Hoddesden rally ace Alex Parpottas (Photo above) is gearing up for a dual assault on two major rally championships in 2013. The Buzz Sweets and Sideways Magazine supported youngster will pilot his Ford Fiesta R2 on both the MSA British Rally Championship and the BTRDA National Rally Championship this year.
At just 19 years of age the Hertfordshire student is learning fast about rallying and made great strides in his development during the 2012 season. Alex ended the year in fine style with a series of class wins in the ultra-competitive 1600cc category on events and is now stepping up his preparations for another busy year behind the wheel of his highly distinctive yellow Fiesta.
With continued support from Buzz Sweets, Alex will be joined by a new co-driver in the shape of the highly experienced Jamie Edwards from North Wales. The pair competed together twice during the 2012 season scooping up strong class victories on rallies in Ireland and Shropshire. Edwards will partner Parpottas throughout the season with Jack Morton stepping in for a couple of events that Jamie cannot attend due to family commitments.
With the car fully overhauled ahead of a long year and many hundreds of special stage miles on both tarmac and gravel, Alex is looking forward to the challenge of raising his game against plenty of stiff competition in both series:
“2012 was very much about learning the car and events and by the end of the year I felt more confident with the car which took some getting used to initially. We worked hard on getting a good set up for each event and that will really help us during this year I’m sure. I’m also really pleased to have an experienced co-driver like Jamie with me for the year as he will really help me get the most out of the all-important pace notes for each rally as well. We worked really well together on the two events we did last year so I’m really pleased we’re joining forces this year as we make a good team. The pace at BTRDA and BRC level is extremely competitive so I know I’ve got to work hard and keep developing this year. I don’t want to set targets but we have a plan of action for the year which we’ll be working towards rally by rally. I’m really looking forward to getting started on the Malcolm Wilson Rally and then the events will come thick and fast!”
Parpottas will start in the Lake District in March with the Malcolm Wilson Rally in the BTRDA series. In early April he will then head to Edwards’ home event Rally North Wales to kick off the British Rally Championship campaign. With strong competition in both series, a good start to the season is vital and Alex will be looking to get as many miles as possible under his belt during the early rallies in order to get points on the board.
You can keep up to date with the team on social media throughout the year. You can tweet the team @buzzrallyteam and for the Facebookers out there, you can follow progress at https://www.facebook.com/AlexParpottasRallying. Look out for some great competitions and prizes on offer from Buzz Sweets as part of their involvement with the team!