Tom Cave
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cave is a rally
driver from Aberdyfi
in Wales
. He is the son of club rally driver Peter Cave and his ambition is to become the next British champion in the FIA World Rally Championship
. He is the UK’s first minor international rally driver and achieved his international rally license, issued in Latvia
, at the age of 16.
He continued his development at the Martin Rowe Ice Driving School in Norway. Under the tutelage of the former FIA Production car World Rally Champion, Tom’s car control skills and the beginnings of the additional experience, such as pace notes, began to take shape.
At the beginning of 2007, he teamed-up with former WRC
co-driver Gemma Price and the pair headed to Latvia
, where drivers can compete in genuine rallies from the age of just 14 years.
He spent 2007 competing in the Latvian RallySprint Championship at the wheel of an MG ZR
. In 2008, he stepped up to a Group N
Ford Fiesta ST, the same specification as used in the various one-make series around the world, including as a support series for the WRC
.
He contested the Latvian Rally Championship that year but as the focus of his year was on his GCSE exams, was forced to miss several events. However, he secured his international rally license and went on to make his WRC
debut on the UK round of the WRC, Wales Rally GB at the end of the year.
Following further guidance and mentoring from Rowe, Tom and Gemma eventually won their class on the event, N3, by 15 minutes. In the run-up to the event, Tom was exposed to a flurry of media interest, as the event began just 18 days after his 17th birthday and he needed a full UK driving license to compete.
As he returned home from the driving test, there were live TV news crews from Sky News
, BBC News
and ITV
waiting for him. He also carried out live radio interviews with Radio 1,2,3,4 and 5 Live as he tore up his ‘L’ plates. This meant that he would be the youngest-ever driver to compete in the UK round of the WRC
.
This fact led to him being invited onto Channel Five’s motoring program, Fifth Gear
. He was challenged to go head to head with presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson
in a Subaru Impreza
WRX around a Rallycross
circuit to see who was faster. Tom beat the presenter, who also removed the car’s rear bumper on camera.
, British Rally Championship
and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge
, since he was not able to contest a full championship in any, due to his age. As he was only 17, he was not permitted to drive legally in the majority of countries that formed the WRC
and IRC.
However, he began his programme in Portugal
on the WRC event, where engine failure on the first day when lying second in class cut his event short.
He then contested his first two asphalt events, beginning with the RDP Welsh International. He finished this fourth in class, a result he was pleased with considering it was his debut on the surface. He followed that up with sixth in class and third Fiesta on the famous Jim Clark Rally, a round of the British Rally Championship
. He was chasing the first Fiesta spot during the event and looked to be taking the position before a small error cost him time and demoted him to third.
His next event saw a return to the WRC
and Rally Poland, debuting in the WRC. He dominated the N3 class, including the international Fiesta one-make series on the first day but a head gasket failure on the second day meant that he eventually finished the rally sixth in class, 16 minutes behind the winner but with 25 minutes of ‘SupeRally’ penalties.
He was then invited to take part in the Richard Burns Memorial Rally by Neil Cole
, presenter of the WRC on digital TV channel Dave. The pair finished 14th overall and sixth in class, another outstanding result considering they faced kit cars and ex-works Vauxhall Astras in their Group N Fiesta.
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
driver from Aberdyfi
Aberdyfi
Aberdyfi , or Aberdovey is a village on the north side of the estuary of the River Dyfi in Gwynedd, on the west coast of Wales....
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He is the son of club rally driver Peter Cave and his ambition is to become the next British champion in the FIA World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
. He is the UK’s first minor international rally driver and achieved his international rally license, issued in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, at the age of 16.
Early
Tom first began driving at the age of eight, when he took to the wheel of a car on private ground. However, it was when he was 13 that his father bought him a motorcycle-engined, rear wheel-drive buggy and it was this that would push his development forward at a huge rate.He continued his development at the Martin Rowe Ice Driving School in Norway. Under the tutelage of the former FIA Production car World Rally Champion, Tom’s car control skills and the beginnings of the additional experience, such as pace notes, began to take shape.
At the beginning of 2007, he teamed-up with former WRC
WRC
WRC may refer to:Auto racing:* World Rally Championship* World Rally CarVideo games:* World Rally Championship * WRC: Rally Evolved* WRC: FIA World Rally Championship Broadcasting stations:...
co-driver Gemma Price and the pair headed to Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, where drivers can compete in genuine rallies from the age of just 14 years.
He spent 2007 competing in the Latvian RallySprint Championship at the wheel of an MG ZR
MG ZR
The MG ZR is a high-performance MG-branded "hot hatch" version of the Rover 25 supermini-class car, produced by MG Rover at their Longbridge plant in Birmingham from 2001 to 2005...
. In 2008, he stepped up to a Group N
Group N
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group N refers to a set of regulations providing 'standard' production vehicles for competition, often referred to as the "Showroom Class"....
Ford Fiesta ST, the same specification as used in the various one-make series around the world, including as a support series for the WRC
WRC
WRC may refer to:Auto racing:* World Rally Championship* World Rally CarVideo games:* World Rally Championship * WRC: Rally Evolved* WRC: FIA World Rally Championship Broadcasting stations:...
.
