Tom Cave’s hopes of a back-to-back Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally victory were dashed last weekend (October 26), as the Welsh rally driver suffered a heartbreaking start in his bid to take his second Cambrian win.
Exactly 12 months after dominating the Llandudno-based rally and securing an impressive victory following a two-year sabbatical from the sport, Cave would once again head for the North Wales forests in a bid to retain his crown.
This time, a mighty Probite British Rally Championship field assembled and Cave, along with co-driver Dale Furniss would be recruited by the Castrol Melvyn Evans Motorsport Team to assist in their bid to secure the BRC Teams title.
Equipped with a Volkswagen Polo GTi R5, the same car he used to storm to victory in 2023, Cave was buoyant about achieving another impressive result and whilst the competition this time around was significantly tougher, the 32-year-old Aberdovey driver had his sights set high.
Cave was also returning to the British Rally Championship for the first time since 2019, with work commitments sidelining his driving career, limiting his outings to sporadic one-offs ever since. However, his Cambrian win in 2023 proved he had lost none of his prowess, and after Friday’s recce of the stages, he was ready to pick up where he left off last October.
The opening test was a tricky blast through the seven-mile Elsi stage and drama would strike early for Cave. With no warning, his Polo would suffer a puncture and to ensure no damage was caused, he elected to stop and change it. Sadly, the wheel nut gun malfunctioned during the change, meaning by the time he had replaced the offending item, he would lose over six minutes, ending his charge on the spot.
Despite a gallant effort throughout the remainder of the day, other puncture in the 15-mile Clocaenog test added further misery to his weekend and his hopes of a second win in a row ebbed away. Cave was eager to take the positives away from a difficult return.
“That’s the way it goes in this sport sometimes,” he reflected.
“There wasn’t anything we could do, it really was just one of those things and it’s a real shame because, after our pre-event test, we felt comfortable in the car again.
“It was an honour to return to the British Rally Championship with the MEM team, I have fond memories of the series and looking at the times we achieved when we had a clean run, we would have been in the mix for a good result. The pace out front is impressive, but those guys are at the top of their game and not being in the car for 12 months does show a little I guess.
“But I enjoyed the weekend regardless and it was great to be back out again. An extended thank you must go to each one of my partners for making it happen and hopefully, we can look at doing something again in the near future.”
Cave is supported by: The Joker, Go Fetch Ltd, Thorne Wines Limited, HN Nuttall Food Services Ltd, GF Grigg Construction Ltd, Pirelli, Tom Cave Racing Ltd, Melvyn Evans Motorsport, and Atech Racing.
Visit: www.tomcave.com for more information on Tom.