Following his victorious run on last month’s West Cork Rally – the second round of the British Rally Championship – Tom Cave now sets his sights firmly on round three, this Saturday’s (28th April) Pirelli International Rally.
Having scored maximum BRC points on asphalt last time out, a second win as the surface reverts to gravel is exactly what the Aberdovey-based driver is looking for to consolidate his bid for the British title.Reunited with co-driver Dale Bowen – who had to miss round two – Tom will be driving the same Philip Case Rally Sport prepared Hyundai 120 R5 that he used in Wales for round one and in Ireland for round two.
Reacquainting himself to the car, he tested it in Kielder Forest on Wednesday on roads similar to those he will encounter this weekend:“We had a very good test and ran through our-pre-event programme. The Hyundai felt great and the Michelin tyres worked well. However, I’ve never seen the roads in Kielder so dry and abrasive. If things stay like this it will make for a very interesting event.”
Tom and Dale are seeded at #2 on Saturday and consequently, will start the event behind current championship leader Matt Edwards in a Fiesta. They are followed at #3 by former British Champion David Bogie in a Skoda and Finnish driver Jari Huttenen at #4, who is making a one-off appearance in the BRC behind the wheel of another PCRS-run Hyundai.
“The third event of the season sees another to-quality entry”, explains Tom. “Whilst it adds to the pressure, it makes for great competition and because of that, if you do well it’s even more satisfying.
“It also means there’s no room for error and it’s flat out from the start. We’re as ready as we can be, so our aim is to carry on from where we left off in West Cork – and we can do no more than that.”
The Pirelli Rally starts in Carlisle on Saturday morning and features 63.35 competitive miles split into seven stages, held over the distinctive gravel roads that are a hallmark of Kielder Forest. The rally concludes in the evening with a high profile finish ceremony in Brampton, a few miles east of the host town.Tom’s 2019 British Rally Championship campaign is supported by: Trailhead Fine Foods and its Get Jerky snack brand, Cambrian Training, Michelin Motorsport, H.N. Nuttall Foodservice, Go Fetch Ltd, Intervino, Atech Racing, Walero and Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing.2019 Motorsport UK British Rally ChampionshipRd. 1 16 February Cambrian Rally – Llandudno, North Wales gravelRd. 2 16-17 March West Cork Rally – Clonakilty, Republic of Ireland asphaltRd. 3 27 April Pirelli International Rally – Carlisle, England gravelRd. 4 28-29 June Ypres Rally – Ypres, Belgium asphaltRd. 5 17 August Ulster Rally – Antrim, Northern Ireland asphaltRd. 6 14 September Galloway Hills Rally – Castle Douglas, Scotland gravel
For further information about Tom’s 2019 campaign visit www.tomcave.com
