British Rally Championship Round Six – Report
Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally – Castle Douglas, Scotland
14th September 2019

Tom Cave delivered a perfect performance on Saturday’s (14th September) Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally by setting the fastest time on all of the event’s eight stages and in doing so, recorded his third victory of the season by nearly a minute. It was all he and co-driver Dale Bowen could do in order to give themselves the best chance of claiming this year’s British title, but with their main rivals Matt Edwards/Patrick Walsh finishing third, it meant they end the season in second place.

Based in the forests of southwest Scotland, the sixth and final round of this year’s British Rally Championship comprised nine stages and 71 competitive miles over some of the most demanding gravel roads in the UK. With Edwards ahead on points following round five, it meant that if he finished seventh or higher, even if Tom won the rally, Edwards would still secure the title.

As cars set off from the start near Castle Douglas on a bright and sunny morning, Tom knew what he had to do to give himself the best chance of securing the title. And he did just that. Stage-after-stage, he and Dale set the pace, posting fastest time after fastest time, never putting a foot wrong in the process. The Michelin tyres worked well and the Philip Case Rallysport prepared Hyundai – which had been rebuilt following the previous round – ran faultlessly.

With organisers cancelling the ninth and final stage, Tom and Dale crossed the finish line having set eight out of eight fastest times to record their third British Rally Championship victory of the season.  They ended the day 54.9 seconds ahead of Jonny Greer/Dai Roberts and 2 minutes 16 seconds ahead of Edwards/ Walsh, who had also done exactly what they needed to do and finished third.

At the finish, Tom said:

“To be quickest on all the stages and win without any problems is the best result you can hope for. We pushed from the start and did everything we could today to keep a grip on the title, but the difference in points between Matt and I was just too much. We didn’t lose the title today, it was the DNFs on round one, the Cambrian Rally and round five in Ulster that set us back.

“To have completely rebuilt the Hyundai in three weeks following our off in Ulster – and then for it to run faultlessly throughout this event – is a fantastic achievement and testimony to the PCRS team’s hard work and professionalism. Today’s win is for them.

“After three victories – one on asphalt and two on gravel – we’ve proved that the Hyundai i20 R5 is capable of winning in the British Rally Championship. And whilst we didn’t quite get our hands on the title, it’s great to have finished the season on a high.”

“There are so many people I would like to thank for making our 2019 British Rally Championship campaign happen: Trailhead Fine Foods and its Get Jerky snack brand, Cambrian Training, Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Michelin Motorsport, Shukers Hyundai of Aberystwyth Ponsse UK, H.N. Nuttall Foodservice, Go Fetch Ltd, Intervino and Atech Racing. We couldn’t have done it without you!”

Tom now looks forward to his next challenge, the Wales Rally GB – Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship – that takes place between 3rd and 6th October.

ENDS

Tom Cave will travel just a few miles down the coast from his hometown of Aberdovey this weekend to the more southerly seaside resort of Aberystwyth for Sunday’s (8th September) inaugural running of the Get Connected Rali Bae Ceredigion.

The event is the first ever stage rally to be held on closed public roads in Wales and therefore, as Tom and his co-driver Dale Bowen from Hirwaun are seeded at number one, they will make history by being the first car to compete on a rally of this kind in their home country.

The event features a route that passes through stunning scenery in the Cambrian Mountains, over roads that have a reputation for their driving appeal and demanding nature.

“From what I’ve heard, the stages are very technical, so it’s going to be interesting to see what the roads are like at competitive speed”, explains Tom.

“Being so local, I really wanted to take part in the event and support the organising team, who I know have worked extremely hard to make it happen.”

Tom and Dale will contest the event’s 44 competitive miles in a similar Hyundai i20 R5 to the one they have been successfully campaigning in the British Rally Championship this year. Tom’s car will – as it has been all season – be supplied by leading rally preparation specialists PCRS, who’s professionalism and performance has seen the team become a highly respected operation within the sport.

