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Determined performance for Tom Cave in WRCar debut

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:50:25 +0100

Teenage rally driver Tom Cave put in a determined performance on this weekend’s Cambrian Rally, the finale of the BTRDA Rally Championship. Driving the Mitsubishi Lancer World Rally Car, Cave and co-driver Craig Parry overcame a mechanical issue to claim a sensational second overall and narrowly missed the outright victory.

Having sewn-up the Production Cup of the series by the penultimate round, 19 year-old Cave was looking to climb in the overall Gold Star standing and secured the MML Sports-run Lancer as the best chance to do this.

A pre-event test went very well, with Cave settling into the car quickly, aided by the MML Sports team and vastly-experienced co-driver Parry. Going in to the rally, they and the team were feeling good for a decent result.

However, before the event even began, a clutch problem was diagnosed and the technicians changed the clutch unit in a staggering two minutes. But it then transpired that a bearing within the gearbox was failing and that clutch would not disengage.

The Lancer WRC only requires the clutch to get off the line: once moving, it relies on hydraulic sequential transmission to operate. However, this meant that Tom lost around 10 seconds at every stage start, with the engine stalling as he selected first gear, meaning he had to start the engine with the car in gear and get it rolling before activating the full stage settings.

Despite this, Tom and Craig set excellent stage times, joint fastest on the first stage, claiming the scratch time on two more stages and led overall after three timed tests. In fact, they were only out of the top three on stage times once throughout the eight-stage event and reached the finish second overall, just nine seconds behind winner Shaun Gardener and as first placed world rally car, ahead of a further four WRCars.

Commenting, Tom said: “It’s been a bit of a mixed weekend for us, really. On the first hand, it’s frustrating to have had the problem with the clutch all day and miss out on the overall win by a handful of seconds, particularly as we dropped far more with the problems.

“It didn't help that on the last stage, we ended up catching a car in the stage. The Great Orme stage was being double-run, so cars were starting at 30-second intervals for the second running and we caught a car with a couple of miles to go. We couldn't get past and at that point, I knew the rally was over.

“It was a very tough day, more mentally than anything else. I had to keep calm to get the car going, then give it everything but the competition was so close, that we weren’t able to get the win that we’d set out sights on.

“Having said that, it’s been an amazing experience to drive the Lancer WRC and I’m pleased with the pace we were able to show once we got rolling, especially with only a morning in the car before the start of the rally. It was fantastic to drive – very easy to get along with and as the times show, very quick. A really good, sorted car.

“The MML Sports team was fantastic – the lads worked really hard to get the transmission problems sorted and were spot on all day.”

World Rally Car for Tom Cave on the Cambrian

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:26:34 +0100

Having effectively clinched the Production Cup and Junior Driver awards in the 2011 BTRDA rally championship, Tom will embark on arguably the biggest challenge of his rallying career next month, as he competes in the series finale, the Cambrian Rally, at the wheel of a World Rally Car. The opportunity to enter the event in the Mitsubishi Lancer WRC presented itself and, as he admits, was far too good a chance to pass up.

Thanks to his and co-driver Craig Parry’s performance on last month’s Woodpecker Rally, Tom is now uncatchable in both the Production Cup and the Junior Driver categories of the 2011 BTRDA series. And while his performance elevated him to fourth overall in the Gold Star driver standings, he still has the opportunity to climb to third, if he has a good result on the Cambrian.

In addition, another excellent result means that he is also in contention for the Welsh National Rally Championship overall, where he currently holds third place and the Welsh Junior Driver award, which he leads.

So without the pressure of competing for the Group N honours, the chance to drive the Lancer WRC on the Cambrian brings with it the best chance of overall success and the chance to end the season on a high with a top three overall BTRDA finish and the Welsh titles.

However, Tom knows that success on the Cambrian is by no means a given: the event uses stages which form part of the route of Wales Rally GB, the UK’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship. As such, it’s not uncommon for WRC drivers to enter the event as a warm-up and test for the WRC finale, run just five weeks later. In fact, Ford works driver Mikko Hirvonen ran as course car two years ago and on that occasion, the rally was won by Mads Ostberg.

