Ceredigion based rally team Spencer Sport overcame their toughest challenge of the year so far when they managed to secure a podium finish for the second time on the trot. click here for full story and website pics.
Competing in the Nicky Grist Stages – round five of the MSA British Rally Championship Tom Cave and co-driver James Morgan scored a second-place finish to push them up into second place in the championship standings.
Team-mates Jamie Jukes of Llandysul and David Williams in the Mitsubishi Mirage also scored additional championship points in their bid for the National Rally Cup. After a frustrating first day, their second went much better and a fourth in class was just reward for their virtuous efforts.
Despite the horrendous wet and windy conditions, Cave and Morgan made a positive start and set the fastest time on the first stage and they held the lead until the third stage, when they were passed by championship leaders and fellow Welshmen Elfyn Evans and Craig Parry.
Treacherous conditions notwithstanding, Cave and Morgan continued at similar pace during the afternoon, consolidating their second place and ending the day 48 seconds behind the leaders and 52 seconds ahead of their closest rivals, Desi Henry and Liam Moynihan.
Following the overnight suspension changes and the swap of Michelin gravel tyres to the tarmac equivalents, Tom and James resumed their pace at the front of the BRC field and, with more of the same on the twisting military roads that follow the undulating topography of the Powys hillsides, they stamped their authority on the runners-up spot. Even as the rain increased and the tarmac became more slippery, their grip on the position remained constant, with a strategy to hold station and therefore take advantage should the leader encounter any problems.However, an incident involving another car, the organisers decided to cancel the final three stages which gave Cave and Morgan little chance of claiming the top spot
Unfortunately for Jukes and Williams,their rally was somewhat different to that of their team-mates. What appeared to be an innocuous spin on the first stage saw the Mitsubishi put a wheel off the road and come to rest on its floor guards. With no spectators or marshals to assist, the car was beached where it had stopped and although making various attempts to get going again, eventually Jukes and Williams resigned themselves to the fact they would have to resort to Super Rally the next day, which is when crews are allowed to restart, albeit with time penalties applied.
Overcoming a few issues in the wet conditions on Sunday, Jukes and Williams were pleased to end the event fourth in the National Rally Cup and score more points in the series. Their counterparts, Swedish crew Robert Blomberg and Lars Andersson in the second of the Mitsubishi Mirages, had another successful event and in doing so, recorded their second National Rally Cup victory in as many events, proving once again, that the R5 specification Mirage is a front-running car in the category.
“Our 100% finishing record is in no small part down to the reliability of the car that once again, ran faultlessly throughout this event and for that, I have to congratulate the Spencer Sport team for all they do to make this happen.’ Said Cave.
“We knew Elfyn (Evans) was going to be difficult to beat this weekend, so it’s great to be the best of the rest. I’m very pleased that we have been able to score our second second-place in succession and to move up to second in the championship standings.“
Cave also praised the Michelin tyres that worked exceptionally well on both the gravel and tarmac surfaces, whatever the conditions.
The next event in the MSA British Rally Championship calendar is the Ulster Rally on 19th & 20th August and when crews head to Northern Ireland for the second time this season for another taste of the unique asphalt stages that are synonymous with the region.
The Spencer Sport team would like to thank its partners: Spencer ECA, Michelin, Oil 4 Wales, Reeds Construction & Engineering, Trefeddian Hotel, PIAA lights, Speedline wheels, Rugbi Industrial Supplies, Nicky Grist Motorsports, Omega Lubricants and Atech Racing