“There’s a few crews in R5 and WRC cars this weekend, so there should be a good battle between us and, with this being the first running of the rally, it’s going to level the playing field. There’s a real buzz about the event, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

The rally is based at Aberystwyth University, which hosts the event HQ, start, finish and service area. Tom will lead the 120-car field over the start line outside the National Library of Wales at 9.30am and, after contesting a loop of four stages in the morning, will return to the campus for the lunchtime service halt. Then, following a re-run of the morning’s quartet of stages, crews will return to the National Library for the finish from 3.30pm.

Tom’s is supported by: Trailhead Fine Foods and its Get Jerky snack brand, Cambrian Training, Michelin Motorsport, Ponsse UK, Go Fetch Ltd, Intervino, Atech Racing, Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing and Shukers Hyundai, who are based in the rally’s host town of Aberystwyth.

ENDS

Following another front-running performance in a round of the British Rally Championship, Tom Cave’s efforts and the promise of a podium result on Saturday’s (17th August) Ulster Rally ended one stage from the end, when contact with a wall stopped him and co-driver Dale Bowen in their tracks. But having set regular top-three stage times, as the Welsh pair challenged to maintain their championship lead, the outcome clearly didn’t match the potential.

Having won two rounds, scored a second place and recorded a DNF apiece this season, Tom and his main rival Matt Edwards headed to the Newry-based, Today’s convenience store sponsored event tying for the British Rally Championship lead. So, with the Ulster encounter representing the fifth of six rounds, it was all to play for between the two title aspirants over the nine stages and 93 competitive miles that lay ahead of them.

Following a ceremonial start on Friday evening, the competitive action got underway on Saturday morning with the first loop of loop of three stages. Whilst damp patches in the opening stage did not persist in the second, grip levels from one section to the next were still difficult to predict.

However, Tom and Dale were right on the pace and well placed to challenge for the result they were looking for when he and Dale pulled into the first service halt of the day. At that point they were lying 2nd in the British Championship standings – 9.8 seconds behind Edwards – and third overall – 12.2 seconds behind rally leader, Craig Breen.

Changing onto a harder compound tyre for the second loop of the same three stages helped in some cases, but not in others. Whilst an overshoot into a field in SS5 cost Tom and Dale precious seconds, a fastest BRC time in SS4 and an overall fastest time in SS6 did much to restore some of the deficit. However, the gap between them and Edwards was now 19.3 seconds, which meant that a return to the softer tyres and a consolidation of positions was the order for the final loop.

But when it comes to rallying, the best laid plans don’t always come to fruition and on the approach to a high-speed left hander near the end of stage eight, Tom felt the car slide a little wider than it had done before. Whilst he straightened it up for the exit, a section of a wall that jutted out caught the front corner of the car, removed a wheel and spun the Hyundai round in the road. Thankfully both Tom and Dale were unharmed, but the same could not be said for their car and they had no choice but to retire on the spot.

“I really didn’t think we were going to hit the wall, but the last bit of it stuck out further than the rest and although we just clipped it, the outcome was terminal”, explained Tom. Of course, it’s disappointing to end the rally that way, but if we hadn’t been on the front-running pace it would have been even more disappointing, so we certainly take away some positives and I congratulate Craig and Matt for the overall and BRC wins respectively.

“Once again, the PCRS team provided us with a car that was competitive and reliable – as it has been all season – although what happened in stage eight was not the best way to show our appreciation of their fantastic efforts, of course.

“With just one round of the British Rally Championship to go, it’s going to make it extremely tough to claim the title. However, we shall still give it our best shot.”

The sixth and final round of this year’s British Rally Championship takes place on 14th September and sees the surface return to gravel for the Dalbeattie and Castle Douglas based Galloway Hills Rally.

Tom’s 2019 British Rally Championship campaign is supported by: Trailhead Fine Foods and its Get Jerky snack brand, Cambrian Training, Michelin Motorsport, Ponsse UK, H.N. Nuttall Foodservice, Go Fetch Ltd, Intervino, Atech Racing, Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing and Shukers Hyundai of Aberystwyth.