The car Tom will be using, the Mitsubishi Lancer WRC, will be run by former works Mitsubishi outfit, MML Sports Ltd. While this will be Tom’s first foray in a world car, it won't be the first outing with MML Sports. He drove the company’s Group N Lancer EvoX on Rally Latvia in 2010 and was on course for a sensational second in Group N before a last-minute puncture.

Commenting, Tom said: “Of course, I’m incredibly excited by the prospect of driving a World Rally Car on the Cambrian. It’s going to be a big challenge, as I’ve barely even sat in a world car before but we have a 50Km test before the event, so hopefully I’ll be able to at least learn the systems then.

“Craig also has a huge amount of experience in world rally cars, so that will be a massive benefit as we approach the test and the event. It will be a huge step up for us but we’re really excited by the prospect of driving the Mitsubishi WRC.

“It’s great that we have this opportunity. It really means a lot to me to have effectively won the Production Cup and the Junior Driver award. And with the chance to drive the MML Sports car on the Cambrian, I hope that we can climb to third in the Gold Star and challenge for the overall Welsh championship title, as well as the Welsh Junior award. We’ll need a good result but we’ll definitely have the car for it.

“I’m also really looking forward to working with the MML Sports team again. We had a fantastic run in Latvia last year and they were extremely professional and supportive and I can’t wait to get into the Lancer.”

The one-day event takes place on Saturday 8 October and is based in Llandudno. It takes in 45 stage miles, including the Great Orme stage, one of those featuring on the first day of this year’s Wales Rally GB.

Tom tops BTRDA Production Cup after Woodpecker class win

Mon, 5 Sep 2011 12:37:13 +0100

Following a fourth Group N class win on this weekend’s Woodpecker Stages Rally, Tom now tops the points table in the BTRDA Production Cup category. In addition, he was also elevated to fourth overall in the Gold Star Driver category and leads the points in the Junior Driver category.

Driving a rented Clark Motorsport Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9, Tom and co-driver Craig Parry were on the attack from the outset. They knew that to keep the Production Cup campaign alive, they had to beat Jamie Anderson, who led the series going into the Woodpecker.

They took the Group N win on the first three stages of the event, as they instantly found the right rhythm for the car and conditions. They were beaten into second-fastest on the fourth stage by just one second by Tom Naughton and by the mid-point of the event, held a commanding 10-second lead over Naughton who was a further four seconds ahead of Anderson.

On the first of the final loop of three stages, Dylan Davies tried to redress the balance, taking five seconds from Tom with Anderson also taking four back. However, Tom and Craig responded immediately and took the class win on the last two stages, stretching the winning margin back to 13 seconds over both Davies and Anderson.

With the series now into dropped-score territory, with the best six of eight rounds counting, Tom tops the leaderboard, with 111 points to Anderson’s 105. However, while Tom can still add six points to his overall total, Anderson is only able to add a further four. Third-placed James Grint is on 91 points but cannot gain enough points to trouble Tom.

Tom’s performance also elevated him to fourth in the Gold Star category for overall performance, one position behind Anderson. However, again with dropped scores taken into account, a class win on the final round of the championship, the Cambrian, could promote him to third overall, ahead of Anderson and a fitting end to the season.

Commenting, Tom said: “It was a great weekend – everything went according to plan. The car was perfect – no problems at all, we didn't make any mistakes and found a really good feeling with the car straight away.

“We weren’t doing anything silly and it all came together. We found a good pace and stuck with it. The others were pushing hard to catch us and Dylan and Jamie took some time out of us. But we upped our game and took it back again and I am delighted to take the class win.

“I understand that we are in the running for winning the Production Cup, Junior Driver and the Welsh Rally Championship, if we get a clean sweep of class results on the Cambrian, like we did on the Woodpecker. So there’s still a lot to play for on the last round. I’m certainly not going to back off yet.”

