· Pirelli International Rally preview· Round three, 2011 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship· Get 2011 campaign back on track· Full day of testing ahead of rally
Teenage rally driver Tom Cave will be chasing a solid points-scoring result, when he returns to the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship, on the Pirelli International Rally. He and co-driver Craig Parry will contest the event in the JRM-prepared and run Group N Mitsubishi Lancer EvolutionX and will be keen to get their 2011 title campaign back on track.
Following his retirement from the second round, the Bulldog Rally three weeks ago, Tom is keenly aware that although the scores from five of this year's seven events count, he can ill afford another non-finish this early in the season. With this in mind, he has a full day of testing in the area immediately prior to the start of the event and hopes to draw on the experience of former BRC champion and double event winner Guy Wilks to get an idea of the challenge ahead.
The test will take place in Kershop forest which, in previous years, has formed part of the Pirelli International route. A full eight hours on roads Tom hopes will be representative of the event should give him the best chance to set the EvoX up for the rally, as well as start to rebuild his confidence after the Bulldog.
This will have been aided by his recent class win on the Somerset Stages rally and Tom predicts he will adopt the same strategy for the Pirelli; "I was a bit rusty on the first couple of stages on the Somerset, as I hadn't driven the car before, so I took it a little easy. And I suspect the Bulldog will be playing on my mind a little in Carlisle, so I'll start with a pace that I feel comfortable with and take it from there."
And while Tom acknowledges a good result is crucial to get his 2011 BRC title campaign back on track, it doesn't mean that he will give anything away. "The key will be to have a really good recce and develop a good set of notes. Once the recce is done, then I will have an idea of where I will be able to push, if necessary. The stages are fairly long so if there is something to gain and I have the feeling and confidence in the car, then I'll attack. But if we're out in no-man's land with nothing to gain from a big push, then I will probably take the best result."
Tom has limited knowledge of the area, so not only will the test and recce be essential, he also plans to draw on the expertise of double Pirelli winner, Guy Wilks. "I've got to know Guy a bit in the last couple of years and plan to give him a call, to see if he can offer any advice that will help me prepare for the rally and the stage conditions.
"I've heard it's a very fast event, with lots of crests and a reputation for being hard on tyres, particularly punctures. But we're allowed a choice of Pirelli tyre on this event, unlike the previous two. We can use the Medium/Soft that we've had so far but also, choose the Medium/Hard, which should be better for the longer stages, as it's apparently designed for warmer conditions and more abrasive surfaces."
The event is based at the Carlisle racecourse and uses stages in and around the fearsome Kielder Forest. It begins with a double run of the 7.1 mile opening test, run in daylight and then again in full darkness following a regroup and autograph session in the town of Newcastleton, on the evening of Friday 29 April. The following day sees ten stages, separated by a pair of remote services and one main service at Carlisle, before the first crew arrives at the finish at approximately 20.00hrs.
