Tom Cave to contest Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy in 2014

Mid Wales rally driver Tom Cave is set to contest the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy in 2014, taking him to five European rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship as part of the M-Sport-run one-make series.

It offers 12 drivers full three-day rallies on five of the WRC's most iconic events, with the winner gaining a fully-paid, seven-event program in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 in the 2015 WRC2 series.

Having weighed-up several options for 2014, Aberdyfi-based Cave settled on the M-Sport-run series for several reasons. It offers one of the best prizes in rallying, with a fully-paid WRC2 programme the following year in M-Sport's R5 Fiesta. It also offers the full three days of competition over the five events, unlike other series and leaves Tom and other competitors the chance to take up on other opportunities for the finale of the 2014 season, Wales Rally GB.

The series is also a perfect fit for Cave’s sponsor and partner, Morris Lubricants. The family-run, Shrewsbury-based lubricants specialist supported his campaign in the British Rally Championship and Wales Rally GB in 2013 and has fully committed to supporting his 2014 campaign as well. The move will see the Morris Lubricants brand promoted internationally with Tom for the first time.

The 2014 Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy features identical Ford Fiesta R2 cars and while this may seem like a step backwards for Tom, having spent the last two years at the wheel of a Citroen DS3 R3T, the opportunity to compete in the same machinery over five rounds of the WRC for such a prize is the logical choice.

The R2 Fiestas are fundamentally the same as the cars that were used as the basis for the FIA WRC Academy and latterly, the Junior WRC. However, with the JWRC being based on R3 Citroen DS3s this year, the Fiestas offer a highly cost-effective and stable platform for a season of rallying. All are new-builds for 2014, will use control DMACK tyres and will be run centrally by M-Sport's Poland organisation.

The first round of the series is Vodafone Rally de Portugal, an event which Tom has contested twice in the past, in his Group N Ford Fiesta ST. The event is sure to be a popular one, as the first mainland European gravel rally of the season and also, the first round of the JWRC as well.

Round two is in Poland, another event which Tom has some experience of, before heading to Finland and the high-speed, technical stages around Jyvaskyla.

The fourth round takes the crews to the tarmac of Germany and the infamous Panzerplatte and Mosel River stages, while the fifth and final round remains on Asphalt in the Alsace region of France, for Rallye de France.

This year will also see the return to the car of Craig Parry, Tom's co-driver for several years. During 2013, Tom was co-driven by the vastly experienced Ieuan Thomas, who helped him to third place in the British Rally Championship and the pair's excellent performance on Wales Rally GB, with a string of WRC2 stage wins.

However, unfortunately due to work obligations, Thomas is unable to make the huge time commitment that a campaign in the WRC requires, with at least a full week for each of the five rounds (travel, test, recce and rally). Oswestry-based Parry, who co-drove for Tom on both his appearances as an official works driver for the Proton Motorsports team, also brings a huge array of experience.

"I am incredibly excited by the prospect of contesting the 2014 Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy,” said Cave, 22, a trainee manager in the family business, Trefeddian Hotel, Aberdyfi when not rallying. “When it was announced, it was clear that this was the prime option for us this year and, with the continued support from Morris Lubricants, we are able to proceed with an entry and have been accepted for the series.

"I think our performance on last year's Wales Rally GB has helped enormously in moving us forward. Morris Lubricants was instrumental in making that opportunity a reality and now, I am incredibly grateful to the company for its continued support to allow us to contest this series in 2014.

"The Drive DMACK series looks to be a superb concept. It is very similar to the Junior WRC series from last year, with five rounds instead of six. However, each rally runs over the full three days so we don't lose any of the experience that the final day offers and, as the cars are all identical, the emphasis is on the crew to get their set-up and approach to the event right.

"The season doesn't get underway for a couple of months but there is still plenty to do; the fitness campaign starts in earnest now and I'm scouring the internet for footage of the stages for the first couple of rounds to get a feel for them.

"I have done Portugal twice before and Poland once, so at least I have some idea of what to expect. However, they were both some years ago so the recce will be crucial to give us the best chance to get the season off to the best start.

"It’s a shame that Ieuan isn't able to work with us this year - he was extremely professional and dedicated last year - and we had some superb success. I have a very long-standing relationship with Craig and he was a natural choice when it became clear that Ieuan wouldn't be able to join us.

"It's going to be a challenge but the stakes and potential rewards are huge. This is where it starts to get very serious indeed."

The first round, Vodafone Rallye de Portugal, takes place from April 3-6.