Tom bullish ahead of Woodpecker Stages Rally

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:33:50 +0100

Tom will have just one objective on his mind when he competes in next weekend’s Woodpecker Stages Rally, the penultimate round of the 2011 BTRDA championship: a fourth class win. The 19 year-old from Aberdovey has vowed to push from the very start, despite destroying his Group N Subaru Impreza on his last outing, the Neath Valley Stages.

Tom and regular co-driver Craig Parry were contesting the Neath Valley Stages to maintain their momentum as they progress through their 2011 BTRDA Production Cup campaign. However, an unseen rock on the inside of a corner launched their Impreza into the air and after three rolls, the car came to rest in a very sorry state.

Subsequent investigations revealed the shell and roll cage too badly damaged to use again, so the car will be re-shelled. However, this process will not be complete until well after the Woodpecker, a pivotal rally for Tom in his goal of clinching the 2011 BTRDA Production Cup. Therefore, he and Craig will start the event in a rented car.

While many drivers might approach their next event carefully to settle themselves back in after such a large accident, Tom is keenly aware that with just the Woodpecker and the Cambrian Rally in October left this season, if he is to stand a chance of becoming 2011 Production Cup champion, he has to push from the off.

Explaining, Tom said: “Of course it was devastating to damage the Impreza as we did but I guess, that’s an occupational hazard in rallying. I suppose I could argue that if I didn't have incidents like this, I’m not pushing hard enough!

“I’m really glad we’ve managed to source a car for the Woodpecker though. I’m not nervous about getting back into a car – I can’t afford to settle back in gradually. If I want to do well this year in the Production Cup, then I’ve got to attack from the start of the very first stage.

“It’s not going to be easy. Jamie [Anderson] is pretty quick, as is James [Grint], so it’ll be a tough fight. I’ll also have to make sure I don't get dragged into a battle with any of the local drivers who are doing the event but aren’t registered for the championship, as it would be all too easy to throw it away for the sake of a stage win or two.”

Tom is currently second in the Production Cup, seven points adrift of Anderson. However, Tom has the possibility of adding 25 points to his total over the final two rounds, as six of the eight scores count, whereas Anderson can only add an extra 12. So it’s still all to play for as the series approaches its conclusion.

Commenting, Tom said; “It’s going to be an interesting end to the season, that’s for sure. The maths is relatively straightforward – I need the best result possible and that means going to Ludlow looking for the class win.”

The one-day event runs on Saturday 3 September and is based at the racecourse in Ludlow. It uses stages close to the base including Haye Park, as well as two runs over roads in Radnor.

Tom Cave aims to maintain momentum on Neath Valley Stages

Fri, 5 Aug 2011 08:37:44 +0100

Hot off the back of his second outright rally win on last weekend’s Coracle Stages, teenage rally driver Tom Cave will be contesting next weekend’s Neath Valley Stages, again at the wheel of his Group N Subaru Impreza. After a faultless performance on the Coracle, Tom and co-driver Craig Parry are keen to keep their momentum going, towards the next round of the BTRDA series, the Woodpecker Stages Rally.

The one-day event is based at the Walter’s Arena in South Wales, an area Tom is familiar with from his three outings on Wales Rally GB, the UK round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The rally offers crews 45 stage miles, including a 12.5-mile stage to finish the event, but with just four road miles, it is incredibly compact and cost-effective.

The aim is to enjoy a trouble-free run and challenge for a good result, to keep both Tom and Craig match-fit, ready for the Woodpecker in September.

Commenting, Tom said; “I’m looking forward to the Neath Valley Stages; it’s on stages that I know reasonably well and it’s very compact.

“Our confidence is riding pretty high at the moment, after the second win on the Coracle, so we want to try to keep that going through the summer. Of course I want to be challenging for another win but I’m sure it won't be a walk in the park.

“I’m not sure who's entered in the event at the moment but I think James Grint will be doing it and I know he’s very quick, from the BTRDA events.

“I think it will be a good event to help us prepare for the Woodpecker. We’ll probably have a pre-event test but there’s no substitute for actual competition. The car felt very good after the Coracle, so I think we’ll stick with Group N specification from here on in.”