Tom Cave still in the BRC running after Rally Yorkshire

Following what he described as "disappointing and frustrating" Rally of Yorkshire, Welsh rally driver Tom Cave remains in the running for the 2013 MSA British Rally Championship, which will be decided on the final round in three weeks time. The 21 year-old gambled on car set-up for the first two stages of the event and ultimately, it didn't pay off, as he lost time which he was unable to regain throughout the second, full day of competition.

Following two pre-event tests, Tom opted for a set-up which was a compromise for the dry gravel stages of the Dalby Forest in Yorkshire. It was a bold move but it would not pay off over the first two stages, running in the darkness.

As it transpired, the rear suspension was too stiff, meaning that the winner of last year's event was losing grip throughout the first stage of the event and on the second, was unable to build the necessary confidence to be able to push as hard as he needed to, to secure the event win.

Come Saturday morning, he made changes to the set-up, softening the car's suspension and immediately set the fastest time on the first stage of the day. He and co-driver Ieuan Thomas were second fastest on the two following stages but the time loss on Firday night was too great to be able to claw back. By the time they reached the finish of the event in Pickering, they held fourth place, with last year's runner up Osian Pryce taking the win, from series leader Jukka Korhonen in second and Alastair Fisher third.

Commenting, Tom said; "While this was not the result we wanted, there are still a lot of positives to take from the weekend. We are still in with a chance of the championship but it is all down to the Sunseeker now.

"We started the event with a set-up that had worked well on the test and was a slight compromise with what we have used before but I felt it was a gamble worth taking. However, while it worked on the test, it didn't work on the rally itself. I couldn't get the grip I needed on the first stage and therefore, could not commit on the second.

"On Saturday, we reverted to the usual set-up and we were on the pace right away. We were also very close on the next two stages but despite that, the time we lost on Friday was too great to get back in the limited stage mileage on Saturday. It was very frustrating and I am really disappointed - for myself and Ieuan, out partners Morris Lubricants and the DMS team.

"But it's not over yet. We are still in with a mathematical chance of the championship on the last round next month. We have to win the event and Jukka has to have a problems or finish badly but all we can go is give it everything we have and see if fate is on our side this year."

The result means that Korhonen extends his lead to 90 points, with Tom and Fisher tied in second on 74, Jonnie Greer on 70 and Pryce on 62. However, with 50% additional points available on the last round, there are a potential 30 points available to the winner, before one score is dropped by each driver.

The final round of the series, Rallye Sunseeker, begins with a ceremonial start in Poole harbour on the evening of Friday 18 October with a full day of action, and 10 stages, on Saturday 19 October. The relatively short distance - just 58 stage miles - means that crews must attack from the very start of the first stage to stand a chance of success.