Ashley James Stichbury

New Zealands motorsport community has been rocked by the sudden death of champion driver Ashley Stichbury. Stichbury, 30, died as the result of a massive brain haemorrhage at 2.30pm on Friday May 17. Recently crowned New Zealand V8 Touring Car champion Stichbury was one of the most naturally talented and determined drivers to emerge in New Zealand in the last decade. This season, driving a Ford Falcon, he won 12 of the 18 races he contested, setting the fastest race lap in every race. The season before, driving a Chevrolet Corvette, he dominated the New Zealand TranZam championship, winning nine of the 13 races. The second son of Paul and Susan-Jane Stichbury, Ashley was born on August 5, 1971 in Hastings, New Zealand. He was educated at Raureka Primary School and Hastings High School in Hastings and Hereworth School in Havelock North, Hawkes Bay. On leaving school he completed an automotive technicians apprenticeship in Napier, Hawkes Bay. Though his first taste of competition came in an Optimist dinghy, Stichbury found his true calling when he tried a friends Kart at the age of 14. Soon he and fellow Hawkes Bay youngsters Kane Raisey, Craig Spargo and Greg Murphy were competing against and beating New Zealands best. In the three years he raced Karts at a national level Stichbury won his class at the WKPA Champion of Champions series and in the (Australia/New Zealand) Trans Pacific Kart series Success on the countrys Kart tracks prompted him to graduate to New Zealands motor racing tracks. And in his first full season competing in the (1991/92) New Zealand Formula Ford championships he finished second. That performance prompted Austrian entrant Walter Lechner (who ran Alexander Wurz in the New Zealand championship that year) to invite Stichbury to return to Europe with him and help run Wurz in the German Formula Ford championship. In return Lechner promised to provide Stichbury with a car for the World Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and for the next New Zealand Formula Ford championship. The deal worked well for both parties - with Stichbury engineering the car, Wurz won the German Formula Ford championship, and with Lechners car Stichbury put in an impressive performance at the Festival and won the 1992/93 New Zealand Formula Ford championship. He went back to Europe to work for Lechner in 1993 then returned to New Zealand and won his second Formula Ford title (Stichbury is the only driver to win two consecutive New Zealand Formula Ford titles) in 1993/1994. That then led to the offer of a works drive for the Swift team in Germany in 1994. That drive did not come to fruition and after working in Europe for much of the year Stichbury returned to New Zealand where he was offered a drive by the Alfa Romeo 2 Litre Touring Car team. That saw his focus turn to tin tops and he went on to build a successful career in New Zealands Touring and TranZam classes. At the same time he built a parallel career in the New Zealand motor industry, working first for the Azzurra Motor Group, then Scandinavian Motors and ultimately the Giltrap Group. After a successful period selling new Volvos for Scandinavian Motors he recently took up a position with the Giltrap Group specialising in Porsches. As well as selling new cars he also passed on his driving skills at advanced driving courses round New Zealand. Since Stichburys sudden death his family has been overwhelmed by the support they have received from family, friends and members of the motorsport fraternity worldwide. "Ashley brought a lot of joy to our lives and he has obviously done the same for countless other people," his parents Paul and Susan-Jane said."We are very thankful for the messages and offers of support and we would ask everyone to remember Ashley as we do, with a smile on his face and always ready for anything." Stichbury is survived by wife Anna and eight-month-old baby son Zac.