistics, to input into the Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4’s mechanical make-up. Along with his wife Anne, Brian has never missed a rally that Stokes has competed in.
They have dual reasons for attending every event — their daughter Amy is her brother’s co-driver. It’s the sixth season that the siblings have teamed up and the family closeness means that instinctively “we know what our jobs are,” Stokes said.
Robbie Stokes with his co-driver — his sister Amy. PHOTO: GEOFF RIDDER
The Ford AP4 lives in Nelson with the head mechanic Ian Mason and Stokes credited the “tireless hours” the team have poured into it, with building “an incredible car’’.
While he hasn’t had any competitive driving opportunities since securing the 2021 Mainland Rally Series at the Lawrence Rally in November, Stokes, an agricultural contracting business owner, has been keeping up his fitness by biking and running over the off-season
Following Amy’s recent wedding, the family’s focus has now swivelled to rallying and ensuring the frustrating engine overheating issues that dogged the first part of their 2021 campaign don’t reoccur.
“We’ve found a few things in [the Ford AP4] to make it go even better,” Stokes promised.
This could well upset the 2022 NZRC podium pecking order, as out of the 20 special stages that Stokes finished over four rounds of last year’s national championship, in 60% of them he was runner up behind eventual title-winner Hayden Paddon.
Coincidentally, the Cromwell-based former WRC driver plays a significant role in Stokes’ fellow young gun rival Ari Pettigrew’s fight for rally ascendancy.
Paddon Rallysport will run the 23-year-old’s new AP4 ride for the 2022 season — the ex-Greg Murphy Holden Barina.
Pettigrew not only works for Paddon as a technician at his Highlands Motorsport Park base, but he has also been mentored by him for the past two years.
Ari Pettigrew has been mentored by Hayden Paddon for the past two years. PHOTO: GEOFF RIDDER
“Hayden has been a massive help. He’s been there and done that before. He knows the do’s and don’ts of everything,” Pettigrew said. Paddon assisted with setting up the deal, where his young protegee will drive the Holden AP4, which is now owned by Aucklander Daniel Alexander.
It will be Pettigrew’s first full season in a four-wheel-drive rally car, following a breakthrough 2021 championship-winning performance, where he secured three national titles – Open 2WD, junior and teams championships — in his BMW.
“It will really just be a learning year for me and trying to get to the finish of every rally. Then in 2023 we will be having a crack at trying to get the championship,” Pettigrew said.
He has enlisted the services of experienced Hamilton co-driver Jason Farmer, who used to sit alongside 2016 NZRC winner David Holder. Farmer accompanied the Tauranga’s Holder to Europe to compete in the 2018 Junior World Rally Championship.
“It’s pretty cool to get someone with that much experience co-driving for me,” Pettigrew said.
Both Pettigrew and Stokes had pre-season tests planned leading into the season-opening Otago Rally next weekend.
As to who will come out on top, in the battle of the youngsters, we will find out at the end of the 17 stages and 280 competitive kilometres.
- Catherine Pattison