He contested the Latvian Rally Championship that year but as the focus of his year was on his GCSE exams, was forced to miss several events. However, he secured his international rally license and went on to make his WRC
WRC
WRC may refer to:Auto racing:* World Rally Championship* World Rally CarVideo games:* World Rally Championship * WRC: Rally Evolved* WRC: FIA World Rally Championship Broadcasting stations:...
debut on the UK round of the WRC, Wales Rally GB at the end of the year.
Following further guidance and mentoring from Rowe, Tom and Gemma eventually won their class on the event, N3, by 15 minutes. In the run-up to the event, Tom was exposed to a flurry of media interest, as the event began just 18 days after his 17th birthday and he needed a full UK driving license to compete.
As he returned home from the driving test, there were live TV news crews from Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
, BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
and ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
waiting for him. He also carried out live radio interviews with Radio 1,2,3,4 and 5 Live as he tore up his ‘L’ plates. This meant that he would be the youngest-ever driver to compete in the UK round of the WRC
WRC
WRC may refer to:Auto racing:* World Rally Championship* World Rally CarVideo games:* World Rally Championship * WRC: Rally Evolved* WRC: FIA World Rally Championship Broadcasting stations:...
.
This fact led to him being invited onto Channel Five’s motoring program, Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear is a motoring television magazine show from the United Kingdom. Originally shown on Channel 5, the show is currently presented by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato, Jonny Smith and Ben Collins...
. He was challenged to go head to head with presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson
Vicki Butler-Henderson
Victoria "Vicki" Butler-Henderson is a racing driver and television presenter.-Biography:Butler-Henderson was born into a racing family. Her grandfather used to race a Frazer Nash at Brooklands, her father was in the British karting team and her brother Charlie is a racing driver. She has an older...
in a Subaru Impreza
Subaru Impreza
Introduced in November 1993, the Impreza was offered in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive versions and as a four-door sedan/saloon or five-door station wagon/estate. According to a Motor Trend article written March 1992 on page 26, the name of Subaru's new compact was, initially, to be...
WRX around a Rallycross
Rallycross
Rallycross is a form of sprint style automobile racing, held on a closed mixed-surface racing circuit, with modified production or specially built road cars, similar to the World Rally Cars, although usually with about stronger engines, due to e.g. their 45 mm turbo restrictor plates. It is...
circuit to see who was faster. Tom beat the presenter, who also removed the car’s rear bumper on camera.
2009
His program for 2009 was made up of selected events from the WRCWRC
WRC may refer to:Auto racing:* World Rally Championship* World Rally CarVideo games:* World Rally Championship * WRC: Rally Evolved* WRC: FIA World Rally Championship Broadcasting stations:...
, British Rally Championship
British Rally Championship
The Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship is a yearly rallying series based in the United Kingdom. It comprises seven events with eight scoring opportunities throughout the British Isles. The first championship was run in 1958 and it has been licensed by the MSA Motor Sports Association since...
and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge
Intercontinental Rally Challenge
The Intercontinental Rally Challenge is a rallying series organised by SRW Ltd and sanctioned by the FIA, aiming to "give new opportunities to young or amateur rally drivers competing in recognised regional and international rallies, while offering organisers an innovative TV format concept,...
, since he was not able to contest a full championship in any, due to his age. As he was only 17, he was not permitted to drive legally in the majority of countries that formed the WRC
WRC
WRC may refer to:Auto racing:* World Rally Championship* World Rally CarVideo games:* World Rally Championship * WRC: Rally Evolved* WRC: FIA World Rally Championship Broadcasting stations:...
and IRC.
However, he began his programme in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
on the WRC event, where engine failure on the first day when lying second in class cut his event short.
He then contested his first two asphalt events, beginning with the RDP Welsh International. He finished this fourth in class, a result he was pleased with considering it was his debut on the surface. He followed that up with sixth in class and third Fiesta on the famous Jim Clark Rally, a round of the British Rally Championship
British Rally Championship
The Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship is a yearly rallying series based in the United Kingdom. It comprises seven events with eight scoring opportunities throughout the British Isles. The first championship was run in 1958 and it has been licensed by the MSA Motor Sports Association since...
. He was chasing the first Fiesta spot during the event and looked to be taking the position before a small error cost him time and demoted him to third.
His next event saw a return to the WRC
WRC
WRC may refer to:Auto racing:* World Rally Championship* World Rally CarVideo games:* World Rally Championship * WRC: Rally Evolved* WRC: FIA World Rally Championship Broadcasting stations:...
and Rally Poland, debuting in the WRC. He dominated the N3 class, including the international Fiesta one-make series on the first day but a head gasket failure on the second day meant that he eventually finished the rally sixth in class, 16 minutes behind the winner but with 25 minutes of ‘SupeRally’ penalties.
He was then invited to take part in the Richard Burns Memorial Rally by Neil Cole
Neil Cole
Neil Cole is an English television presenter, comedian, radio broadcaster and actor.-Early life:Cole was born in Bristol in 1972, and attended King Edward Grammar School in Chelmsford...
, presenter of the WRC on digital TV channel Dave. The pair finished 14th overall and sixth in class, another outstanding result considering they faced kit cars and ex-works Vauxhall Astras in their Group N Fiesta.