National journalist left in the lurch by media colleague

Olly Marshall, team boss of ProSpeed Motorsport and a former top-level rally driver, has had to step in at the last moment to rescue journalist Tom Cary’s rally challenge. Marshall has been forced to take the wheel, with Cary navigating, after usual driver, Sky Sports’ Tony Jardine, was forced to pull out of next weekend’s UTS Cheviot Stages (25 October).

Cary,  the  F1  correspondent  of  The  Daily  Telegraph,  is  at a critical point of his challenge to qualify as an international rally co-driver, allowing him to take part in two top-flight international events.   November’s   Rally   Scotland,   part   of   the   Intercontinental   Rally   Challenge,   and February’s WRC Swedish Rally are Cary’s goals. The novice, who only picked up pace notes for the first time in July, has to finish two more rallies under supervision to gain the valuable upgrade signatures to his national licence.

Whilst  Cary  was  sympathetic  to  Jardine’s  call  to  appear  live  for  Sky,  he  felt  the  campaign faltering until Marshall reluctantly stepped in. Cary said, “We have just two events left on the schedule that we must finish if I am to qualify, so naturally I felt left in the lurch until Olly kindly stepped  in,  albeit  after  a  great  deal  of  pressure  from  within  the  Castrol  team.  Time  is  tight. There  is  a  lot  of  pressure,  not just to learn the ropes in a short amount of time, but also to reach the finish of each event. Otherwise I don’t qualify.”

Cary gave an example of just how easy it is for the programme to go off the rails, “While I was away on F1 work in Japan, Tony competed in the Colin McRae Stages with the editor of Motor Sport magazine and promptly had a big crash tearing the suspension off our Castrol Fiesta, leaving a lot of chassis straightening work for the ProSpeed team. That could have been one of my qualifying events and would have left us in trouble. So I hope Olly will not go mad on the Cheviot Stages, he hasn’t driven a rally car in anger for a long time.”

The UTS Cheviot Keith Knox Stages is a round of the MSA Tarmac Championship held on ultra-fast, narrow, sealed surfaces on military ranges in Otterburn in the North East. With blind, flat-out crests and many deceptive bends to catch drivers out, there have been some bruising and spectacular accidents over the years. So much so that no spectators are allowed near any of the jumps and are restricted to viewing in just one area.

Tyre supplier to the team and Kumho Tyres chief, Steve Thompson, has been in touch with ProSpeed  boss  Olly  Marshall  who  was  contracted  to  Kumho  during  his  own rally  career,  to wish him luck. Thompson said, “I think he is a bit nervous, but we talked of the special tarmac tyre requirements for the Cheviot and have dispatched our latest slick and wet weather tyres to reassure him we will be right underneath him and Tom!”

Olly  Marshall  has  not  competed  in  a  rally  car  since  2005  as  he  has  been  concentrating  on building  up  his  PoSpeed  rally  preparation  business.  However,  he  has  reluctantly  agreed  to make a return to the cockpit, “It has been very much last minute, but Tony and our on-event technician  Andy  Beale  from  McLaren,  felt  I had no option but to step in and make sure the Daily  Telegraph  campaign  stayed  on  track  for  Tom’s  sake.  Although  I  am  very  rusty  and somewhat nervous, I have assured Tom that I will do my best to at least keep the car on track.”

Jardine will be working in Sky Sports studios in London during the early hours of Saturday and Sunday  morning  (24-25 October)  covering  the  first  round  of  the  latest  A1GP  World  Cup  of Motorsport taking place at the Gold Coast in Australia. As soon as the transmission ends he intends to race up north to support the team. “I hope to be out of Sky’s studios by early on the Sunday and should arrive in time to support the team and check on progress by lunchtime. Olly and Tom have 100 miles of very fast, deceptive stages to cover, but this will be a cracking test of Tom’s pace note delivery to a former top driver. Hopefully it will provide proof that Olly has not lost his touch behind the wheel.”

Crash claims media team on Colin McRae Forest Stages

The  Castrol  /  ProSpeed  team  succumbed  to  wet  and  treacherous  conditions  on  the  hills around Perth when Sky Sports presenter Tony Jardine and his guest co-driver, Motor Sport Magazine editor Damien Smith, smashed into the rocks on the notorious Errochty test during the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally (Saturday 3 October).

Smith was competing on the event in order to settle unfinished business, having retired on his rally  debut  with  Jardine  on  the  Swansea  Bay  Rally  a  year  earlier.  The  lure  of  the  famous McRae name drew him to make his return in Scotland.

On a rally in which even newly-crowned Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) Champion Kris Meeke failed to finish, and a crew had to be cut out of their Vauxhall Nova on the first stage of the day, Jardine and Smith were frustrated by disruptions and ever-changing conditions.

Smith said, “After a difficult start to our rally we began to settle down to a good pace on the second stage, Drummond Hill, only for a red flag caused by a rolled Escort Mk II to stop us in our  tracks.  We got back into a rhythm on the next stage only for a fast left-hander to catch Tony out. It was disappointing not to make the finish but once again the ProSpeed team have given me an experience I will never forget.”

Jardine said, “The Colin McRae Stages was a very challenging event, just as the great man himself  would  have  wished.  Damien  had  his  hands  full  trying  to  navigate  and  call  the  pace notes as the scenery and surface changed so rapidly in the pouring rain and team technician Andy Beale had to lower the pressures on our Kumho tyres to give us better grip in the mud.

“During  the  weekend  we  even  got  into  trouble  with  the  law  at  one  point  after  a  couple  of navigational misdemeanours caused us to be escorted back to the service area by two police motorcycle patrol men! I reckon Damien was relieved when we crashed out as his purgatory was over!”

ProSpeed  boss  Olly  Marshall  said  after  the  long  rescue  operation  to  retrieve  the  stricken Castrol Fiesta from the remote Scottish hills late on Saturday night, “Tony doesn’t often crash. He and Damien had finally got into their stride after all the disruptions and they were pushing a bit too hard, as often happens in rallying. We were relieved that they were both uninjured, and the car will live to fight another day.”

The Castrol / ProSpeed team will be back in action on the Cheviot Rally when Tom Cary, from the Daily Telegraph, resumes his co-driving duties in two weeks time.

Motor Sport Magazine editor to settle unfinished business on legendary Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally

Sky motorsports presenter Tony Jardine will return to his Scottish family roots this weekend (Saturday 3 October) as he makes his debut on the legendary Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally near Perth in Scotland. The event is supported by the famous rally family of the late World Rally Champion Colin McRae and his multi-rally Champion father Jimmy McRae, who is set to advise Jardine and the ProSpeed team on the challenging stages.

Motor Sport Magazine editor Damien Smith will be navigating on only his second ever rally, both times co-driving for Jardine. Smith will be replacing the Daily Telegraph’s F1 correspondent, Tom Cary, who is currently on Grand Prix duty in Japan before resuming his campaign with the Castrol / ProSpeed team to become a fully fledged international co-driver for Rally Scotland in November, the final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).

Substitute Smith proved to be the most nervous journalist navigator the team had encountered, prior to his first event last year. However, as soon as the Swansea Bay Rally 2008 got underway, the Motor Sport editor performed well from the navigator’s seat, helping the Kumho shod car to second in class until a shock mechanical retirement.

Smith commented on his debut last year, “I have to admit I was worried and I couldn’t sleep the night before, but when we started I was OK. I had calmed my nerves and we were flying, challenging for the class lead when we ground to a halt with transmission problems. The Colin McRae Stages is not just a chance to meet and interview five times British Champion Jimmy McRae, this is also about unfinished business. I want a podium finish!”

For Jardine, this event will draw him back to his family roots and relatives still living in the Dumfries area. Jardine said, “I have always wanted to compete on this event, now more so because of my memories of Colin McRae who I worked with in his early Subaru years. His father Jimmy has always been helpful with my own rally career and has kindly invited me to join the Colin McRae Forest Stages rally forum panel on the Friday night before the rally. It will be a privilege to take part this weekend.”

In addition, there is another important reason why the Castrol / ProSpeed team are to compete in this event, as ProSpeed boss Olly Marshall explains, “Whilst it’s great to welcome Damien back to the hot seat alongside Tony, he also has an important job to do for his fellow journalist Tom Cary for when he returns to the team. Some of the stages on this rally form the basis of Rally Scotland in November, a number of which haven’t been used for twenty years! It is vital for Damien to make accurate notes and gather as much information as possible for Tom, who will need all the help he can get when he makes his international debut. The Rally Scotlandstages are pretty daunting and some will be held in the dark.

“We are looking forward to receiving advice from Jimmy McRae, as he knows the contours of these stages like the back of his hand.”

Hot on the heels of the news that Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen will drive in Rally Finland  this  August,  and  that  five  times  World  Rally  Champion  Sebastien  Loeb may  drive  an  F1  Toro  Rosso  in  the  Abu  Dhabi  Grand  Prix  later  this  year,  F1 correspondent  for  the  Daily  Telegraph,  Tom  Cary  has  announced  that  he  too  is crossing disciplines to compete in the World Rally Championship.

Tom  Cary,  from  Wandsworth  in  London,  is  temporarily  leaving  the  Grand  Prix press box to become a competition rally co-driver. However, not to be outdone by champions  Loeb  and  Raikkonen,  he  will  have  his  own  ex-World  Champion  as  a mentor  -  Scotland’s  Robert  Reid,  who  co-drove  Richard  Burns  to  World  Rally Championship glory in 2001. Cary will learn to be a navigator alongside Sky Sports motorsports presenter Tony Jardine,  an  experienced  amateur  driver  with  17  World  Championship  and  10 European Championship rally finishes under his belt.

Cary’s aim is to be a fully qualified international rally navigator by November, when he is hoping to compete in Rally Scotland and then the World Rally of Sweden in early 2010. Tom has just four national events and one intensive training session to achieve  the  necessary  qualifications,  and  will  have  to  fit  the  intensive  training programme around an already hectic schedule covering Formula One Grand Prix racing for the Daily Telegraph. The rookie journalist has already started to train with World Champion Reid, who met  for  a  first  session  at  Silverstone’s  Experience  Centre. 

Having  passed  his BARS exam, the MSA’s (the governing body of the sport in UK) initial licence test for rallying, Cary was then presented with his Alpinestars fireproof safety apparel and  new  Arai  helmet.  In  order  to  understand  the  different  disciplines  of  rallying Tom then set about learning how to drive a rally car on Silverstone’s purpose built rally stage, sliding the car on the loose surface and mastering the techniques of over-steer and under-steer. Speaking   after   his   first   experience   behind   the   wheel   of   a   rally   car,  

Cary commented, “I can honestly say that my initial rally experience at Silverstone was even  more  impressive  than  being  raced  around  the  Grand  Prix  track  by  Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes SLR - and that was superb. I can see the rallying bug is going to bite, although I am nervous about the prospects of my first rally, especially when I tell people my driver will be Tony Jardine! They just shake their heads and wish me good luck.”

Despite  Cary’s  apprehension,  Robert  Reid  was  impressed  with  the  journalist’s speed of learning;

“Considering we threw so much at someone who knows nothing about rallying, he was impressive. Tom has his first event this Saturday (18 July) in the Pro Art Swansea Bay National Rally. He is being thrown in at the deep end and he is going to have to learn how to swim very quickly. But I think he will cope well.”

The York based team ProSpeed, run by Team Principal Ollie Marshall, will prepare and run the 180 b.h.p. Castrol Ford Fiesta for the media duo, as Cary makes his debut. ProSpeed  have  extended their business offering since Jardine last drove for the team. They now offer ProSpeed Performance for fast road and track day markets, while ProSpeed Elite transforms the way a prestige vehicle is maintained, further expanding their experience which will be of benefit to developing their competition team.

Thanks to Marshall, the team’s group N showroom class Fiesta will continue to run on the effective, strong Kumho tyres and the ProSpeed boss is looking forward to helping develop the new team recruit; “I understand Tom is very enthusiastic and he  is  approaching  this  challenge  intelligently.  However,  just  as  we  need  to engineer and develop the car, we will have to help him engineer and develop his own  skills  -  and  we  need  to  start  quickly,  as  it  is  a  race  against  time  for  him  to qualify for an international licence.”